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Door Swing
How to Determine Door Handing & Swing
​(The Butt-to-Hinges Trick)
Before ordering a pre-hung door, you need to know its Handing (Left or Right) and Swing (In or Out). To figure this out instantly, use the industry standard standard trick:

Step 1: Stand in the Doorway
Open the door completely, walk over, and stand right in the middle of the doorway with your back flat against the door hinges (your butt should be touching the side of the frame where the hinges are attached).

Step 2: Look at the Door Panel
Now, look at the door panel itself.
  • If the door panel is inside the house/room: It is an In-Swing door.
  • If the door panel is outside the house/on the patio: It is an Out-Swing door.

Step 3: Check Which Arm it Touches
While still standing with your back against the hinges, let your arms hang naturally at your sides.
  • If the door panel is on your LEFT side: It is a Left-Hand door.
  • If the door panel is on your RIGHT side: It is a Right-Hand door.


📋 The Quick Cheat Sheet
Combine your findings from above to know exactly what to buy:
  • Left-Hand In-Swing: Back against hinges, door is on your left, and it swings into the room.
  • Right-Hand In-Swing: Back against hinges, door is on your right, and it swings into the room.
  • Left-Hand Out-Swing: Back against hinges, door is on your left, and it swings out of the room.
  • Right-Hand Out-Swing: Back against hinges, door is on your right, and it swings out of the room.

💡 Pro-Tip for Front Doors & Patios: Most standard residential entry doors swing inward toward the living room.  Patio French doors, and security storm doors frequently swing outward to maximize interior floor space.
📏How to Measure for Your Door Installation
To ensure your brand-new door fits perfectly without binding or uneven gaps, you must capture a few critical dimensions before purchasing your door or scheduling your installation.


1️⃣Finding the "Rough Opening" (Best for Pre-Hung Doors)
If you are installing a full Pre-Hung Door (the door plus its frame), you need to measure the structural wood framing hidden behind your finished walls.
  • How to check: Carefully pry off a piece of the interior decorative trim to expose the raw drywall edge, jack studs, and header timber underneath. Alternatively, you can search YouTube for "Measuring Rough Opening for Door Install" to watch a quick visual guide.
  • Measure Width: Measure the horizontal distance between the wood studs in 3 places (top, middle, bottom). Record the smallest number.
  • Measure Height: Measure vertically from the header stud straight down to the floor. Record the smallest number.

🧱 Exterior Floor Watchout: Exterior doors should sit directly on the solid cement foundation slab. If you measure from the top of thick finish tile flooring instead of the subfloor, your height measurement will be too short. Always look at the manufacturing label on your new door; it will explicitly list the exact Rough Opening Required for a safe install.



2️⃣Measuring Just the Door Slab
If your existing frame is in pristine condition and you are only swapping out the swingable door panel itself, you just need the exact measurements of the current wood panel.
  • Measure the Width: Check across the panel in 3 separate spots (top, middle, and bottom).
  • Measure the Height: Check from the top edge down to the bottom edge on the left, center, and right sides.
  • Common Slab Sizes: Standard off-the-shelf residential slabs typically measure:
    • 24" x 80" | 28" x 80" | 30" x 80" | 32" x 80" | 36" x 80"
      (Any dimensions outside of these standard 80-inch heights are typically specialized custom orders).


3️⃣Check Your Jamb Width (Wall Thickness)
Not all home framing is built the same. You must measure the total thickness of your wall (stud plus drywall layers) to buy a frame that matches your home's footprint.
  • Run your tape measure through the door opening to calculate the total depth of the wall framing.
  • Pro-Tip: Walls are rarely perfectly flat across an entire opening. If your wall varies, ordering a door jamb that is 1/16th of an inch wider than your wall measurement is ideal to allow a clean, flush trim finish.


Unsure? Let Me Help You Measure!
If you are stuck or afraid of buying the wrong size, don't guess! I am happy to guide you through the process.
  1. Stand back roughly 10 feet from the door.
  2. Use the zoom-out function (0.5x or 100% wide angle) on your phone camera.
  3. Snap a clear picture showing the entire door, all four corners of the trim casing, and the surrounding floor/ceiling area. Do this for both the inside and outside of the wall.
  4. Text your photos directly to (951) 795-4282