The corridor in a residential apartment or in a private house is at least needed so that tenants can easily move between bedrooms and utility rooms. If such a passage is spacious enough, it can accommodate some of the furniture. For example, wall shelves, armchairs, hallway headsets and much more. But what should be the minimum width of the corridor, in accordance with building codes and logical considerations? Further about this in more detail.
Factors That Affect Room Width
If we talk about the minimum width of the corridor in the apartment, then, as a rule, it is stipulated in the recommendations of the joint venture and SNiP. For IZHS these requirements are not considered stringent, however, it is best to adhere to them nevertheless for reasons of convenience and security. These include:
If there are hinged doors in a private house, then opening them in no case should lead to difficulties while moving around the room, so the minimum width of the corridor should correspond to this.
It will be impossible to easily move furniture and other interior items in an assembled state along a too narrow passage.
In accordance with fire safety standards, the plan of a residential building should be optimal in case of any emergency evacuation.
In the passage you need space for proper ventilation of the room.
Let us consider in more detail what should be the width of the space in the corridor and other rooms in accordance with SNiP.
Standards in the apartment
If we consider the minimum width of the corridor, then the basic norms for housing construction are presented in 31-01-2003 SNiP. Also, this information is available in their updated version 54.13330.2011 SP. It indicates not only the minimum width of the corridor in the apartment, but also the dimensions of other rooms:
According to these requirements, the minimum area of an ordinary living room should be 14 square meters - for one-room apartments, 16 square meters - for cases where there are more than one room in the apartment.
The minimum area for the kitchen in a multi-room apartment is 10 square meters, in a one-room apartment - at least 5 square meters.
The area of the bedroom for one person is 8 square meters, the area of a double bedroom is at least 10 square meters.
On the attic floor, the bedroom and kitchen can be 7 square meters in area, provided that the common room is 16 square meters minimum.
Standards in a residential building
SNiP 31-01 also also indicates the minimum area of apartments in a rural and urban type residential building of a municipal building in accordance with the number of rooms. Consider the table.
Number of rooms | Urban type of house | Rural type of house |
1 room | 28-36 square meters | 38-44 square meters |
2 rooms | 44-53 square meters | 50-60 square meters |
3 rooms | 56-65 square meters | 66-76 square meters |
4 rooms | 70-77 square meters | 77-89 square meters |
5 rooms | 84-95 square meters | 94-104 square meters |
6 rooms | 96-108 square meters | 105-116 square meters |
Utility rooms
And now it is worth considering the dimensions of the utility rooms, including the norm of the minimum width of the corridor. Width of such premises:
The width of the kitchen is at least 170 cm.
Hallway - 140 cm.
The corridor is 85 cm with a length of not more than 1.5 meters. However, it is important to consider that this parameter is not fixed. If the passage is longer, then the minimum width of the corridor according to fire standards is 120 cm. This recommendation is best followed to avoid disastrous consequences.
The width of the bathroom is 80 cm.
However, this indicator increases if the family has a disabled person:
The width of the kitchen is 220 cm.
The entrance hall is 160 cm. In this case, a place is also provided for one wheelchair.
The minimum width of the corridor in the house is 115 cm.
Combined bathroom - 220 cm by 220 cm.
Separate toilet with sink - 160 cm by 220 cm.
As for the minimum ceiling height in apartments of municipal buildings, in this case it will vary depending on the climate and averages from 2.5 to 2.7 meters. The height in the aisles, as well as in the back rooms, should be at least 210 centimeters.
Optimal sizes
For individual construction, SNiP standards are not mandatory, but in the case of designing a house, they must be taken into account without making serious mistakes. When calculating the optimal size of the premises, you should proceed from your own needs. For example, the minimum width of the corridor according to SNiP can be expanded if you want to install furniture there:
When drawing up the layout, you should consider:
the height of the ceilings in the room;
the presence or absence of windows, as well as their number;
the presence of niches on the walls, the presence of closets and mezzanines;
the number of doors that go into the passage.
Ways to save space
To save space, it makes sense to install compact furniture in the corridor, and other household equipment should be minimized. In that passage, which is combined with the entrance, you will need:
You can also save significant space by combining these items:
In small residential buildings and apartments, as a rule, the corridor is common to other rooms. It has doors from bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet. For the sake of saving space, it makes sense to replace swing doors with sliding or folding. You can use door structures made of glass: this way you will improve the natural light in the aisle, a little chic will appear.
Instead of a classic cabinet with swing doors, it is better to use a sliding wardrobe. A small hallway should not be cluttered with a cabinet at all, but you can install a wall built-in. It is better to limit yourself to an open hanger, which has a shoe rack, as well as a shelf for hats.
If there is a wall niche in the corridor, then the cabinet can be placed in it. It is also possible to place mezzanines there.
Visual increase in premises
So, we determined what is the minimum width of the corridor in a residential building. But how can you visually increase the space in a small room? In this case, into the passage.
The entrance hall with an adjacent corridor to it is the hallmark of every apartment building. It is very important that the guest who enters your accommodation does not feel as if he is in a cage. If the natural dimensions of this zone tend to zero, then you should apply visual effects aimed at increasing the visual space. There are several common and effective techniques for this case:
Proper placement of furniture, other household items. In the case when within reach there is everything necessary, then the person is more comfortable, while he is not annoyed by cramped conditions.
Lighting Features. It is inexpedient to hang a bulky chandelier in the middle of the corridor, if it is not a hall the size of a huge hall. A large central chandelier only clutters the space, and also poorly performs its immediate function. In such a situation, it is better to use local lighting devices in the most important areas, for example, near a cabinet, near a mirror, near doors to other rooms.
Mirrors, as well as other reflective surfaces (for example, mirror panels placed on the ceiling, polished doors on furniture). The fact is that they visually increase the space, as well as improve the lighting in the corridor.
Read more about the color scheme
There is one well-known rule: the lightest tones visually increase the volume of the room, and dark, too bright shades reduce it. In addition, there are other features of the color scheme:
colorful motif on the ornament narrows the space;
sharp color contrast is undesirable;
a vertically oriented pattern increases the height of the ceiling, and a horizontal ornament “pushes” the walls.
Lighting
For lighting, it is better to use:
spotlights, fluorescent lamps - for the design of the corridor in a modern style;
for baroque, classics, empire - wall lamps that are stylized for the chosen era;
if the ceiling in the aisle is suspended, it is better to place lighting devices directly above it.
Conclusion
These recommendations from our article are intended for owners of small houses and small apartments. As a rule, in large houses, the corridors are also spacious, it is possible to place absolutely anything in them, including collections of attractions and even a miniature winter garden.
However, in this case, you should not clutter up the space much, because the passage is needed for convenient and free movement between rooms.