Wider Doorways in Ridgewood Homes Without Losing the Old Trim
We help you decide which Ridgewood doorways really need widening and which just need new hardware, and connect you with a registered contractor who can rework old trim and plaster with care.
Doorway Widening quote in Ridgewood
Tell us which part of the house has become hard and who it is for. That is usually enough for us to tell you which trade the job needs, whether the town has to see it first, and who, if anyone, might help pay.
$100 off your first job
Credited by us on your first booked job.
- One credit per customer per property, on your first booked job.
- Valid through December 31, 2026.
Mention this offer when you book. Full terms.
Choosing which Ridgewood doorways to open up
The median Ridgewood home was built in 1950, the oldest of any town on this site, and its doorways were sized for a different era, set in plaster walls and framed by trim that owners would rather not lose. Widening every doorway is rarely necessary. The ones that matter are on the path between bed, bathroom and the way out, and in an older house it pays to change those well and leave the rest alone.
What doorway widening involves in Ridgewood
Which Ridgewood doors need framing work
There is no federal width to hit in a private house: the ADA does not apply to single-family homes, so its 32-inch doorway reference is a guide, not a requirement. Size each opening to the chair or walker actually in use. Swapping a knob for a lever or replacing a door in its existing opening is ordinary maintenance, while widening the frame is not, so start with hardware and save the framing work for doors that truly need it.
The route used every day
Bed to bathroom to the way out. Widen those first and leave rooms nobody needs to reach.
Hardware before carpentry
Lever handles and a door rehung in the same opening need no permit. Try them before cutting a frame.
Matching old trim
Ask whether the contractor will reuse or match the existing casing. In a prewar house it is part of the price.
Ridgewood's housing age and the rules on doors
ACS 2020-2024 5-year median year structure built, by municipality: Monroe Township 1995, Toms River 1978, Manchester Township 1979, Freehold Township 1984, Middletown 1970, Edison 1975, Old Bridge 1972, Bridgewater 1981, Parsippany-Troy Hills 1969, Morristown 1970, Wayne 1967, Paramus 1963, Ridgewood 1950, Fair Lawn 1953, Livingston 1962, Cranford 1951; New Jersey overall 1970.
Source: United States Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25035, all New Jersey county subdivisions, accessed 2026-09-22
The ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates show 89.2% of Ridgewood's 9,191 housing units were built before 1980, 74.4% before 1960 and 37.9% in 1939 or earlier. The largest single building decade is 1939 or earlier, with 37.9% of units.
Source: United States Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25034, accessed 2026-09-22
The U.S. Access Board's guide to the ADA Standards states that the ADA does not apply to individually owned or leased housing in the private sector not used as a public accommodation, including single family homes, condominiums, or apartments.
Source: U.S. Access Board, Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards, Chapter 1, accessed 2026-09-22
Under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7, ordinary maintenance needs no permit, inspection or notice to the construction official. The listed ordinary building maintenance includes the repair, replacement or installation of non-structural elements such as built-in or attached furnishings, equipment, or accessories, including cabinets, benches or seats, and bathroom accessories; the replacement of flooring with a new material; and the replacement of a door in the same opening without altering the dimensions or framing of the original opening.
Source: New Jersey Administrative Code as published by the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law, via New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, accessed 2026-09-22
Which Ridgewood doors are on the daily route?
Tell us which rooms are on the daily route and what mobility aid is used. We will say which openings need framing and which need only hardware.
Ridgewood doorway widening questions
Does a doorway in my Ridgewood house have to be 36 inches wide?
No. The ADA does not govern single-family homes, and its 36-inch figure is for an accessible route, which may narrow to 32 inches at a doorway. Use those as references, measure the actual wheelchair or walker, then widen to what it needs.
Can the original trim be kept when a Ridgewood doorway is widened?
Sometimes it can be removed and refitted or matched, depending on its condition and on how much wider the opening becomes. Raise it before the quote, because careful trim work takes longer than new casing and should be priced in from the start.
Measure one Ridgewood doorway
Clear width and which room. We will connect you with a registered contractor who respects the old work.