QA Forum

Question & Answer

We are discussing Home Modifications: making your home safe and easy.
With Entry not found in index

Question:
My Mother has had a major fall just recently and now has to be in a wheelchair. It has been suggested that we look at widening the doorways in her house. Can you help me find out how to go about this?

Answer:
Neil -Widening door widths can be an expensive task. In widening a doorway you will have to purchase a new frame, door and architraves. In some cases, depending on the age of the home, electrical light switches and the like will have to be shifted and once the new wider door frame is in place patches to the floor coverings whether it be tiles, vinyl or carpet will need to be repaired to make the job look finished and provide a smooth trafficable surface.

An alternative option might be to hire or buy a different type of wheelchair which may be able to negotiate narrower spaces. But if you have no options other than to widen the doorways in the house, these are some of the things you should consider.

The new draft Australian Standard requires a minimum open width of 850mm. It would be recommended that you contact your local State office of the Master Builders. They would be able to put you in touch with builders that do alterations and renovations to homes in your particular area and I would also suggest that you obtain two or three quotes from licensed reputable builders clearly specifying the number of doors and width of doors required to enable the quotes to be comparable. If this sounds a bit complicated I might also suggest that you engage a building consultant to prepare a list of recommended works that you can hand over to the builders to obtain the appropriate quotes for that work.

View answer to: prev question | next question