How to Make a Handicapped Home Entrance

Widen the doorway. A door must be at least 32 inches wide to allow access for a wheelchair. Depending on the width of your existing door, you may be able to get a wheelchair through it by reversing the hinges so the door can swing open wider, removing some of the woodwork around the door, or installing swing-away hinges that allow the door to open wider. If the door is too narrow, you'll need to remove the door, widen the door opening and install a new, wider door.

Eliminate steps. You can do this by regrading the entrance to the home and adding dirt so the ground around the entrance is level with the threshold. Or you can build a wooden ramp over or beside the steps. You can remove a wooden ramp if you no longer need it at a later date. Build the ramp to rise no more than 1 inch for every foot of length. A rise of 1 inch for every 16 inches of length will make a less steep ramp that is easier to use, if you have the space to accommodate such a ramp. Use 2-by-6 decking boards to construct the ramp and make the ramp at least 36 inches wide.

Add railings to your ramp. Railings allow people who use canes or walkers to pull themselves along and prevent wheelchairs from rolling off the ramp. Use railing that matches the design of your house so the ramp will blend in. Build handrails inside the railings, 30 to 36 inches above the ramp surface, and at least 1½ inches from the railings.

Add a doorbell 30 to 36 inches above the bottom of the door. If the person in a wheelchair lives in the home and there is no sidelight, add a peephole approximately 48 inches from the threshold.