A doorway that actually fits a wheelchair or walker.
Standard doorways are often too narrow for a wheelchair or walker to pass through comfortably — widening them is one of the most overlooked accessibility fixes in a home.
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A typical interior door opening is only 24–28 inches wide once you account for the frame and a swung-open door — too narrow for most wheelchairs and many walkers, which generally need at least 32 inches of clear width to pass through without scraping knuckles or door frames. Widening a doorway usually means removing the existing frame, reframing the rough opening, and hanging a new door — sometimes with a swing-clear or offset hinge as a lower-cost alternative that doesn't require touching the framing at all. A local contractor can tell you which approach actually fits your specific doorway and budget.
What a widened doorways project usually includes
- Measuring the doorways that actually need widening — usually bathrooms, bedrooms, and main hallways first
- Removing the existing door, frame, and sometimes surrounding trim or wall studs
- Reframing the opening to a clear width that fits a wheelchair or walker, or installing swing-clear offset hinges as a lower-cost alternative
- Patching drywall and trim, and rehanging a new door sized to the widened opening
Widened Doorways across Southern Utah
We match homeowners with local, vetted contractors for this and other aging-in-place modifications throughout Washington County and the surrounding area.
Frequently asked questions — Widened Doorways
How wide does a doorway need to be for a wheelchair?
Most standard wheelchairs need at least 32 inches of clear width to pass through comfortably, though a contractor can tell you the exact number for your specific chair or walker.
Do all the doors in my house need to be widened?
Usually not. Most homeowners start with the bathroom, the primary bedroom, and the main hallway — the doorways used every day — rather than widening every door in the house.
Is there a cheaper alternative to widening a doorway?
Yes — swing-clear offset hinges let an existing door swing completely out of the opening, adding a couple of usable inches without reframing the wall. It doesn't work for every doorway, but it's worth asking your contractor about before committing to a full reframe.
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