Ask General Contractor: How wide should my hallways be?

Ask the General Contractor | When building a home, keep hallways in mind.

Question: My husband and I are in the process of designing our new house. We have numerous internal corridors that I can't seem to picture when I look at the blueprints.

My worry is that they will be like tunnels, similar to the enormous bowling lanes I go through while getting to my room at a massive hotel. What advice do you have for basic hallways, and what have you seen work best in your years of construction? What would you do all in your power to avoid?

Your question reminds me of the first house I constructed, where I performed all of the basic carpentry as well as being the builder.

I was bidding on the contract based on designs made by a young, inexperienced architect.

I had the impression that the straight corridor leading from the garage into the house was excessively narrow when I first viewed it.

The hallway only just met the building code's minimal width limit of 36 inches finished wall to wall at the time.

Because one of the hallway walls was a bearing wall for the second story joists, the hallway required to be framed early in the project.

My worries were verified when I had both walls up with open studs, and this was before any drywall was placed! It was too late to fix the flaw.

The hallway felt like a tiny tube once the house was finished.

Before you proceed with your house designs, you should be aware of the following:

Here's another blunder I witnessed at a friend's house. He created a fairly big house, with a long, L-shaped corridor connecting numerous rooms, closets, and bathrooms back to the main staircase on the second story.

Both hallways were the required 36 inches wide. The turn proved difficult to traverse with bulky furnishings. In addition, it was dark and scary. The curve might have been eased with a 45-degree corner clip, which would have been useful for moving items in and out of rooms.

Experienced architects are aware of many aesthetic techniques that may be used to reduce the effect of long straight corridors. I'll only touch on a handful.

For starters, greater ceiling height helps to alleviate the claustrophobic feeling that can occur in lengthy corridors. Do it if you can afford 9-foot ceilings.

A chicane in a corridor is maybe the best-kept secret among seasoned architects. Chicanes are bends in the track utilized on long straightaways in motor racing to maintain race vehicles at safe speeds. An angular one can be used in a corridor to break up the bowling alley effect.

All the hallway needs is a 45-degree wall kick out into the hallway approximately 3 feet long, followed by a straight portion parallel with the corridor about 4 feet long, followed by a second angled wall kick back to return the hallway to its original alignment.

When you hang artwork or a decorative feature on the angled walls, your eye is pulled to it rather than a flat slab of wall that you would perceive a barrier. I've created offset halls like this before, and the homeowners love them.

Consider adding crown molding that doesn't quite reach the ceiling if you want to make halls appear mystical. Install soft, low-voltage strip lighting below the crown molding, which will reflect off the ceiling and provide a beautiful indirect effect. It's lovely at night and provides a unique touch.

Don't forget to include lots of power outlets because you never know when you'll need them. 

If you opt to install a central vacuum system, you'll probably notice that the wall outlets should be installed in the corridor rather than inside individual bedrooms. Check that the outlets are close to the door frames.

Consider the use of wallpaper in hallways. Large patterns contribute to the visual appeal in these little areas.

I'd also check if you can attend a couple open houses of huge mansions for sale in your region. Measure the width of hallways that feel big and open with a tape measure. Try to replicate this in your new house.