"they don't come in as many styles as 32" or smaller doors."

This may be true, if you are shopping at the big boxes, however a door co. will make you as many different doors you can imagine.

We're not going to the big boxes, but I'm not interested in having doors custom made because the architect had a whim.

I realize that there may be an argument for mobility planning. But these doors are all on the second floor, where a wheel chair couldn't access anyway.

Whats the price difference between the two of them? Im sure its pretty insignificant. If you're custom making them you're not worrying about the lack of different styles right?

I don't remember the brand of the doors we ordered but they were all available in 36". Masonite also has 36" doors. That is a standard size as far as I can tell. We went to a specialty window/door store for ours and the cost was comparable to the big box stores. If you have something in mind, go to the door place and ask for a quote on the sizes you need or call them.

While 36" doors exist, they don't come in as many styles as 32" or smaller doors.

We did not find this to be the case, or maybe it was just because we were choosing a simple style. But I don't remember the catalogs showing only certain styles available in the 36" size. We bought ours from a window and door store. Have you contacted your local window and door store?

There are required egress standards which must be net.

There are also uniformity demanded by particular homeowners, which often translates to an architectural standard.

You can easily find the egress standards by calling your local building authority, googl search or, asking the arch. why.

"but I'm not interested in having doors custom made because the architect had a whim."

The point was, to broaden your horizons.

If you have the room, go with the 36" doors. My house was built in the 1950s and is mostly 30 and 32" doors and doorways. Everything from carrying bags of groceries to laundry baskets it's so much easier with wider door ways. I carry my big laundry basket on my right hip with my elbow sticking out. I can't tell you how many times I've banged my elbow on my 32" door frame if I don't slow down and watch where I'm going.

The larger doorways are also great to be able to move furniture into rooms without taking doors off the hinges.

Thanks everyone, I am going to ask him to reduce them.

Our local window and door companies only do exterior doors. Interior doors are sourced from lumber yards. Having to get the biggest possible door does limit our options.

Bigger openings also require layout consideration. An extra wide door means an extra wide swing area in the room the door leads to. In one case, going down to 32" on a nearby door gives us an extra 4" in the bathroom, which gives us more flexibility for vanities.

Given that 32" is still bigger than most of our existing doors and I've never had an issue getting through them even when I was several inches wider myself, I'd rather have the space in the rooms.

I agree with you that 32" doors look better and are more practical for everyday use: They don't take up so much swing-space, and they're easier for an elderly person to open. 36" doors are so large that they kind of . . . stand out. Almost in a commercial way, as if they're too large for a residential house.

The one time I remember an issue with our doors was when our refrigerator was delivered. The guys who delivered it opened the door and "walked it through". Clearly they were used to doing such things.

36" is ADA width. Every door we looked at came in 36" as well as the smaller sizes.

I just measured my doors and upstairs all are 30", which seems plenty big to me. New house plans only have 36" interior doors into master bedroom- the rest are 30" (bedrooms, baths) and 28" (closets). This works for me.

You can do Jeldwen custom carved which are custom made to any size you want. Thats the route I ended up going because of having 8 foot doors.

Any interior door I have ever seen was available in 30", 32" ,36" and all the typical narrower widths.

Hey amberm-my doors have given me aggravation too. I WISH I had clearance everywhere on the first story for wider doors, but I don't. The one place where I really needed one was the laundry room, but hopefully the LG twins can squeeze into my slot of a utility door.
My friend in the neighborhood has the wider doors and they feel nice in the hand. They are not tall though. I like the spatial sense of the tall door over the wide door, although that might change if the old waistline doesn't cooperate.

We went looking at some newly built homes today, and I measured all the doors. None of them were 36" wide. Most of the bedrooms were 30". The laundry rooms were 32". Our laundry room will have an exterior door that's 36", and the door to the rest of the house will be 32". So there's no concern about the washer/dryer.