You may be wondering about your options for altering your entry door size. The short answer is: yes, but it’s a complicated project, takes a long time, and usually requires city approval. Let’s discuss what goes into the process of resizing doors so that you can better discern whether you want this for any of your home entryways.
Altering the Entry Door Size: Possible but not Always Economical
For construction contractors like Energy Pro Windows & Siding, anything is possible, but expanding the size of your front door is not always economical for the homeowner. Making a doorway wider requires the input of a reliable contractor, engineers, and city authorities.
All of that work and review could make the project last several months. Whereas shrinking your door size is something we can do in no more than a few hours. Our preference is to always get the job done in less than a day, and we accomplish that by sending an appropriate number of crewmen to get it done efficiently (and at the best cost).
Also, if a doorway expansion involves structural walls, it becomes even more difficult and expensive. Most front doorways already have complex grand entrances, which means that if they have a structural impact and you alter them, you would need an engineer to test the roofing to make sure it can still withstand the weight on top of it. This is after the construction contractor redoes all the framing and puts in new headers.
All of these precautions are especially relevant to two-story homes where the structural framework needs to shoulder the burden of all the upstairs weight. Again, it’s much easier to shrink your entryway than it is to make it larger. If you’d like further information on adjusting the front entryway, we recommend reviewing these six factors to keep in mind when changing a new front door.
Much Easier Changing Entry Door Size for Back/Side Doors
You have a lot more room for creative adjustments, re-sizing, and installations for your rear and side entries. It’s much easier to add sliding doors, window extensions, and patio doors for up to 10 or 12-foot expansion. This is simply infeasible for most front door arrangements.
Older Homes May Require Doorway Re-Sizing
Some older homes may need to expand the width of their doors to become compliant with city building codes. Most local ordinances require at least a 36-inch wide entry. We sometimes encounter homes, perhaps more than 100 years old, that still have 32/34-inch entryways.
In those situations, you’ll want to expand the entry door size. Usually, residents will gladly widen their doorways because of how difficult it is to fit through large appliances like washers, dryers, and refrigerators. Unless you really need a wider doorway, it’s much easier and cost-effective to focus on aesthetic enhancements (like changing the glass) since the construction is much faster and more convenient for the homeowner.
Energy Pro Windows & Siding: Available for All Door Projects
Energy Pro Windows & Siding is the #1 company in the Kansas City area for doors, windows, and siding. Our loyal customers have rewarded us with more than 100 5-star reviews on Google reviews, and we’ve also earned the Stan Seal of Excellence for customer service.
We always approach every exterior project with a plan to use the highest quality building materials, in the most cost-effective way possible, and with the best customer service. So, whether you seek to reshape and resize your door for building-code compliance, or wish to embellish your home with a beautiful Albany door, we’re here to help.
Energy Pro is a licensed contractor and can assist with all permitting and code compliance.
If you’re considering altering your entry door size, we encourage you to contact us for a consultation to learn about all your options and make the best possible decision.
