Measure the chair and the turn
The widest part may be the push rims, armrests or controller rather than the seat. Measure with any bag or oxygen equipment normally carried. Then consider the approach. A chair needs more room when turning through a doorway from a narrow corridor than when travelling straight through it.
Small changes can recover useful width
Removing projecting stops, using offset hinges or rehanging a door can sometimes improve the clear opening. A sliding or folding door may remove the swing, although it brings privacy, sealing and handling questions. These changes must still leave a door that the user can reach and operate.
What widening can disturb
Moving one side of the opening may affect switches, sockets, pipes or radiators. In a load-bearing wall, a suitable lintel and temporary support may be needed. Plaster, skirting and flooring will require making good. Ask for these items in the quotation so the apparently simple alteration is priced as a finished job.
Do not create a new pinch point
Check the room beyond. Furniture, a basin or the end of a kitchen unit may prevent the wheelchair turning after it passes through. The route to the next doorway should also work. Marking the chair's turning area on the floor can reveal problems that a doorway measurement misses.
Council help and rented homes
A home assessment may recommend widening where it is necessary for daily living. Grant help may be available for eligible larger work. Tenants and leaseholders should get the required consent, and landlords should be involved before structural work begins. Keep written approvals with the specification.
Keep privacy and warmth in mind
A wider opening can affect how a bathroom or bedroom door closes, how sound travels and where draught seals meet. Sliding doors need a handle and closing arrangement the user can manage from either side. Where a door is removed completely, consider privacy, heating and fire-safety implications before treating that as the simplest answer. The finish around the new opening should withstand contact from wheels and footplates. Protective corner details can sometimes prevent repeated damage without making the home look institutional. Before final decoration, run the wheelchair through with skirting, handles and protective plates fitted. The nominal opening in a drawing can differ from the usable width once the door is hung. Check whether light switches have been moved to a reachable position and whether flooring has a raised joint beneath the former wall. If the alteration joins rooms with different floor levels, that change needs a proper transition. Photograph concealed lintels or reinforcement before plastering and keep any certificates with the property records. Ask the contractor to protect adjoining rooms from dust and to state how long the doorway will be unusable. This matters if it is the only accessible route to a bedroom or toilet.
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