Bathroom doors need careful planning when you build a house or renovate the old one. Its size also depends on the bathroom size, the type of door, and the location to install it.
How Wide Should a Bathroom Door Be? The standard bathroom door size is 32 inches wide and 80 inches tall, while a small bathroom and emergency exit door can have a width of 24 inches and a height of 78 inches, depending on the building regulations. According to ADA, the standard width of the door for wheelchair persons should be 32 inches minimum.
The ceiling height, space, and location of other accessories are also significant while designing the interior of your place.
How wide can a bathroom door be?
There is no particular fixed size for bathroom doors; however, the door size for the following are explained here.
Standard door sizes
There are different standard door sizes for every state, depending on their building codes and regulations; however, International Residential Code has rules about the door size and also gives code about the egress door.
According to NKBA, the inside doors can be 80 inches tall and 32 inches wide when closed, and allow 24 inches wide in places where having a width of 32 inches is impossible.
Regional building regulations restrict the width between 24 to 32 inches, while the height can be between 78 to 80 inches.
Many cities can allow you to retain the already-built door size if you are remodeling the house, but you have to follow the regulation code if you change the location of the bathroom.
Therefore, it is better to follow the regional regulation in your city before designing it because they may vary for different cities.
Small bathroom door size
Some local building codes do not restrict small-size bathrooms and allow the smallest opening of 24 inches if the walls around it obstruct the wide size. It will be suitable for the pantry and closet because there is not much traffic.
These are designed to walk in easily while keeping safety cautions in mind. Therefore, it is better to decide on a better location for this place where you can follow all the regulations for a safe and healthy environment.
According to IRC, the minimum width can be 32 inches, the minimum height 80 inches, and the ceiling height 7 feet.
Wheelchair accessibility
You must consider the dimensions of the place while designing it if you have any senior member with a wheelchair or walker in the house.
I like to buy a home if the bathroom has the standard width for the wheelchairs to pass when they have an old age person in their family, and you can get a better price.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the minimum width with a clear opening can be 32 inches.
You can read the proper guideline from the website of ADA. It is better to have locks on the outside of the door, as you can get in this place in an emergency.
The width of 24 inches for a small space can cause problems for wheelchair persons because this space cannot be enough to allow a walker or wheelchair to pass through it easily.
Emergency exit door
Some people build an emergency door that leads to the outside in a backyard, and you can use it after gardening or swimming to avoid dirt and water splashes in the house.
You can also use them in an emergency or when the lock gets stuck, and they are also known as egress doors.
They can help you when you are alone in the house and the lock or handle of the main door breaks. According to IRC, the standard size of it can be 24 inches wide and 78 inches tall.
What factors affect the size of the bathroom door?
Different factors affect its size and width, as it is an essential element in your place, and some are explained here.
Size of bathroom
Access the bathroom size while planning this place’s renovation and construction.
You can follow all the building regulations and IRC restrictions if you have a spacious bathroom, as there will be no problems walking through them if you have built it in high traffic area.
It is better to consider the place’s size when installing it because there are different regulations and codes for small and large spacious bathrooms.
Type of door
Different types of doors are available, such as French doors, pocket doors, sliding doors, and swing-in and out.
The standard widths are between 24 inches, 28 inches, 30 inches, 32 inches, and 36 inches.
French doors are preferable for wheelchair people because they can provide more space to pass through them if there are no obstructions in the hallway or bathroom where they open.
They also add a stylish and modern look to your place and complement the decoration. You can select any size, depending on your space and the wall size where you want to install them.
Location
The location of the bathroom also affects its size, such as there are different building code regulations if it is under the stair or in the garage.
It is better to take advice from the interior designer or any professional about the codes for different locations in the house.
The doors in public areas follow regulations depending on safety, accessibility, and privacy. The standard size, according to the ADA dimensions, can be 36 inches wide for easy accessibility for everyone.
Why is it important to have a wider bathroom door size?
The wider door size is essential to prevent problems for disabled people and better convenience to walk through them. Universal regulations instructed that the new building should have a width of more than 24 inches.
The narrow doors make it difficult to pass through them if more than one person enters this place. However, you can quickly pass through it when you are in a hurry.
You can easily take the furniture items, such as chairs or tables, through a wider opening.
However, it can cause problems to take large laundry baskets through them if the width of the door is small, as it becomes tedious to do this task.
The narrow opening of 24 inches is allowed only in the case of old bathrooms, while this width in a new building can cause problems in the future. Still, it is suitable for the guest room, closets, and under the stair toilet, which is used less frequently than the other locations.
The wider openings can also block the space in the hallway if you have a narrow space in the hallway; therefore, it is better to consider all these factors before installing them.
In addition, you should install a standard size that will not cover the space in the corridor.
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