The Standard Door Size for Your House

What is the first thing that greets you when coming over to a friend’s house? The living area? No, it’s the door. You wait for your friend to welcome you in the front door. Most of the time, you spend a few moments appreciating the door and get curious about what the interior looks like. That is why doors are essential. It is like opening a gift. Your expectations depend on how the gift is wrapped. There are cute ones that you do not know if you will fit, and there are those that are intimidating in size. Although there is no limit on how you want your door to look, there is a standard door size. It will depend on what type of door you want and where it will be placed in the house.

Measuring Your Door

If you are still constructing your house now, it will not be a problem to pick the design you want. You can have the standard door size in the meantime and make the necessary adjustments after you finalize the door to be installed. However, if you will replace an existing or broken door, you need to follow the current size. Measuring the door can be confusing. Here are some important reminders in determining the size of your door.

1. If you are going to replace the door alone, you do not need to include the threshold and frame. But, if you’re going to replace them all, measure everything.
2. When measuring the door height, start from the top to the bottom but not meet the floor.
3. If you are going to install a new door in an opening, make multiple measurements and take the shortest one. Why the shortest one? It is easier to fit a small door in a big opening rather than the opposite.* For the height, have them on both sides, left and right.
   * For the width, measure the top, middle and bottom.
4. Make the exact measurements to avoid having problems with the installation.

Exterior Doors

Exterior doors are those that you can see from the outside. They are the ones that lead you inside or outside of the house. The standard door height for these is 80 inches. It can be taller but not shorter. On the other hand, the width of it must be at least 36 inches. Most of the exterior doors are larger compared to other doors. The larger the door, the thicker it should be. The thickness starts from 1 ⅜ inch and can be increased according to size. Here you can learn what is also the ideal Standard Window Measurements For Your Home

Interior Doors

Interior doors refer to the doors found inside the house. It is the one in your bedroom, bathroom, and if you have doors that separate the kitchen and dining areas. For these doors, the height of it is the same as the exterior, which is over 6 feet. However, it can go smaller, up to 24 inches, when it comes to the standard door width. The width mentioned is enough for a skinny person to pass through but not for persons with disabilities. For a door to be PWD friendly, it needs to be at least 36 inches wide. So, it is safe to say that the standard door width for both interior and exterior doors is 36 inches.

Having a standard door size doesn’t mean that it is one-size-fits-all. The reason why there is a standard door size is for you to know what is the minimum measurement of a door. It should not be too narrow so that people can go in or out with ease. It cannot be too tall because it is unnecessary unless you have a big guy in the house. Well, other people do not follow these standards because of aesthetics purposes. But at least, they do not go below it, which is good. These standards are set for safety measures also. It is for easier access when something urgent happens in your house.