Question 1

How wide must a bedroom doorway be in an Ontario house?

Accepted Answer

A bedroom doorway is designed for at least a 760 mm by 1 980 mm door under the 2024 Ontario Building Code. That figure comes from Table 9.5.5.1., which lists rooms "not otherwise listed" in a dwelling unit; a bedroom falls into that category. A few doorways in a house have different minimums. A door leading to stairs that serve a floor with finished space, and a door to a utility room, each require 810 mm wide by 1 980 mm high.

Question 2

Are hallway doors allowed below 760 mm in an Ontario house?

Accepted Answer

Table 9.5.5.1. of the 2024 Ontario Building Code sets minimum doorway sizes for dwelling units. For rooms not otherwise listed, the minimum is 760 mm wide by 1 980 mm high. A hallway door serving a room in that category cannot be narrower than 760 mm under that table. Table 9.5.5.1.

Question 3

French doors to close off a den in my Ottawa house?

Accepted Answer

Adding French doors to close off a den is a carpentry job that turns on one key question: whether the opening already exists at the right size, or whether framing needs to change to fit the doors. If the opening is already there and the doors fit within it, the City of Ottawa's exempt list includes "Replacing doors or windows (provided they are in the same size opening)".

Question 4

Door frame out of plumb in my Westboro house, what gets checked?

Accepted Answer

An out-of-plumb door frame can come from several different places, and the right fix depends on which one is the cause. A carpenter will work through a short checklist before touching anything. The frame itself is the first stop. The carpenter checks whether the jambs are twisted, bowed or simply set out of plumb when the house was built. Sometimes the fix is as straightforward as shimming the jamb back into line and resetting the stops. The rough opening comes next.

Question 5

Why does my Kanata bedroom door rub at the top corner?

Accepted Answer

A door that rubs at one top corner has shifted out of square relative to its frame, or the frame has shifted relative to the wall. The two are different problems with different fixes, and a carpenter looks at both before deciding what to do. Start with the hinges. If a hinge has pulled away from the jamb or the door edge, even a millimetre or two, the door drops on the latch side and the top latch corner drags against the head jamb.

Interior Doors & Frames

How wide must a bedroom doorway be in an Ontario house?

Are hallway doors allowed below 760 mm in an Ontario house?

French doors to close off a den in my Ottawa house?

Door frame out of plumb in my Westboro house, what gets checked?

Why does my Kanata bedroom door rub at the top corner?