The Unique Door Alternatives The Stars Of Good Bones Use For Small Spaces

You might not think much about your home's interior doors, but in a small space where every inch is vital, the type of door you have can make or break the room. It's the difference between a seamless flow and a cramped, awkward layout. Karen Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk, the mother-daughter duo of "Good Bones," recommend sliding doors for a small home. A "great idea to maximize space is to use a pocket door," Laine said in a HGTV clip. "Another way to do that is you could use a door on a rail ... like a barn door."

With a traditional door, you have to accommodate floor space for the opening swing and leave wall space clear for where the door rests when it's open. That's a lot of room to give up when you have limited space and it would be better designated for decor or furniture. Pocket and barn doors occupy less floor real estate than traditional swing doors, making them the best types of doors for a home with a smaller floor plan. While both space-saving doors slide instead of swing open, pocket doors have an internal rail system and barn doors have an external rail. One may be a better fit for your home than the other, but both have downsides to consider.

From a practical point of view, pocket doors allow you to optimize the space in your home. Apart from not taking up any floor space, both sides of the exterior wall are available to use. Plus, they're simple to install, so much so that you can DIY a pocket door. Style-wise, these sliding doors fit with any interior design aesthetic. Using glass or mirrors on the door panel can even make the room look bigger. So, you not only save space but also create the illusion of more. These sliders also help create a seamless flow throughout your home. Leave the door open to mimic an open concept layout and unify the rooms. Pocket doors are great for a variety of places; you can use them for closets, between rooms, or as the opening to your outdoor area. It seems like the perfect solution, but the stars of "Good Bones" warn of a catch.

"The only downside to using pocket doors is you can't put them everywhere," Karen Laine said in the HGTV clip. "There has to be enough room for the door to slide into the wall." That means you can't place the door in any wall with studs, electrical wiring, or plumbing. It can be limiting, but where a pocket door won't work, a barn door just might.

Barn doors have similar benefits to pocket doors. You can use them to mimic an open concept layout, create the illusion of a large room, and maximize space in a small home. Since the rail hardware is visible, barn doors become a focal point and naturally lean on the industrial side. However, you can still tailor them to match your preferred interior aesthetic. Add glass inserts for an elevated modern look, or give it a distressed wood design for a rustic style. Sliding barn doors are easy to build, even more so than pocket doors, in part because they have an exterior rail system, so you don't need to worry about whether there's any plumbing or electrical in the wall.

On the other hand, the door panel will rest on the exterior wall when the entryway is open. So you'll have to leave one side of the wall clear for the door panel — no decor, furniture, or outlets. Also, because barn doors don't close tightly, they can't completely block out sound, light, or odor from the next room. It might not be the best option if you need to soundproof your office space, for example. Further, they can be noisy as they slide open and shut on the rails. Considering space is a luxury you can't just get more of, however, sliding doors are still a great way to maximize the space you do have.