Recommended Design Guidelines

Measurements

• Exterior door width ≥ 36 inches.

•  Exterior door thresholds ≤ 0.5 inches.

• Landing area ≥ 5x5 feet.

• Landing area slope ≤ 1:50.

Features

• No steps.

• Covered landing area.

• Shelf or space for a bench.

• Easily manipulated door hardware.

•  Color contrasting door hardware.

•  Electric door opener.

• Evenly lit.

• Automatic lighting activation.

• Highly-visible numbers.

•  Doorbell at the front door with audible and visual alerts.

• Two peepholes in the front door -or- sidelights at the front door.

• No storm door.

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Transcript:

Entrance Overview

Let's welcome someone into a home through the entrance. Here, we're talking about the landing area right in front of the door and going through the door at any entrance to the home. There are lots of actions or tasks that are typically completed as you're going through entrances of homes. Along with discussing those, I will share measurements and features that make the door and the surrounding area an optimal situation.

Did you know that this portion of the home and the route leading up to it is considered one of the biggest barriers people face when coming home or visiting another one? There are a lot of factors that can literally trip people up or block them completely from accessing the inside of a home. This can be based on their ability to use their body or due to the mobility equipment that they use.

No-Step Entry: Entrance Doors & Landings

Oftentimes in a home that's already built, you'll see people put a ramp onto the home to eliminate the need to use steps. When that is impossible, sometimes people that use a manual wheelchair could potentially use techniques to pop up and down a step, but that's not really that convenient for them and most often they'll need help. And still it's compromising to help that person over just one step and can potentially cause injury to those trying to help them in the process if they're not lifting the person in the wheelchair with good body mechanics.

In addition, someone using a 300 plus pound power wheelchair doesn't have the luxury to jump up and down over a step like someone who uses forearm crutches might be able to. Let's go through some of the details of the entrance. As a reminder, I'm focused on the specific portion of our route, as we've already discussed the pieces and other section of getting from the parking area and venturing up towards the entrance.

Now I'm focused on the landing and the entrance door. One of the first things that we need to consider again is, you guessed it, no steps. There should not be any steps up to the landing or through the door for any entrance of the home, whether it's a side door, a door through the garage, a back door or front door.

Having multiple ways for a person with a disability to enter and exit a home in case of an emergency is essential, and it makes it easy to get outside to get the mail, run an errand or go anywhere independently. Zero step entrances aren't just for wheelchair users. Think about pushing a stroller or walking with young toddlers, carrying groceries or luggage or moving furniture and new appliances.

Steps are a trip hazard for everyone. You may be wondering, well, what about water getting through the front door without there being a step? Hang tight, I will get there. Let's discuss the landing area first. That's that big flat space right in front of the door. Again, there shouldn't be a step from this landing area through the door either.

The landing area needs to be no less than five by five feet or a 60 by 60 inch turning radius outside each exterior door. It's important to have adequate space to maneuver with any kind of personal mobility device, a stroller or any items such as grocery and luggage, particularly if any doors swing outward.

Landing Slope and Covered Entry

The angle or slope should not be any more than 1:50 or 1.15 degrees in any direction. Grading an area as close to level as possible will reduce the likelihood of something rolling away. If a ball can roll in any direction, so can anything with wheels like a chair, a stroller, a cart, or luggage.

Above that landing area should be a roof or structure to cover people from the weather. A covered landing area like a porch, or a sizable awning or overhang outside each doorway not only protects from the sun, rain, wind, and snow, but it provides anyone a more comfortable place to tie their shoelaces, set down packages, find keys, or just wait for someone inside to open the door.

In fact, placing a bench or a shelf right in that area provides extra convenience for grabbing packages or bags without having to bend down to the ground. If space for a bench is selected, ensure that the landing area still provides that five by five feet or 60 by 60 inch turning radius, as I discussed earlier.

Doorways, Thresholds, & Hardware

Now let's talk about that doorway. When there is adequate cover above a door and a low door threshold or other barrier that prevents water from getting inside, implementing a no step entry can be easily achieved. In addition, let's discuss the features of this door. It should also be no less than 36 inches wide.

The threshold should be less than half of an inch. This includes bottom rails or tracks for sliding doors and other hardware. A wide doorway is useful for all sorts of individuals, including, but not limited to those who use wheelchairs, those who have a larger body type, and if you just have several kids in tow. Just about anyone with arms loaded with items will appreciate plenty of clearance to get through the door.

Low thresholds are accessible and safe for everyone. Flush is ideal but aim for half an inch or less of height to keep water out. If you can't easily roll a small ball like a tennis ball over the threshold, then the threshold can create difficulty for some people, just like the ball might stop with the threshold in the way, so will smaller wheels on the front of walkers and wheelchairs. If this happens to someone using a wheelchair, their chair may stop, but momentum will keep their body moving forward, leading to potentially falling onto the ground. This is also applicable for people who might have difficulty picking up their feet or have their arms full and cannot see where to go. Now that we're right at the door of the home, let's talk about the door hardware.

