Widening Doorways and Hallways for Wheelchair Access

Narrow doorways are one of the most common obstacles to wheelchair access in older homes, and Phoenix has plenty of homes with standard-width doors that a wheelchair simply can’t clear. Learning to widen a doorway for wheelchair access — and understanding what’s behind the wall before you start — is central to making a house genuinely accessible. This guide covers accessible doorway width, how widening is actually done, what structural surprises to watch for, and how to open up hallways too, in plain terms for homeowners across the Valley.

First, a note on standards: the figures below are commonly referenced from ADA and ANSI A117.1 guidance, which was written mainly for public buildings. In a private residence they’re a practical target to adapt to the individual, not a legal mandate.

How wide does an accessible doorway need to be?

A standard interior door often leaves a clear opening of only about 23 to 24 inches once you account for the door slab, stops, and hinges — too tight for most wheelchairs, which need room for hands on the wheels.

• The commonly referenced target is a 32-inch clear opening, measured with the door open 90 degrees from the face of the door to the opposite stop.
• Hitting 32 inches clear usually requires a 34- to 36-inch door, because the door thickness and hardware eat into the opening.
• Approach angle matters. If someone has to turn into a doorway from a narrow hall rather than approach it straight on, a wider opening — and more hallway width — makes the turn possible.

Ways to widen a doorway (from simplest to most involved)

Not every access problem requires moving a wall. Depending on how much extra width you need, options range from cheap hardware swaps to full structural work.

• Swing-clear (offset) hinges. These special hinges let the door swing completely clear of the opening, recovering roughly the door’s own thickness — often around 2 inches. It’s the least invasive fix and sometimes enough on its own.
• Removing the door and stops. Taking off the door and trim can reclaim a little more clear width where a door isn’t essential.
• Enlarging the rough opening. For a real gain, the framing has to change: the existing opening is widened, a new header and king/jack studs are set, and a larger door is installed. This is the durable, proper solution when you need to go from a 28- or 30-inch door to a 36-inch one.

What’s inside the wall matters

Before widening, someone has to know what’s in and around the wall, because that determines how big — and how expensive — the job is.

• Load-bearing vs. non-bearing. Widening an opening in a load-bearing wall requires a properly sized header to carry the load above. This is where a licensed contractor’s judgment matters; getting the header wrong is a safety issue.
• Electrical and plumbing. Switches, outlets, and wiring often run right beside a doorway and may need to be rerouted. Plumbing or ductwork in the wall complicates things further.
• Finishes. Widening means new drywall, paint, trim, and often flooring transitions on both sides of the opening.

Because of these hidden factors, the honest scope of a “simple” doorway widening isn’t clear until someone opens the wall or at least inspects the framing. A walkthrough up front prevents mid-project surprises.

Don’t forget the thresholds

A wide door is only half the battle if there’s a lip to roll over. Aim to eliminate raised thresholds between rooms, or use a beveled, low-profile threshold where a transition is unavoidable. Commonly referenced guidance keeps thresholds very low with a beveled edge. Smooth, flush transitions between flooring types make the whole path usable.

Widening hallways

Doorways connect to hallways, and a hall that’s too narrow can make even a wide door hard to enter, because there’s no room to line up the approach.

• A 36-inch-wide hallway is a commonly referenced minimum for wheelchair passage, with more width helpful at turns.
• Turns are the pinch point. A right-angle turn from one narrow hall into a narrow doorway may need extra width at the corner to be navigable.
• Widening a hall is a bigger project than a single door — it can involve moving a wall, relocating utilities, and refinishing — but it’s sometimes the change that makes the rest of the house reachable.

For a whole-home view of circulation and other upgrades, see our room-by-room aging-in-place modifications guide, and for the highest-risk room, our ADA compliant bathroom remodel guide.

Doors that help

The type of door affects access as much as the opening width. Pocket doors slide into the wall and take up zero swing space, which is ideal for tight bathrooms and closets. Barn-style sliding doors offer a similar benefit without cutting into the wall framing. Where a swinging door stays, lever handles are far easier than knobs for limited grip, and hardware height should be reachable from a seated position. Choosing the right door style during a remodel often solves a clearance problem that widening alone can’t.

How Desert Wolf Developers helps

Structural openings are exactly the kind of work a licensed general contractor should handle. As an Arizona GC (ROC #364568, KB-2), we evaluate whether a wall is load-bearing, size and set proper headers, reroute electrical or plumbing as needed, and finish both sides cleanly — for doorways, hallways, and full accessible layouts across Phoenix, Surprise, Glendale, Peoria, Goodyear, Avondale, Scottsdale, and the West Valley. Because we do both residential and small commercial work, we handle everything from a single door to a whole-home accessibility remodel. Explore our full services to see the range.

To get started, submit your project with your address and what you need, or contact us to schedule a walkthrough.

This article is general information, not legal or engineering advice. ADA and ANSI A117.1 dimensions differ between residential and public-accommodation settings, change over time, and are not guarantees — and altering a load-bearing wall has safety implications. Confirm current ADA/ANSI standards and structural requirements with a qualified professional before building.