I follow a SoftPlan user group on social media. Recently, someone posted a question about configuring a particular door style, including a screenshot of a floor plan.

As usual, tonnes of people were quick to help.

But one person picked up on something interesting that everyone else had missed or didn't consider special.

The door size is 2'-0" x 7'-0". (emphasis added). "My question is, who makes a 7' door?" asked one commentator.

Yeah? That was my thought.

With 35 years of experience designing houses, I've been specifying either 80- (6/8) or 96-inch (8/0) interior doors. So, I dug deeper, and what I learned was interesting.

84-inch high interior doors have been available for quite some time. While 80-inch doors were once the standard, taller door options have gained popularity, especially in homes with higher ceilings.

Their use as interior barn doors was something I hadn't considered.

When I first searched availability online, Lowe's and Home Depot appeared high on the page. They had the slabs in stock and marketed them as barn doors. This makes sense if the desired result is an opening at least 80 inches high when slid open.

It all clicked—if the slabs are being manufactured, hanging them should be the easy part!

Lo and behold, in the last couple of decades, as many more modern homes have been built with taller ceilings, it has become a fairly standard practice to install 7-foot doors in homes with 9-foot ceilings and 8-foot doors in homes with 10-foot ceilings.

The timing of this epiphany is perfect.

I had just completed a walkthrough of a new model I designed for a housing development, and the door heights were a significant topic of discussion. I ignorantly specified doors that were too tall.

The model's main living area has 10-foot ceilings, and the bedrooms' ceilings are 9 feet. We installed 8-foot doors throughout, but the bedrooms just don't feel right.

I couldn't find a clear-cut rule for this, but I leaned on the idea of proportion and drew inspiration from historical examples. I found a pattern by breaking down the 80-inch door and 96-inch ceiling into balanced parts.

This configuration is conveniently divided into six equal parts, with the door being five equal parts and the header above equaling one part. We've been living with this proportion for 50 to 60 years as the "standard."

Below are the results of my study.

Continuing this theme, I propose that ceiling heights graduate in 6-inch increments rather than 12.

With doors being 6/8, 7/0, 7/6, and 8/0, the ceilings above are 8'-0", 8'-6", 9'-0", and 9'-6". Anything taller, and I'll continue to use 8/0 doors.

And, yes, I've introduced the 7/6 door with this theory. But that is a standard door if the home is in the right market.

Two of the largest producers of interior doors in the United States are Masonite International and JELD-WEN. While Jeld-Wen only offers 6/8 and 8/0 heights, Masonite stocks 6/8, 7/0, and 8/0.

However, I discovered a Canadian manufacturer with four offices in the U.S. - Trimlite. Trimlite provides four standard interior door heights - 6/8, 7/0, 7/6, or 8/0 - and has dealers in ten U.S. States.

There could be more, but that's enough for me to want to design more boldly.

I agree; an 8'-6" high ceiling sounds wasteful. But is it any more than a 9-foot ceiling?

Thinking about door heights in relation to ceiling proportions has been an eye-opening experience for me. Understanding these design principles can significantly enhance the flow and feel of a home.

As trends continue to shift and manufacturers adapt, there's more room than ever to experiment and push boundaries.

Have a great rest of your week,

Steve Mickley, Executive Director

Email: steve.mickley@AIBD.org​

Schedule a Meeting: AIBD.org/meetsteve​