Internal door handle height

[JDLDIY]

How high from the floor do door handles normally get installed on an internal door? I guess there must be a norm or rule of thumb but I can't find it anywhere. The handles in this house are varying!

Many thanks.

[Richard C]

If they not solid doors, you have to ensure you fit the handle into the lock block. It's a solid lump of wood, usually installed on one side of the door only; the rest of the door is a virtual egg box & won’t support the handle.

I don't know if there is a BS recommended height for door handles but I'm fitting new doors at the moment & all my handles are 900mm from the bottom of the door. This was largely dictated by the position of the existing latches but if they are 6 panel doors & you have round door knobs, in the centre of the middle transom looks better.

[mr_mike]

City & Guild's rule of thumb is.....990mm from bottom of door to centre of the lever normally......however, if it's on a panelled door with a middle rail, locks/latches are normally positioned in the centre of that rail's width.....

[Richard C]

mr_mike wrote:

City & Guild's rule of thumb is.....990mm from bottom of door to centre of the lever normally......however, if it's on a panelled door with a middle rail, locks/latches are normally positioned in the centre of that rail's width.....

That would not be unreasonable on a flush panel door & it puts it just off centre of the standard door height; but be carefull, 990mm would certainly be outside of the lock block area of the 6 panel moulded doors I'm currently fitting!

[JDLDIY]

Quote:

That would not be unreasonable on a flush panel door & it puts it just off centre of the standard door height

I don't get that, I make 990mm exactly half way up the door if you take standard height as 1981mm (give or take half a mm). So what is the standard height for a door, all mine are 762mm x 1981 (x 40mm but that's another story).

Next question; what is the standard or guideline for choosing the length of mortice catch? How far should the handle be away from the door stop part of the frame?

Many thanks for your input guys, really appreciated. This has turned out to be a b*****r of a job!

[Richard C]

Absolutely right; I made the mistake of thinking the standard door ht. was 2000mm but in fact it’s 1980, as you say!

Re the mortice latch length, it depends on the type of door handle you’re fitting; if it’s a lever handle then 75mm on 760mm doors & 63mm on a 690 door is what I chose that looks about right - that’s the total length of the latch & not the distance to the hole.

If you’re fitting round knobs, you need longer mortices. I’m not sure what lengths they come in but 75mm is not nearly enough; your looking at probably 100mm+. If you use 75mm mortices, the knob will look stupidly close to the edge of the door &, even worse, you will catch your knuckles on the door jamb every time you close it.

A friend of mine specified knobs instead of levers in his new brand new house build; the chippy (or whatever he was!) was obviously not experienced with knobs & fitted 75mm mortices! My friend has got used to the safety hazard now but every time I (or probably any visitor) uses the loo in his house, I catch my knuckles on the door jamb & it can hurt quiet a bit! The poor guy has solid oak doors (£150 each!) so they have really been totally ruined by fitting incorrect length mortices; 12 months later, he’s still arguing with the builder about it!

[splinter]

Richard C wrote:

mr_mike wrote: City & Guild's rule of thumb is.....990mm from bottom of door to centre of the lever normally......however, if it's on a panelled door with a middle rail, locks/latches are normally positioned in the centre of that rail's width..... That would not be unreasonable on a flush panel door & it puts it just off centre of the standard door height; but be carefull, 990mm would certainly be outside of the lock block area of the 6 panel moulded doors I'm currently fitting!

Sort of repeated what mr mike wrote

[Richard C]

Quote:

Sort of repeated what mr mike wrote

Thats usefull! Not really

JDLDIY may not even realise many doors are not solid & only have a lock block!

What's your point?

[splinter]

Richard C wrote:

What's your point?

That the lock block will be situated where the middle rail is