Choosing easily manipulated door hardware that contrasts with the door color is essential. Door hardware should be operable with one hand while not requiring any pinching or grasping and it should require minimal physical effort, such as lever handles, electronic locks and power door openers. Knobs and handle sets are actually difficult to use if hand function is impaired due to an injury, arthritis, or inability to use the hand due to lack of function. If push buttons are used, having those light up for entering a code is a nice feature as well. Sometimes doors can be super heavy and the force required to push or pull or keep that door open can be difficult due to the lack of strength or balance someone may have. The rule of thumb is that it should only require someone five pounds of pressure to open a door, and if that tends to cause problems, some even prefer to install an electric door opener.

This hands-free operation of an entrance door is helpful in many scenarios, whether someone has their hands full of groceries, luggage, kids, or is using a mobility device that requires the use of both hands. It also has the benefit of reducing the spread of germs after touching multiple surfaces. It's just like going in and out of your favorite grocery store or a big box store and adding that convenience to your home.

Adequate Lighting

Next, we're gonna talk about the lights. Even your entrance needs to be evenly lit with strategically placed lighting to illuminate the doorway, the landing area, and any door hardware for someone opening or closing the door. Lights placed on the same exterior wall as the door can be harsh and obtrusive.

Think about walking down a path towards a door with lights on either side, being similar to walking down a roadway, looking directly at incoming car lights. Lighting should minimize shadows and be glare-free, so it's easy to insert the keys or locate the door handle. Consider using indirect ambient lighting and glow lighting that illuminates the landing area and doorway without visible bare bulbs or translucent covers from a seated or standing position.

Indirect lighting reduces eye strain and is more calming than direct lighting. And when possible, choose lights that can be activated on a timer via a remote or by motion. Other features around the door that often get overlooked is the house number and the doorbell. I am sure you've been in a situation in which you are trying to find somebody's home and you have to drive your car slowly down the block to find the correct home.

Numbers should be in high contrast and easy to see at all times, night and day from a distance. The numbers should be no less than four inches high. This makes it easy for visitors and emergency personnel to quickly determine the location of a particular home, which would be yours.

Doorbells & Accessories

Choosing a doorbell at the front door with audible and visual alerts is great in many situations.In its simplest form, a lighted doorbell is helpful just to see at night for visitors trying to alert those inside that they're at the door. But these days, doorbells and alerts have gotten fancy and you can see who's at your front door right from your phone and be alerted there as well as the traditional audible alert.

There are many reasons that people who can hear might miss an audible alert. Maybe they're listening to loud music with headphones, especially if they're noise canceling. And so visual alerts aren't a specialized feature only useful for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing. I'm sure you've all seen those funny videos of people recording things on their front porch from delivery people and those at the wrong house. But not only are they helpful for safety, but choosing a product with alerts that can be heard and seen throughout the home is convenient too. Some individuals don't want to or can't easily get up to open the door and they can talk to whomever is outside. Another application for some of those products is for those who have caregivers entering the home to get them up in the morning.

That person who is still in bed can unlock the door remotely or even have a specific code so a trusted person can access the home without a key. When someone is able to get up to the door, having a visual of who is outside is helpful if there isn't a camera or if the power goes out. Peepholes are a great idea for multi-family buildings or areas that need more security, but keep in mind that they need to be visible for everyone. A peephole may be difficult to use for individuals with low vision or those who cannot see it if it's mounted too high. The easiest solution is to drill another hole and install a second one at a lower height. Windows in or beside the door called sidelights is a simple security feature as well. Seeing what's on the other side of the door without opening it to potential unknown visitor is pretty smart.

Storm Door & Screen Doors

Last but not least, let's talk about the storm door or screen doors. Storm doors are not typically recommended for universal accessibility, and here's why. Storm doors create an extra effort to open and close along with the main entrance door, and often require more energy expenditure or manipulation than needed to enter or exit a home safely.

They are particularly problematic for people who use mobility devices due to the automatic closer forcing the door closed, especially if someone depends on both hands to move, like if they're pushing a manual wheelchair or using forearm crutches. There can be exceptions though if a locality or an HOA requires the use of a storm door, especially in regions that necessitate extra protection against wind, rain, or other elements, a storm door may be used if its handle can be operated with one hand and does not require pressing a button to unlatch like so you could use a lever handle.

Additionally, the automatic closer should either be removed or located between 18 to 48 inches from the ground so someone can operate the hold-open feature with their hand versus their foot. Who knew there would be so many details to think through just to get inside the home. Now that you have successfully learned about functional features to get people through the front door, we will venture into other areas of the home.

Up Next

Next up is circulation, which is all about moving from one area to another. See you in the next lesson.