Wheelchair Accessible Exterior Doors

If you ve been interested in purchasing patio doors for your home but are hesitant because you are concerned with accessibility this article will provide you with some insight into what options are available.

Wheelchair accessible exterior doors.

Handles pulls panic bars. The width of a building s doorway may cause the owner to have to spend money to remodel the doorways if they are not wide enough for wheelchairs. The opening force of exterior swing doors is impacted by wind loading and other exterior conditions gasketing hvac systems energy efficiency and the weight of doors. Of force to open.

Round door knobs and traditional locks should be replaced with levered handles and keyless locks which make entering a home less challenging. Door hardware ada compliant locks exit devices handles pulls latches and other operable parts on doors shall comply operable parts of such hardware shall be 34 inches minimum and 48 inches maximum above the finish floor or ground. Exterior sliding doors are excepted and allowed to have a threshold of up to in height. Ada clearance for two doors in series.

This will keep the door from tipping out while the permanent installation happens. The minimum force needed to ensure proper closure and positive latch usually exceeds the accessible limit of 5 pounds of force lbf required at other doors. To overcome this issue we have a range of doors that are wider than 33 inches or 838mm. Doors at entrances to businesses most entrances to stores and businesses use 36 inch wide doors that are wide enough to be accessible.

Thresholds at accessible doorways cannot exceed in height. The ada standards do not specify the opening force for exterior doors though some state and local building codes may have requirements. This applies to interior hinged doors and gates as well as sliding and folding doors. However some older doors are less than 36 inches wide and may not provide enough width 32 inch clear width when fully opened.

Once the door is level drive a few nails through the mold and into the door jam just to hold the door in place while it s being secured image 1. Finally add a lockset. Make sure the door width is a minimum of 32 inches wide as standard wheelchairs are around 27 inches wide. Wheelchair accessible doors make moving between spaces easier for people who use wheelchairs crutches or other mobility aids.

Finding a contractor to do it and paying out of pocket can be expensive for small mid size businesses. Due to the width of many wheelchairs it can be difficult to find a wheelchair accessible door. Interior accessible doors should require no more than 5 lbs. These doors are plenty wide enough but also offer the added benefits of strength durability and fantastic looks.

To make them accessible it s important to have wheelchair ramps with handrails. Raised thresholds must be beveled with a slope no greater than 1 2. Door width for wheelchair access.