The Sleeping Cabin bedroom pocket door half open.

PRO NUMBER ONE:

POCKET DOORS SAVE SPACE

When you’re working with a compact footprint, as we are in The Sleeping Cabin, every square foot needs to be optimized. To optimize use of the bathroom and bedroom area we decided to use pocket doors to save the space a traditional hinged door consumes when it swings open. This keeps the corners of the rooms open and there are no door to move around.

Sleeping Cabin Bedroom pocket door tucked into the wall.

PRO NUMBER TWO:

POCKET DOORS CAN MAKE A SMALL FOOTPRINT FEEL BIGGER

Being able to tuck a pocket door into the wall and out of the way helps the rooms feel connected and not as compartmentalized, which creates an appealing sense of flow through a smaller space.

Sleeping Cabin bedroom with pocket door open.

PRO NUMBER THREE:

POCKET DOORS CAN BE DESIGNED FOR ALMOST ANY INTERIOR STYLE & DOOR OPENING SIZE

We made our pocket doors out of pine stock and based the design proportions on an original door. We love the 4 panel style and how a tall middle and bottom rail evoke an turn of the century door style. We then painted them to match the trim and door casing in the cabin.

The Sleeping Cabin bathroom opening is narrow. This makes a custom pocket door a great solution.

CON NUMBER ONE:

WITHOUT THOUGHTFUL PROVISIONS THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN

This tends to be the top complaint from builders and homeowners alike when it comes to pocket doors. If the tracks need adjustment or maintenance of any kind it can mean removing trim or worse, drywall, to access the track.

With some thoughtful planning, you or your carpenter can make provisions to allow for easier access to the pocket door system without too much hassle.

CON NUMBER TWO:

CAN BE CHALLENGING TO INSTALL

Pocket doors require a cavity chase that is about the same size as the door. When you think about a pocket door, consider an opening that is two times the door size. This means planning plumbing, electrical and structural elements around the cavity and opening. When building new this is easier than when renovating.

CON NUMBER THREE:

CANNOT BE INSULATED FOR SOUND REDUCTION

If you don’t want sounds to travel from one room to another through the walls, you can typically add acoustic insulation. However, on a wall with a pocket door, you have to leave the cavity open for the door to recess into, so this leaves it open for sound to carry.

The bedroom pocket door cavity during interior finishing in the Sleeping Cabin.

If you’d like more details on the pocket door system we used, how we made provisions for maintenance access, and the hardware we installed in the Steep Hill Sleeping Cabin:

ACCESS THE POCKET DOOR RESOURCE

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Thanks for reading and please let us know if you have any renovation questions in the comments!

PROS & CONS OF POCKET DOORS