Doorway Width for a Walker: Why the Door Size Is Not the Opening
A 32-inch door leaves about 30 inches of clear opening, which suits most walkers. A 28-inch door leaves about 26, which does not. Measure the gap, not the slab.
Start where you are
What just happened?
Pick the one that sounds like your week. Every route ends in the same place: what to measure, what to buy, and what it costs.
Mom just fell
What to check tonight, and what to fix this week.
Dad is coming home
Hospital or rehab discharge — set the house up first.
They are moving in with us
Which room, which changes, in what order.
They live alone, far away
How to keep them safer from another city.
Memory is slipping
Doors, stoves, wandering — the home-logistics side.
Nothing is wrong yet
Planning ahead before something happens.
The numbers people ask for most
Grab bar mounting height
33–36"
Grab bar load it must hold
250 lbf
Wheelchair ramp slope
1:12
Clear doorway width for a wheelchair
32"
Turning space for a wheelchair
60"
Comfort-height toilet seat
17–19"
Stair handrail height
34–38"
Water heater setting
120°F
Private homes are not legally bound by the ADA — these are the tested-safe dimensions builders and occupational therapists work to.
Or go room by room
Latest guides
View allHallway Width for a Wheelchair: 36 Inches to Pass, 60 to Turn
Thirty-six inches is enough to travel straight down a hall. Turning around needs sixty. Turning into a doorway needs more than either, which is the part that catches people.
Portable Ramp Weight Capacity: Add Up the Chair, Not Just the Person
Most portable ramps are rated 600 to 800 pounds. A power chair alone can be 320. Here is how to do the arithmetic, and what voids the rating.
Ramp Handrail Height: 34 to 38 Inches, Both Sides
Handrails go 34 to 38 inches above the ramp surface, on both sides, and must run 12 inches past each end. Required on any ramp rising more than 6 inches.
Wheelchair Ramp Landing Size: 60 Inches, and Where You Need One
A landing must be 60 inches long, at least as wide as the ramp, and 60 by 60 at every turn. You also need one every 30 inches of rise.
How Long a Ramp for 2 or 3 Steps? Longer Than You Think
Two steps need about 14 feet of ramp. Three steps need about 21 feet. Here is the arithmetic, and what to do when that will not fit in the yard.