Houses have a lot of doors. Interior doors, back doors, front doors, etc. And if your rowhouse was built back in the Victorian era, when people liked lots of little interconnected rooms, you may have three or four doors in just one room. In this post we’re going to learn more about all of the above. How to keep existing character, and how to get new doors to fit the unique sizes we encounter in old rowhouses.

Front doors in Philadelphia vary a lot. You’ve got the retro vibes of the “Star Doors” and more modern “Tofani” doors of South Philadelphia. There are the grand double doors of North Philly. And so many vintage paneled doors throughout Society Hill. In the photo above, if you look at the brick work, you can see a vestige of an old arch peeking out, showing that the trim surround was changed sometime after this house was built in 1760. The front door however, may have always been a six-panel door. These are very common. The classic door style. Look closely at the door knob, and you’ll notice that it is further in to the door and smaller than you’d expect from a modern door knob. Many rowhouses have original, or old door hardware that’s still going strong after 100 years. It takes some effort, but these pieces are a part of the home’s history and should be restored when possible. If you’re looking for reproduction hardware to get the look, House of Antique Hardware and Rejuvenation are good places to search. Killian’s in Chestnut Hill is a great place to keep your dollars local as well as Provenance for salvaged hardware.

Reproduction of the original Tofani door to fit a narrow opening

What if your door isn’t in shape to salvage? At the house pictured above, our clients had a new custom door built to match the one that was there before. Even if they hadn’t matched the old door, it would have had to be custom. Most companies that make exterior doors, make them in sizes ranging from 32” wide and up. However, many Philadelphia rowhouses have doors that are 30” or even 28” wide. And many times, the frame of the door is attached to the brick party wall, so a skilled carpenter used to restoration work will need to install the replacement. Another feature you see in this photo which many rowhouses have is the transom window above the door. These brought in light to vestibules, and are a great feature to retain (or re-establish if a previous owner has covered it up with siding or a panel. You can often install a new door below the existing transom, and if not, you can get a new door with a new transom window mulled to the door. (Mulled is just a door company’s way of saying “attached”)

Back doors in rowhouses were not traditionally a grand affair. Sometimes the “back door” is actually a side door that leads to a narrow alley, and a true back door was probably a solid paneled door with a window next to it. These days, people want to make the most of the outdoor space they have, and they want to let light in and see the outdoors year round. A single window often isn’t enough. For that reason, a lot of people put in double doors with large glass panels to connect the back of the house to the yard. This usually involves a structural steel beam and requires an engineer’s drawing submitted to the city’s Licenses and Inspections department. We have installed french doors and sliding doors in this situation. There are also accordian doors that open up even more space, but one thing you should always think about when considering a back door is how a screen will work with that door. By mid July at the latest, most of us in Philadelphia are going to have mosquitos trying to get inside.

Now let’s move on to interior doors. When most rowhouses were built, they used solid wood doors. If you have these and can reuse them, that’s a great way to not blow your remodeling budget on new solid doors. Many homes built in the last 20-30 years have hollow core doors, and these are still the budget friendly option today. The downside to hollow core doors is that they are easily damaged, have limited style options, and are not good at controlling sound in the house. When we are replacing or adding new doors in a project, we use new solid doors, along with the best hardware we can afford. You’ll use doors a lot, so it’s worth getting hardware that won’t wear out in 5-10 years. And since you open and close doors a lot, of all the types of doors in terms of function, we like hinged doors the best. Bifold doors, sliders, and pocket doors all have their drawbacks, and tend to require the most maintenance. If the design requires them, again, don’t skimp on hardware. The hardest door to fix if something goes wrong is a pocket door. The hardware is all buried in the wall. Don’t buy the cheapest kit you find at a big box store. At the very least upgrade to commercial model with ball bearing wheels, and if you want a bomb proof kit, the Cavity Slider kit is a good option.

Steel arched door from Pinky’s and small solid core doors with Emtek hardware for under stair storage.

I hope this information comes in handy for you as you maintain and upgrade your rowhouse. If you have a question about your walls, or anything else in your house, use our contact form to reach out and I’ll be happy to see if we can be of assistance.

Rowhouse Doors