IRC minimum door widths?

[Neil Blanchard]

Hi folks,

I am drawing a residence for the first time in a while, and I need
reminding what the required minimum door widths, for bedrooms,
bathrooms, etc.  I think exterior entry doors need to be 3'.  What I can
find is that any space larger than 10 sq ft needs a 2'-8" wide door - is
this correct?

Thanks in advance.

--
Sincerely, Neil

http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/

[Joseph Krawiec]

Hi Neil,
I'm not certain what version of the IRC you  are using - in NJ, we are using the 2015 edition (with some specific NJ enhancements).  Door requirements are in IRC 311.2 and 311.3.2 and they say very little.  Basically, you are only required to have an 'egress' door (door to the exterior) with a clear width of 32" (i.e., a minimum 34" door.  This is almost always a 3' door.  Doors in the interior can be whatever you want.  I typically make them 2'-8" because some inspectors can't get that size out their minds from the IBC.  It also makes furniture moving somewhat simpler.  I have seen many other architects using 2'6".  The door to the bathroom in my home (built in the 60's) is 26".  I seem to bang into the frame every second or third trip!.

Good luck,

Joe

Joseph A. Krawiec, AIA, LLC

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409 Pierce St
South Plainfield, NJ 07080
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[Neil Blanchard]

We are using 2009 IRC with Massachusetts changes.  It looks like we are supposed to use 32" minimum for habitable spaces, but we can go as narrow as 28" for bathrooms.  34"-36" for accessible spaces, and for exterior entry doors.

On 9/27/2017 9:34 AM, Joseph Krawiec wrote:

Hi Neil,
I'm not certain what version of the IRC you  are using - in NJ, we are using the 2015 edition (with some specific NJ enhancements).  Door requirements are in IRC 311.2 and 311.3.2 and they say very little.  Basically, you are only required to have an 'egress' door (door to the exterior) with a clear width of 32" (i.e., a minimum 34" door.  This is almost always a 3' door.  Doors in the interior can be whatever you want.  I typically make them 2'-8" because some inspectors can't get that size out their minds from the IBC.  It also makes furniture moving somewhat simpler.  I have seen many other architects using 2'6".  The door to the bathroom in my home (built in the 60's) is 26".  I seem to bang into the frame every second or third trip!.

Good luck,

Joe

Hi folks,

I am drawing a residence for the first time in a while, and I need
reminding what the required minimum door widths, for bedrooms,
bathrooms, etc.  I think exterior entry doors need to be 3'.  What I can
find is that any space larger than 10 sq ft needs a 2'-8" wide door - is
this correct?

Thanks in advance.

--
Sincerely, Neil

[James Horecka]

I trust you have the IRC in hand, yes? With State amendments. The IRC is straightforward. I don't know about MA amendments.

I've done about every size door you can imagine in California. Except for the front door: Gotta be 32" clear between stop & face of door at 90 degrees.

I've done scads of 2-8 doors in residential (use rough (f.o.s.) hall width = 3'-4"; sano KS & TS, and enough width for most casing). Under 100 2-6, I 'spose; for low-budget jobs. Some 2-4; some 2-0 (rare). 2-4 and 2-0 I've done on ships. I've actually had nightmares about 2-0 doors. Of course 2-0 doors are extremely common in commercial work: Pert-near every toilet stall in the USA has one!

Moving furniture through doors less than 2-8 can be a royal pain in the ass. I've helped move so many young families into low-end starter homes, and those damned narrow doors in low-budget digs are the worst. I always bring a spring bar, hammer and finish nails, plus tools to remove hinges: The doors often have to be removed, and sometimes the door stops from one or both sides of the door jambs. And just TRY to get a bleepin' 30" high wood desk with integral drawer cabinets into a back room through a 2-6 door: You CANNOT! Even after prying the stops off the jambs! Gotta go through the window, if you're lucky (we were).

Trivia: The largest single door I've personally worked on measured over 2,100 square feet.

James Horecka
jhor...@verizon.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Neil Blanchard <neil.bl...@verizon.net>

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