3 Solutions for Widening Your Doorways to Age-in-Place

Widening the doorways of your home is a popular request for older adults wishing to age-in-place. A wider doorway can be a relatively simple upgrade that helps improve accessibility and safety for homeowners who use mobility assistance devices, such as walkers, wheelchairs, or canes.

Here are three easy ways to widen existing doorways:

Switch to “Swing Clear Hinges”

Perhaps the simplest upgrade, “Swing Clear Hinges” add about two inches of clearance to your doorframe without having to make any structural changes. A Swing Clear Hinge puts the pivot point of your door behind the actual doorway, so the door swings open behind the frame, rather than taking up space within the frame.

Reverse the swing of the door

If your current door opens up into a tight space (like a bathroom or closet), you can reverse the swing of the door and open it into a hallway or wider space, allowing for a swing of 180 degrees. This frees up that same additional two inches of space that the Swing Clear Hinges provide, while also giving you more clearance in the tight space.

Go door-less and widen the frame

If a door isn’t necessary for privacy purposes, you can choose to remove the door, the doorframe, and the trim entirely. This can add up to four inches of clearance, but may require a few additional flooring updates if your finished flooring doesn’t extend under the doorframe.

If none of these three simple solutions works for your needs, there are a few more complex options. Talk to your contractor to figure out what works best for you and your home.

For more information on how to make your home aging-in-place accessible, please read our free guide here.