My grandfather lives in a ranch house built in the 1950s. He alternates using a front-wheeled walker and a four-wheeled walker to get around the house. The bathroom door connected to his bedroom is WAY too narrow to let him use either walker to get in and out.

This is scary because it leads to a higher chance of Grandpa falling! He has nothing to stabilize his balance while walking in and out of the bathroom. And we sure didn’t want him hanging onto the doorframe or door handle to help him walk!

The problem was we didn’t want to remove the bathroom door because it gives the man privacy! So what in the heck could we do to make sure Grandpa could have good balance while going in and out of the bathroom?

how much distance do you need to widen the doorway?

First, we measured the bathroom doorway from the doorframe to the part of the door that connected to the hinge when wide open. Next, we took Grandpa’s front wheeled walker and measured the length from the outermost wheels.

We realized that Grandpa only needed an additional 1 and 1/2 inches to fully open the bathroom door and stroll through with the walker. Remodeling the doorway cost way too much money! So we looked for another solution.

Use Offset Hinges to Widen the bathroom door

I ordered two off-set hinges (AKA swing away hinges) from National Hardware off of Amazon for $40.12. (FYI: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you purchase anything, you’re helping me run this awesome website! Thank you!)

We removed the two regular door hinges from the bathroom door and replaced them with the two off-set hinges. Botta Bing! We instantly had an extra 1 and 1/2 inches that we needed for Grandpa to walk in and out of the bathroom with his walker! 

If you look at the pictures below, you will notice markings on the door frame for the hinge. The previous owner had modified the bathroom door from swinging inward to swinging outward. It is extremely helpful to have the door swing out to save space in Grandpa’s teeny tiny bathroom!

Now we don’t have to worry about Grandpa falling while walking in and out of the bathroom! The price of the off-set hinges pales in comparison to an ER visit caused by a fall. Grandpa keeps his private bathroom time and is more independent with moving in and out of the bathroom. This easy fix is a win-win for Grandpa and my family! We all have more peace of mind.

Have You Installed Offset Hinges to widen bathroom doors?

Tell us all about it in the comments below! What brand did you use? What did you like or dislike about them? Where there any challenges you encountered?

There are some circumstances where the hinges won’t work. For example, we couldn’t install them on a bathroom door that swung inward because it hit the vanity. But when they work, they work well!

(Psssssttt . . . Hey, did you know we have an awesome online course for people who have a hard time wiping after using the toilet? It’s an awkward topic that you can learn how to solve in the comfort and privacy of your own home! Learn more about the course HERE!)