If you like order, you’ll love the standard sizes found throughout your home. This handy article outlines a few of the more common items you’ll find and the sizes they use.
Standard Sizes in Walls
Modern walls are great for being standard. At least in homes, you’ll find your regular run-of-the-mill wall to be right around 8 feet tall. In fancier homes, you’ll find 9 and 10 foot walls as well. The reason for the 8 foot wall is because the standard 2×4 length is right around 8 feet. You may gain a couple inches from the top and bottom plates, which are also 2x4s.
Stud Placement
Stud placement in your walls is every sixteen inches. I’m unsure of when exactly that spacing started, but it has been that way for a very long time now. If you measure sixteen inches from the center of one stud, you should find the next one. This can be very helpful if you’re hanging a TV, shelves, or anything mounted to the wall. Near corners, doors, and windows, there may be narrower placement, but never wider than sixteen inches.
Wall Length
Walls also tend to run in 4 foot lengths. There are actually several reasons this works out this well. First, the spacing between studs works out so that four feet is also three studs away. Second, plywood and drywall are sold in four foot by eight foot sheets. Third, many standard window sizes end up being four feet either with or without framing around them.
Counters
Counters are typically 36 inches off the ground. They’re also generally about two feet deep. Custom kitchens can vary more than standard kitchens because the counter and cabinets are built to fit the space opposed to premade.
Door Standard Sizes
Doors are surprisingly uniform in modern houses. You’ll find that exterior doors are 30, 32, or 36 inches wide and 80 inches tall. Interior doors are typically 24, 28, 30, 32, or 36 inches wide and 80 inches tall.
Windows
The most common window size is three feet wide by four and a half feet tall. Its actual size will vary based on the manufacturer, but they’re typically a half inch narrower in both width and height.
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