Kitchens are high-traffic areas in most homes, which means it becomes important to understand where the entrances/exits are.
You will want to ensure everything passes the established safety standards in the country.
One of the more common questions people ask is, does a kitchen need an external door?
Kitchens do not require an external door. The house should have multiple entrances and/or exits with fire-grade doors. These doors can be situated in other parts of the house with accessibility from the kitchen (i.e. attached hallway, nearby room).
This is an important detail to remember because it is still essential to have the right type of exits in place around the house.
The reason houses don’t require an external door in the kitchen has to do with the increased fire risk in this part of the house. Since it is a fire risk, the exit has to be somewhere else unless there are sprinklers installed in the kitchen.
Here’s more on why an external door is not required in the kitchen and want to consider when installing/designing them around the house.
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Reasons For Why External Doors Are Not Needed In Kitchens
1. Increased Fire Risk
The main reason you don’t need an external door in the kitchen has to do with the increased fire risk.
Kitchens have multiple appliances that can catch on fire. Due to this, it is not recommended to have one of your external exits inside the kitchen as it might become unusable for other parts of the room as soon as a fire breaks out.
This is why it’s best to have an internal exit (1 or 2) for the kitchen that are close to an external exit in another room.
This ensures people inside the kitchen can get out while others don’t have to go through a fire just to get out of the house.
This is all about safety and that is why most properties will not have an external door set inside the kitchen. In most cases, it will be nearby but outside the kitchen area.
Let’s assume you do want to install an external door inside the kitchen. If that is true, you will have to set up a sprinkler system. This will act as a safety net in case a fire does break out inside the kitchen.
2. Harder to Access From Other Rooms
You have to understand a fire escape route is planned when designing a home.
This means you don’t want a situation where one of the primary exits during a fire is located in one of the most dangerous parts of the house. The kitchen can easily catch on fire, which means an external door there shouldn’t be an option.
It is a lot smarter to have it nearby while not being inside the kitchen.
It is common for people to get trapped in other rooms if there is a fire in the kitchen. This is why an external door in the kitchen isn’t useful.
It is better to have it in another room people can easily access without having to go through the kitchen.
3. General Regulations
Most countries have regulations in place that promote not having the external door in the kitchen space.
It is just not useful or safe when it comes to planning a fire escape route.
This doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to have an external door there, but there are certain stipulations that come along with doing so.
If you follow these stipulations, you can move forward with the external door.
However, it is still recommended to look at setting the external door away from the kitchen. This will make it easier to exit the house during a fire.
Related Questions
1. Do You Need A Fire Door In The Kitchen?
You do not require a fire door in the kitchen. However, a fire door should be accessible from different parts of the property including the kitchen.
2. Can I Take My Kitchen Door Off?
It is not recommended to take your kitchen door off as this can eliminate a successful fire escape route from the kitchen.
Final Thoughts
Does a kitchen need an external door?
External doors are not mandatory when it comes to your kitchen. It is better to have them in a nearby area that can be accessed through a well-designed route.
Here’s more on kitchens – how to find the right kitchen island, how to clean dishes with body wash in the kitchen, how to deal with tall fridge in the kitchen, and how to deal with C02 safety in the kitchen.