13 facts you didn’t know about doors

Doors are a hugely important part of your life, but they get overlooked daily

To show you what an impact they have on your life, we’ve rounded up our favourite facts and figures about the humble door – you’ll never take your door for granted again!

Do you take your door for granted? Of course you do. It’s a part of your house that’s just there. It’s constant, it doesn’t change, and it does what you ask of it.

Yet can you imagine a life without doors? How would you get in and out? Doors are a hugely important part of your life, but they get overlooked daily. Yet doors can be exciting – they lead to places, sometimes to an adventure, but, more often than not, they bring you to the security and comfort of your home.

To show you what an impact they have on your life, we’ve rounded up our favourite facts and figures about the humble door – you’ll never take your door for granted again!

1. Inefficient glazed doors and windows cost home-owners over 25% of their energy bills. This wasted money literally leaks out of your house’s openings.

 

2. Replacing glazed doors and windows with double-glazed, insulated glass, with air-tight frames and Energy Star ratings, can save up to 15% on your bills.

 

3. Roughly a third of burglars enter by the front door. Old, hollow doors are easy to kick down, and old-fashioned locks are also at risk, while thin glazing on doors can be easily smashed. Modern doors are more secure, fitted with strong locks and toughened glass. Consider solid wood or metal, and keep your door locked.

 

4. Janus was known as the Roman God of beginnings, ending, doors and transitions. To honour him, Romans built their doors to swing into their homes, to welcome Janus and their guests in.

 

5. January was named after the God of doors, symbolising the first month as the month of beginnings and openings.

 

6. If a Roman did his country a great service, he was honoured with a door opening outwards, symbolising his help to the empire.

 

7. Doors are often featured in dreams, usually referring to a new opening. If a locked door is experienced in your dream, it could mean you have missed an opportunity.

 

8. Doors are a symbol of hope and opportunity, as well being synonymous with communication and liberation.

 

9. If a door is slammed in your face, it demonstrates an angry ending.

 

10. The oldest door is thought to be 5100 years old. It was excavated in Zurich and was aged by the tree rings in the wood.

 

11. Ancient Egypt is considered the home of the first doors, even though they were very simple compared to today’s doors, consisting of a slab of wood and hinges.

 

12. The world’s largest door is 465 feet high and takes 45 minutes to open or close. You’ll find it at Nasa Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

 

13. The overhead door was invented in 1921 by C. G. Johnson. He followed this up just 5 years later with the first automatic garage door.

 

The next time you go through a door, think about the impact that door has on your life. As Elizabeth Taylor once said: “I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I’m not afraid to look behind them.”