Swing-Clear Offset Hinges — More Door Clearance, No Framing
The door is an inch or two short of what the chair needs. Offset hinges give that width back in about an hour, without touching the wall.
Swing-clear offset hinges replace the standard hinges on an existing door and carry the slab completely out of the opening when it is open, so the full width between the jambs is usable by a wheelchair or walker. JMB Builders installs them on bathroom, bedroom and hallway doors across the Twin Cities metro: same mortises, no framing, no trim work, and the door still latches. Priced per door, quoted from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per door
- Uses the existing hinge mortises, no framing
- Door latches and closes like before
- Several doors done in one visit
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
When a door is open, the slab and the hinge side sit inside the opening and eat part of the width. A swing-clear offset hinge has a bent knuckle, so at ninety degrees the door swings clear of the jamb entirely. The usable width becomes the distance from the stop on the latch side to the jamb on the hinge side. On most doors that is enough to turn a door a wheelchair scrapes through into one it rolls through.
The install is a hinge swap, but it has to be done right or the door will not latch. Offset hinges move the pivot point, so the door closes on a different arc; the strike often has to be moved or the stop adjusted, and the hinge screws have to go through the jamb into the framing behind it with the long screws the hinge maker packs, because the door now hangs farther from the pivot. A door stop on the wall side keeps the handle off the drywall.
We size the hinges to the door: thickness, weight, the existing hinge size and whether the corners are square or radius, so they drop into the mortises that are already there. If the jamb is loose or split at the hinge side, we fix that first. When offset hinges still do not give enough width, the next step is widening the opening, and we quote that as its own job.
What you supply
- Photos of each door from both sides, one of a hinge with a tape on it, and the door thickness
- The width the wheelchair or walker needs, or the number from your therapist or the equipment supplier
- Which doors: the bathroom door is nearly always first
- The hinges if you already bought them; otherwise we supply them in a finish to match your hardware
What JMB supplies
- Swing-clear offset hinges sized to the door and the existing mortise, in a finish to match the knob
- Removal of the old hinges and the new ones set in the same mortises with long screws into the jamb framing
- Strike plate moved or adjusted and the stop tuned so the door latches and closes without rubbing
- A wall-mounted or hinge-pin door stop so the handle does not hit the wall on the new arc
- A jamb repair at the hinge side when the old screws stripped out or the wood split
- A lever handle swapped in at the same visit when you want one
- Photos of each door in your job folder
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- How many doors in the same visit; the first door carries the setup
- A hollow-core interior door vs. a heavy solid-core or exterior door that needs a heavier hinge
- Strike and stop adjustment only vs. a jamb repair where the old hinge screws let go
- Hinge finish matched to your other hardware vs. a standard finish
- Adding a lever handle or a door stop while the door is off
- Whether you supply the hinges or we do
A photo of one hinge with a tape across it, plus the door thickness, is enough to order the right hinge. Send the width you need to clear and we tell you whether hinges get you there.
How long it takes
One door: about an hour. A bathroom, a bedroom and a hallway door in the same visit: half a day, including strike and stop adjustment.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Bathroom door
The door that matters most and the one with the least room to widen because of the plumbing in the wall. Offset hinges, a lever and a low threshold in one visit.
Bedroom and hallway doors
The same swap on every door on the route from bed to bath. Done together they take a morning.
Exterior door
Heavier offset hinges on a steel or fiberglass entry door so the sill is fully clear. We check that the weatherstrip still seals on the new arc.
Not enough? Widen the opening
When the hinges do not gain enough, the door and jamb come out and the opening is reframed wider with a new header. Quoted separately as its own job.
Swing-Clear Offset Hinges — More Door Clearance, No Framing: questions, answered
What do swing-clear offset hinges do?
They move the door out of the opening. A standard hinge pivots at the edge of the jamb, so the open door slab stays inside the doorway and takes up part of the width. An offset hinge has a bent knuckle that moves the pivot out past the casing, so at ninety degrees the door is fully clear of the jamb and the whole width between the jambs is usable.
How much width do offset hinges add?
Roughly the thickness of the door plus the part of the hinge side that used to sit in the opening, which on most interior doors is a couple of inches. Whether that is enough depends on the chair or walker. Measure its overall width, add room for hands on the wheels, and compare that to the width between the door stop and the hinge jamb. If the hinges close the gap, they are the fix; if not, the opening has to be widened.
Will the door still close and latch with offset hinges?
Yes, when the strike and stop are adjusted for the new pivot. The door closes on a slightly different arc, so we move or file the strike, tune the stop, and make sure the latch clicks and the door does not rub. That adjustment is the part a hinge swap done in a hurry skips, and it is why some offset-hinge doors never latch again.
Do offset hinges fit any door?
Almost any hinged door. They come in the common hinge sizes with square or radius corners to match the existing mortises, and in heavier grades for solid-core and exterior doors. A hollow-core interior door takes a standard swing-clear hinge. What matters is the door thickness, the hinge size, and a jamb solid enough to hold the long screws. Send a photo of one hinge with a tape on it and we pick the right one.
Are offset hinges enough for a wheelchair?
Often. On a door that is only a little too narrow, the width the hinges give back is the difference between scraping the knuckles and rolling through. On a very narrow door, or where the chair has to turn as it goes through, they are not enough and the opening needs to be widened. We tell you which from the door width and the chair width before you spend anything.
Can you install offset hinges I bought online?
Yes. Send a photo of the hinge and its size, and a photo of one of the door's existing hinges with a tape on it, so we can check the size and corner style match the mortises before we come out. If they do not match, we can supply the right ones. Either way the price is per door and includes the strike and stop adjustment.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All aging in place pages
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