Wider doorways

Door widening in Ottawa

For anyone who has to turn a walker sideways to get through a door, and for families planning ahead for a wheelchair. We widen interior and exterior doorways, level off thresholds and fit lever handles, so moving from room to room is easy again. It starts with a free Home Safety Assessment, then a written quote. We handle permits where a project needs them, manage every trade and give you one point of contact. Request online or call 613.794.2040.

Request Your Service Now Call 613.794.2040

A wide opening from a dining room into the living room, with the kitchen island to one side — Wide openings between rooms in our Split Level, Reimagined project.

Why doorways matter

Room to get through, on your own

Most homes were built with doorways that suit someone walking freely with empty hands. Add a walker, a wheelchair, a laundry basket or a family member's helping arm, and a narrow bathroom or bedroom door becomes the hardest part of the day: knuckles against the frame, a walker turned sideways, a chair that stops at the door.

A wider doorway gives that room back. It means going to the bathroom, the bedroom or the back garden on your own, at your own pace, and it lets a home keep working as needs change.

Interior and exterior

The doorways we widen

Bathrooms and bedrooms

The doors used most each day are often the narrowest in the house. A wider bathroom door means getting there with a walker or a wheelchair, on your own, without turning sideways or asking for help through a door that is simply too tight.

Front, back and patio doors

We widen exterior doorways too, and level off the threshold so wheels roll over it. Paired with a ramp or railings, the whole way in works together.

Hallways and turns

Width is only half of it. A door off a narrow hallway also needs room to turn into. We look at the approach on both sides of the door, not just the opening, before we plan the work.

Planning the way in as well? See wheelchair ramps and accessible entrances.

What the work involves

More than a bigger door

Widening a doorway changes the wall around it, so it is planned like any other renovation. In plain words, and depending on the doorway, the work usually goes like this:

The old door, frame and trim come out.
The opening is made wider, and the framing above it is rebuilt to carry what the wall supports.
If the wall is load-bearing, the structural work is planned so the wall still carries its load properly.
Anything in the way inside the wall, such as a light switch or wiring, is moved as part of the job.
A wider door, frame and trim go in, and the wall around the new opening is finished.
The floor is made as level as it can be across the threshold.

We tell you at the visit what your doorway will need, and it is all in the written quote.

A bright front entry with a wood front door and a glass side panel, a bench and a round mirror — A front entry from one of our complete remodels.

Thresholds and handles

A raised threshold or a change in flooring between rooms is enough to catch a walker's wheels, so we look at the floor on both sides of every doorway we widen. Round knobs can be hard to turn with sore hands or full arms; lever handles, which open with a press of the hand or elbow, are a small change we can make at the same time.

Cost in Ottawa

Priced for your doorways, in writing

No two doorways are the same, so we price the work after we have seen it. After the free Home Safety Assessment, you receive a written quote for the work you choose.

Work only begins once you accept the quote, and anything found inside the wall along the way is quoted first, never added silently. Applying to Ontario Renovates? The City asks for two contractor quotes, and ours can be one of them.

What shapes the price

How many doorways, and whether they are interior or exterior
Whether the wall is load-bearing
What is inside the wall, such as wiring for a switch
The door, frame and trim you choose
The flooring and threshold on each side

How it works

One managed project, one point of contact

A free visit
It starts with a free Home Safety Assessment. A professional home assessor walks through the home with you, room by room, and looks at the doorways you use every day.
A written list, with estimated costs
Within 5 business days you receive a written list of what would help, in priority order, with estimated costs and a review of the grants and tax credits you may qualify for.
A written quote
For the work you choose, you get a written quote. Work begins only once you accept it, and anything found along the way is quoted first, never added silently.
One managed project
We handle permits where a project needs them and manage every trade, the scheduling and any inspections. Where a program must approve the work first, we plan the timing around that approval.
One point of contact
One person to call from the first visit to the final walkthrough, for you and for the family members helping you.

Paying for it

Programs that list door widening

Door widening is named in three programs that Ottawa homeowners use. Each has its own rules, and two must approve the work before it starts, so look at them before you book anything.

