I live in a 1964 Eichler in Lucas Valley. I need to replace the exterior bathroom door in the second bathroom, and am wondering if I should just close the wall up instead. In 12 years, I've never used this door and wonder what the rationale was for having it in the first place. Anyone know?
DD
The best explanation I've heard is that the door to the outside would allow kids to get in/out of the bathroom after playing in the backyard without tracking water/dirt through the house - especially in the case where there was a swimming pool.
I love the exterior bathroom door. We use it when coming in from the hot tub, as a shortcut when we're doing yard work, for extra ventilation...
I also like it as a possible escape route for a fire or other emergency, but haven't had to use it as such - thank goodness!
Tracy
P.S. I'm also for keeping the design as original as possible.
A plain slab exterior door is cheap so that should be fairly easy.
If however, you are doing a Bathroom re-mod and really haven't used
the door for 12 years, Close it up.
You may this way have the ability to add exhaust fans and other electric that would be difficult if you didn't open the walls.
Good luch and keep us posted.
Originally it was for access to the pool area or since some times the laundry area was nearby to hang clothes on a clothes line outside, but now if you have a dryer you usually don't need to. Funny thing tho if you look at newer homes in tracts in Florida a lot of them still have a bath with a door to the outside, might be called a cabana bath. But if you find you haven't used it very much if at all, I'd say close it up and just have a window.