Update: I swapped our tiny bathroom swing door for a DIY bifold and the space actually works now

Quick update from a few weeks ago when I was trying to stop our tiny apartment bathroom door from basically headbutting the toilet. I finished a DIY bifold this weekend and it made a bigger difference than I thought it would.

Progress photos: 1) original door clearance, 2) rough opening after trimming, 3) assembling the two panels, 4) installing track and pivot hardware, 5) finished door closed and folded open.

What I did:

1) Pulled the old door and jamb stop trim, then checked the opening for plumb. It was not plumb.

2) Planed one side of the opening a little and added thin shims behind the hinge-side jamb so the new pivot side would sit square.

3) Turned the original hollow core door into a bifold: cut it into two panels (one wider lead panel and one narrower folding panel). I glued and clamped blocks of scrap wood inside the cut edges, then glued a wood strip over the edge so the hardware would have something solid to bite into.

4) Filled and sanded the cut seams, then painted both panels.

5) Installed the top track, top pivot, and floor pivot. Hung the lead panel first, then attached the folding panel with three hinges.

6) Tweaked the pivots until the reveal was even and the fold cleared the vanity.

Materials and tools: the existing door, 1x2 scrap blocks, wood glue, screws, three hinges, a bifold track and pivot kit, shims, a plane, circular saw with a guide, clamps, filler, and paint.

Time and cost: two weeknight evenings plus a Saturday. Cost was basically the hardware and paint.

Big lesson: reinforce hollow core edges before you mount anything. My first test fit stripped out right away, so I had to take it down and add the internal blocks. Now it feels solid.

If anyone else is trying this in an older, out-of-square opening, ask away and I'll share what worked for me.