Montclair, Essex County
Doorway Widening in Montclair, NJ Houses
Doorway widening in Montclair, NJ answers a simple problem: narrow doors from the 1920s and 30s that a walker or wheelchair cannot pass. Opening one gives you the room you need, and a first fix can be as small as a new hinge.
Your house in Montclair
- A bathroom door too narrow for a walkerThe frame stops you before the room does.
- A bedroom door that forces a sideways turnYou shuffle through or need someone to hold it.
- A hallway with room to approach straight onThe space on both sides lets a wider door work.
- A rental or condoA hinge change may be easier to approve than a new opening.
Questions people ask
How wide should a Montclair bathroom doorway be?
Most references use 32 inches of clear width, taken from the stop to the face of the open door. A wider chair may need more.
Can I widen a door in a plaster wall?
Yes. Expect dust, lath removal and patching, and ask how the rest of the home will be protected.
Is there a lead paint concern with an older door frame?
In a house built before 1978, yes. Paid work that disturbs paint must follow lead-safe rules. Ask the contractor about it.
Do swing-clear hinges work for a wheelchair?
They help a walker. A wheelchair often needs a wider opening.
Doorway widening in Montclair
Narrow doors from the 1920s and 30s are a common obstacle in Montclair, where the median home dates to 1938. Opening one up gives a wheelchair or walker the room it needs, whether in a house, a two-family or a condo.
Source: Census Bureau, median year built
Most households start with the bathroom and the bedroom. For the town's other jobs, see aging in place in Montclair.
The permit point
New Jersey lists replacing a door in the same opening as ordinary maintenance, but widening changes the opening's dimensions and framing and falls outside that category.
Doorway widening in Montclair, NJ: what a 1930s door gives you
Doors in a prewar Montclair house were cut to fit tight floor plans. A bathroom door may be only a little over two feet wide. A bedroom door may be a few inches more. Add the thickness of the door and its hinges, and the clear opening can be smaller than it looks.
Measure clear width: open the door to 90 degrees and measure from the stop to the face of the door. The Access Board allows the usual 36-inch route width to narrow to 32 inches at a doorway. Treat 32 inches as the minimum. A wider chair needs more.
Source: U.S. Access Board
Then check what is on the other side. A wider door that opens into a bathroom with no room to turn is half a fix, so measure the approach and the turn.
Plaster, lath and old paint behind a Montclair doorway
About 86 percent of Montclair homes predate 1980, and many walls are plaster on wood lath. Cutting it makes dust and an uneven edge to patch. Budget for finishing as well as framing.
If the house was built before 1978, paint can contain lead. EPA says about three quarters of such homes still have some lead-based paint, and doors and sills are common spots where worn paint makes dust. Federal rules require lead-safe work practices when someone is paid to disturb paint in these homes, so ask how the crew handles it. Keep children and pregnant family members out of the work area.
Sources: Census Bureau, year built, U.S. EPA
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Aging in Place NJ · (315) 640-3590
Which doors to open first in a Montclair house
You rarely need to widen every door. Choose the route you use every day and follow it room to room.
- The bathroom, because privacy leaves no workaround.
- The bedroom, so you can get to the bed and the closet.
- The kitchen or the main living area, so meals do not mean a detour.
- The door you use to leave the house.
Look at thresholds on the way. The ADA reference keeps a threshold to a half inch, or three quarters if it is beveled, and wheels catch on a taller one. Old doorway thresholds in prewar houses are sometimes high, and lowering one costs less than widening a door. Mark the route on a plan, and a contractor can price it door by door.
Hinge swap, pocket door or a new opening
Try the lightest fix that meets the need.
- Swing-clear hinges: they move the door out of the opening and can gain up to two inches.
- Removing the door: a curtain or a pocket door in a bath makes sense when privacy is not at risk.
- A new, wider frame: the wall is cut, a header goes in and the frame, casing and finish are rebuilt.
Many Montclair households try a hinge swap first, since it costs little and leaves the wall alone. A wheelchair user will usually need the third option.
Load-bearing walls and the header in a prewar frame
In a wood-frame house from this period, interior walls may carry the floor above, especially in the middle of the house. If a wall does carry load, the new opening needs a properly sized header and support at each side. New Jersey treats alterations in an existing home as minor work only if no primary structural members are changed, and the no-permit door category covers replacing a door in the same opening, not widening it.
Source: NJ Administrative Code
Ask who sizes the header and whether the construction office wants a sketch. Our guide on which home modifications need a permit shows how the pieces fit.
Renters, condos and pairing with a bathroom job
If you rent, you will need your landlord's written agreement, because the door is part of the building. In a condo, an interior wall inside your unit is usually yours to alter, but check the bylaws about structure and shared walls. For a rental, ask first whether a hinge swap will do.
A wider bathroom door and a new shower are one plan. Do the opening first or at the same time, so the new tile is not cut again. See accessible bathroom remodels in Montclair for the shower side.
To get a plan, call (315) 640-3590 or use the form. Your first project comes with $100 off.
Doorway widening in nearby towns
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