The photograph above is the door to the guest room bath in an expensive hotel room in a major Bay Area city.
I apologize for the zoomed-in view of the fixture, but it is important to see that little gap between the door and the fixture. Why are we interested in this gap? Of course there is a gap, how would the door close otherwise?
Look carefully at the edge, you can see how the solid core flush door has been carefully coped to clear the water closet fixture. Without this elegant modification, the door would not close at all.
What has happened here? The guest room bath was recently remodeled with new costly finishes and fixtures, perhaps even some drawings may have been made. But not every condition was documented, apparently. At least in this room, the new water closet was just large enough to prevent the door from closing.
There probably isn't really a specification lesson to teach here. In fact, it's difficult to determine where the fault occurred in the chain of decisions leading to this sad state. It might be a drawing problem, or a failure to properly select or submit products, or check the submittals.
But we do know that someone was responsible for accepting and allowing this condition to be left intact for hotel guests to photograph and comment about on the Internet.
Fortunately, the cut-away portion of the door created only a tiny gap at the frame stop with the door in closed position; the loss of privacy is nominal, and there are no fire rating issues to consider. On the whole, this could be considered an inexpensive solution to an embarrassing problem, but definitely not one to recommend to clients.
I hope this photo gives you a smile on your Friday.
Oh, but John, it looked just fine on the plans...
ReplyDeleteSince I read this last night, I've wanted to quote it:
"Though he had always been a careful planner, life on the frontier had long ago convinced him of the fragility of plans. The truth was, most plans did fail, to one degree or another, for one reason or another. He had survived as a Ranger because he was quick to respond to what he had actually found, not because his planning was infallible." ~ Larry McMurtry from "Lonesome Dove"
I wonder if the installer was inside the bathroom when he completed hanging the door... That would explain the elegant hand crafted solution.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we don't understand the situation. The cut-out has a profile similar to a classical molding and is obviously intended as a design feature intended to reflect the creative atmosphere of the Bay Area. It is also an alternative to an undercut door allowing ventilation to be exhausted through the toilet room.
ReplyDeleteWe must applaud the designer for finding a commode that enhances the design intent.