Ontario Renovates, City of Ottawa

For income-eligible Ottawa homeowners who are 65 or older, have a disability, or live with someone who does. Its accessibility grant of up to $5,000 lists doorway widening, alongside a forgivable loan of up to $15,000. The City must approve the work in writing before it starts.

Read our Ontario Renovates guide

Home and Vehicle Modification Program

Run by March of Dimes Canada for Ontario residents with a permanent disability that affects mobility, within its income limits: up to $15,000 over a lifetime for home modifications, and door widening is an eligible item. It needs an occupational therapist's assessment and written approval before any work.

Read our HVMP guide

Home Accessibility Tax Credit

A federal credit for homeowners 65 or older, or eligible for the Disability Tax Credit, or an eligible family member who lives with them. For 2026 it is worth 14% of up to $20,000 in eligible expenses, up to $2,800, and doorway widening is on the list. Renters do not qualify.

Read our HATC guide

Ontario's Assistive Devices Program funds mobility equipment such as wheelchairs, not changes to the home; our ADP guide explains the difference. Work done before a program's written approval is not eligible, so call us before you book if you plan to apply.

These programs can often be combined on one project; our guide to combining grant programs shows how. See all our grant guides.

Why Still at Home

One team, start to finish

A managed service: one point of contact from the first visit to the final walkthrough
Permits handled where a project needs them, and every trade managed
A written quote before any work, with anything extra quoted first
CHBA Qualified Adaptiv Home Specialist, trained in accessible and adaptable home renovation
Finalist, 2026 GOHBA Housing Design Awards, for an accessible split-level renovation

GOHBA 2026 Housing Design Awards finalist

Areas we serve

Ottawa and nearby

We widen doorways across Ottawa, including Barrhaven, Nepean, Stittsville, Gloucester, and in nearby communities:

Perth
Ottawa
Arnprior
Carleton Place
Kanata
Manotick
Orléans
Clarence-Rockland
Kemptville
Carp

Not sure if you are in our area? Call 613.794.2040 and ask.

Frequently asked questions

How much does door widening cost in Ottawa?+

It depends on the doorway: how much wider it needs to be, whether the wall is load-bearing, what is inside the wall, the door and trim, and the floor on each side. So we price it after we have seen it. After a free Home Safety Assessment you receive a written quote, and work only begins once you accept it. Grants and tax credits can help with the cost for people who qualify.

How wide should a doorway be for a wheelchair?+

It depends on the wheelchair or walker, the person using it and how you approach the door: coming straight through needs less room than turning in from a narrow hallway. Rather than work to a single number, we measure your mobility aid and the approach on both sides at the visit, and plan the opening around them.

Is door widening covered by grants?+

Several programs list it for people who qualify: the Home Accessibility Tax Credit, the Ontario Renovates accessibility grant of up to $5,000 for income-eligible Ottawa homeowners, and the Home and Vehicle Modification Program for people with a permanent disability that affects mobility. Ontario Renovates and the HVMP must approve the work in writing before it starts.

Does the Assistive Devices Program pay for door widening?+

No. Ontario's Assistive Devices Program funds mobility equipment, such as wheelchairs, not changes to the home. When a wheelchair or walker needs wider doorways, those changes come under programs such as the Home and Vehicle Modification Program and Ontario Renovates.

Do you widen exterior doors?+

Yes. We widen front, back and patio doorways and level off the threshold, and we can plan it together with a ramp or railings so the whole entrance works as one.

Can you widen a doorway in a load-bearing wall?+

Usually, yes, with the right structural work. A load-bearing wall holds up part of the house, so the opening needs framing above it that carries that load. We assess the wall at the visit, plan the structural work, and handle permits where the project needs them. It is all set out in your written quote.

Can you widen doorways in a condo?+

Often, yes, with the right permission. A condo corporation may have rules about work inside units, and some walls may be part of the building's structure, so please check with your condo board before the work is planned. In a rental, the landlord's permission is usually needed.

Which areas do you serve?+

Ottawa, including Kanata, Manotick, Orléans, Carp, Barrhaven, Nepean, Stittsville and Gloucester, and nearby Perth, Arnprior, Carleton Place, Clarence-Rockland and Kemptville. If your home is just outside these areas, call us at 613.794.2040 and ask.

Room to move, planned with you.

Request online, or call and talk it through. It starts with a free visit, then a written quote.