There’s a new trend in home design, and it’s centered around shopping at warehouse clubs.
The so-called Costco door is all over social media as devotees rave about how convenient it is. This miniature-sized door is installed inside the garage and feeds directly into the kitchen or pantry, so shoppers buying oversized grocery items can save the back strain and push items directly from their car trunk into the house rather than hauling them around the long way.
“It’s such a simple feature, but it makes everyday life so much easier,” Sasha Kudinova, a 39-year-old Costco shopper in Utah, told The Washington Post. She mentioned how her husband frequently travels for work, which leaves her stuck with the burden of carrying in groceries solo. This Costco door helps make that process easier.
“I haven’t really found a downside,” she added.
Kudinova’s local builder Jay Roberts told the outlet that “about half” of his customers have mentioned installing a Costco door of their own. He said the total cost for installing the feature is around $1,000, making it a “no-brainer” for many. DIY homeowners can purchase the door for under $400 at Home Depot.
Some builders warn of potential hazards, including decreased security and the threat of toxic fumes coming in from the garage. But if the door is fire-rated, insulated, and self-closing to prevent carbon monoxide or garage fumes from entering the home, as any exterior door should be, that shouldn’t pose a problem. Quality weather-stripping and secure locking hardware are also necessary to maintain home energy efficiency and keep out pests.
And many users claim the benefits outweigh the risks.
“From an ergonomics perspective, they have the potential to reduce the physical work associated with unloading groceries from a vehicle by reducing the number of steps and the duration of the carrying tasks,” Steve Lavender, a professor of orthopedics at the College of Medicine at Ohio State University, told the Post.
Michigan-based interior designer Anna Joy raved about her Costco door, which was built directly into her pantry behind cabinetry, in an Instagram post. She called it one of her “favorite” features of the house.
“Don’t worry, that door is rated an exterior door,” she assured viewers.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dc1RGSqpfVC/
The trend is being compared to frequent convenience home features of yesteryear, including laundry chutes, dumbwaiters, and milk doors, which have all fallen out of fashion. One habit that’s still going strong is making frequent trips to Costco to buy in bulk.