Widen a Doorway for a Wheelchair or Walker
A bathroom door that a wheelchair cannot get through has two fixes, one small and one real. We tell you which one your door needs and do the framing, door and patching in one job.
JMB Builders will widen a doorway for a wheelchair or walker anywhere in the Twin Cities metro. We try the cheap fix first: swing-clear offset hinges that move the door out of the opening and gain most of the width you need. When that is not enough we reframe the opening with a new header, set a wider prehung door, and patch the flooring and drywall. Priced per opening, quoted from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per opening
- Offset hinges tried before any framing
- New header when the wall is load-bearing
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Most bathroom and bedroom doors in Twin Cities homes were built narrower than a wheelchair or a walker wants, and the bathroom door is almost always the worst one. There are two ways to fix it. The first is swing-clear offset hinges, which pivot the door completely out of the opening and pick up most of the width the door slab was taking. The second is to actually widen the opening: cut the drywall back, reframe with a new king stud, jack stud and header, set a wider prehung door, and patch the floor where the old wall was.
We look at the offset hinges first because it is a two-hour job that does not disturb the trim. When the clear width still is not enough, or when the doorway has a hallway turn that needs more room, we reframe. Either way the door swings clear, latches, and the room looks like it was built that way.
What you supply
- The width you need to clear: the wheelchair or walker's width, or the number your therapist or the equipment supplier gave you
- A photo of the door from the hallway and one from inside the room, plus a photo of the floor at the threshold
- The new door and hardware if you want to pick them, or we supply a prehung door that matches the others in the house
What JMB supplies
- Swing-clear offset hinges sized to your door's existing hinge mortises, installed and adjusted so the door still latches
- Wall check for load-bearing and for wiring, plumbing or ducts in the wall before we cut anything
- New framing: king stud, jack stud and a properly sized header when the wall carries load, temporary support while it is open
- A wider prehung interior door set plumb, with casing matched to the profile on the other doors
- Drywall patch, taped and sanded ready for paint, and a flooring patch or a flush transition where the old wall was
- Lever handle and a low or flush threshold so the wider door is actually usable
- Photos of the finished opening in your job folder
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Offset hinges only vs. reframing the opening and setting a wider door
- Whether the wall is load-bearing and needs a new header with temporary support while it is open
- Wiring, plumbing or a duct in the wall that has to be moved — common at bathroom doors
- Flooring at the threshold: hardwood or tile that has to be patched, vs. carpet or vinyl plank that stretches or clicks back in
- Matching an existing casing profile vs. a standard one
- Whether you supply the door or we do
Send the door width you have now, the width you need, and photos from both sides of the door. If you know the wall is load-bearing, say so; if not, we figure it out.
How long it takes
Offset hinges: an hour or two per door. Reframing and a wider door: one to two days per opening, plus a return trip if the drywall patch needs a second coat before paint.
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
Swing-clear offset hinges
Hinges with an offset knuckle that carry the door out of the opening when it is open at ninety degrees. The full jamb-to-jamb width becomes usable. Cheapest fix, and the one we try first when the door is close to wide enough.
Reframe and wider prehung door
We remove the door, casing and jamb, cut the drywall back, reframe the opening wider with a new header, set a wider prehung door and case it. The real fix when the hinges do not gain enough.
Remove the door entirely
For a closet or a bedroom that does not need privacy, pulling the door and jamb and casing the opening as a cased opening gains the most width for the least framing. Sometimes the right answer for a walker.
Pocket or barn door at the widened opening
When there is no room for a wider door to swing, a pocket door or a surface-mounted sliding door at the new opening keeps the floor clear. We frame for either while the wall is open.
Widen a Doorway for a Wheelchair or Walker: questions, answered
How wide does a doorway need to be for a wheelchair?
The clear opening, measured from the face of the door stop to the face of the open door, is what matters, and it is always narrower than the door slab. A standard wheelchair wants a clear opening in the low thirties of inches; the exact number depends on the chair and whether it has to turn as it goes through. Measure the chair's overall width, add a few inches for the hands on the rims, and that is the clear width you need. Send us that number and photos of the door and we will tell you whether offset hinges get you there or the opening has to be reframed.
What are offset hinges and do they really work?
Offset hinges, also called swing-clear hinges, have a bent knuckle that moves the door completely out of the opening when it is open. On a standard door the slab thickness and the hinge side eat a couple of inches of the opening; swing-clear hinges give those inches back. They replace the existing hinges in the same mortises, so there is no framing or trim work. They are the right fix when the door is only an inch or two short of the width you need.
Can any doorway be widened?
Almost any. The question is what is inside the wall next to the door. If the wall carries load from above, the wider opening needs a new header sized for the span and temporary support while we frame it. If there is wiring, a plumbing vent or a duct where the new jamb goes, it has to be moved first. Bathroom doors are the ones that most often hide plumbing. We check before we cut, and the quote tells you what we found.
What happens to the flooring and drywall when you widen a door?
The wall that was there leaves a strip of bare subfloor where the door opening got wider, and the drywall on both sides has to be cut back and patched. Carpet can usually be stretched, and vinyl plank can be clicked back in from a leftover box. Hardwood and tile get patched with matching material or a flush transition strip. The drywall gets taped, mudded and sanded ready for paint. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and paint it yourself.
Should I widen the bathroom door or the whole hallway?
Start with the door. A hallway that is tight for a wheelchair is usually a turning problem at the door, not a hallway width problem, and a wider door with the swing removed from the path fixes most of it. Offset hinges, then a wider opening, then if the turn is still tight, a pocket or sliding door so the door itself is out of the way. Widening a hallway means moving a wall and is a much bigger job.
Do you widen exterior doors too?
Yes, with more work. An exterior door needs the wider opening flashed with a sill pan and tape, the siding or brick returned to the new casing, and a threshold that is both weathertight and low enough to roll over. The framing is the same idea: new header, new jack studs, wider prehung unit. Send photos from inside and outside and we quote it as its own opening.
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 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All aging in place pages
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