Door Dilemma

Door Dilemma
This standard sized door leaves plenty of room for a larger crown moulding
This standard sized door leaves plenty of room for a larger crown moulding where the wall meets the ceiling.

I recently received a question about how to decide the correct height for an interior door.  The home has 9′ ceilings in most rooms, but the corridor connecting them are 8′.  They were advised by the door supply company to consider a 7’2′ door to make the rooms appear higher.

My response:  In rooms/or corridors with an 8′ ceiling a standard height door of 6’8″ is best.  that is the standard in the United States.  In other parts of the world that standard may be different.  These standard height doors also work well in rooms with 9′ ceilings.

When you are deciding on a door height you need to consider the size of the trim on the door and any crown moulding that will be on the top of the wall.  You don’t want the area above the door to look crowded or to have the trim and crown moulding crash into each other.

Keep in mind that any door that is a different height than 6’8″ may cost quite a bit more since it is not “standard”.  So, I like to stay with the standard height unless the rooms are 10′ or higher.

I hope this information is helpful to you. You might want to get yourself a copy of my best-seller, Designing Your Perfect House. It is chockfull of valuable tips and advice that will save you many times the cost of the book on your house building or remodeling project. You might also like The Well-Centered Home: Simple Steps to Increase Mindfulness, Self-Awareness, and Happiness Where You Live. It will show you how to make your home a happy place.

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Bill Hirsch | Architect

Bill Hirsch

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