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I want to change the in swing of my door from right to left.

What things should I consider when deciding whether to change the swing of the existing door or swapping with with the other exterior door we have, which is the same size.

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  • "Which is easier" is a matter of opinion. "What factors are involved" keeps the question relevant to the answer already provided and asks for facts. Once you have facts, you can decide which is easier for you.
    – FreeMan
    Mar 4 at 13:56

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The latch edge of a door is beveled to allow it to clear the frame while closing tightly. Reversing the door in place would require changing its bevel, which will reduce it's size slightly, which may cause other fitting complications. It also, of course, exchanges the inside and outside faces; some doors are not the same design on both sides..

If the other door is of the same type, swapping it in may be easier.

Remember that you are going to have to deal with new hinge mortises in that side of the frame, and a new strike mortice on the knob side of things. And you may want to fill in the old hinge mortises in the frame, and maybe the old strike mortise, to make this all look good

I haven't reversed my own front door yet, despite the significant improvement in traffic that would be, because I haven't had time to spend on doing it right and hiring a pro to do it right would probably set me back a kilobuck.

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  • I've never seen a door beveled in the fashion you describe. I have seen weatherstripping...
    – Huesmann
    Mar 4 at 14:10
  • Other subtleties and random comments: the door may have been cut out of square/trimmed to fit the opening in the past -- this will make a spin harder. When filling hinge mortises, glue wood in and flatten it: filler only never looks good and takes ages. Depending on the door and how it's trimmed out, you might seriously consider installing an entirely new prehung unit -- you'll get good modern weatherstripping and a durable door.
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Mar 4 at 14:13
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    @Huesmann -- crappy modern manufacturing seems to be willing to offer bigger gaps instead of bevels. I blame price pressure from (among others) the big box stores.
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Mar 4 at 14:15
  • On the other hand, if it's an attractive older door the cost of replacing it may be higher than the cost of all the fiddly bits of rehanging it. Replacement for my demi-lune craftsman front door starts at $1300...
    – keshlam
    Mar 4 at 15:45

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