Any DIY experts? How easy to change the direction a door opens?

[chrysanthamumm]

Hi, looking at possible house purchase but front room layout gives limited furnishing options due to door positioning and opening direction. If we could alter door to open in other direction and/or on opposite side of frame, would make things better. Is this easy job, just switching hinges/handles etc, or more to it than I imagine? Don't want expense of moving actual doorway, but can't see how we'd use room much in current setup. TIA.

reasonably easy, although you are left with the chiseled in bit where the hinges were. One of ours was changed (before we lived here).

Nah, it's not hard. And you can fill the chiselled bits with timber and woodfiller, sand smooth, repaint. You'd never know it was there.

come and do mine then! although ours are stained - hence you can see the filled bit, I suppose with pain it is better disguised.

my dad is a carpenter and it was always a job he hated. get an expert to do it

Yep, we changed lots of doors and it has really made a huge change to usable space in rooms, I would recommend it.
We had joiner who knew what he was doing do the joinery bits and then painted ourselves.

Apparently, traditionally doors opened into the room and not toward the room so domestic staff on entering the room would not immediately see what their employers were up to... Whether this is the true reason or not I don't know, but the thought of stuffy Victorians adjusting their attire on noticing the butler entering, does amuse me .

Dont's forget to take account of where the light switches are - we had to get ours moved!

Also dont forget to check the light switches, these are often behind the door so you need to move them which is a hassle and as you need a plasterer to make good the damages.

Wow - thanks for replies so quickly! Looking at this house lot more seriously now. Expecting many years of being penniless if we buy so no danger of domestic staff interruptions , what excellent thought processes went into house planning then!

Hassley job but can transform a room for very little cost.I always do it if required when I am renovating because ij just adds so much space in certain cases.Get a good carpenter to re do all the mouldings then fill paint and you'd never know