8 guides
Room sizes and clearances, to the millimetre.
The minimums the 2023 Alberta Edition of the building code sets for the rooms people ask about most, each cited to its clause and drawn to scale, and what those numbers feel like when you stand in them.
Minimums, not recommendations
Every number in these guides comes from the National Building Code, 2023 Alberta Edition, second printing, in force in Alberta since 17 August 2026, and each one is cited to its clause.
The code sets the smallest a hallway, stair or window can be. It doesn't say what will feel right with your furniture and your family in it, and for some rooms, like bedrooms, it sets no minimum floor area at all. Your municipality approves the plan; these guides help you ask the right questions first.
The guides
- 10 min readBarrier-free bathroom in Alberta: sizes and when they applyIn Alberta, a universal washroom needs a 1 700 mm turning space and an accessible shower is 1 500 by 900 mm, but houses are exempt, as of September 2026.Read the guide
- 10 min readDouble garage size in Canada: Calgary rules, single to tripleCalgary builders size a double garage at about 22 by 22 ft to 24 by 24 ft. The City's stall minimum is 5.9 m by 3 m between two walls, as of September 2026.Read the guide
- 9 min readEgress window size in Alberta: bedroom and window well rulesIn Alberta, a bedroom egress window must open to at least 0.35 m² with no side under 380 mm, and a window well needs 760 mm clear in front of it.Read the guide
- 9 min readMinimum basement ceiling height in Alberta: suites and roomsIn Alberta, basement suite ceilings must be at least 1.95 m, or 1.85 m under beams and ducts. Other rooms need 2.1 m over part of the floor, as of 2026.Read the guide
- 9 min readMinimum bedroom size in Alberta: code rules and bed sizesAlberta's building code sets no minimum bedroom size. It sets a 2.1 m ceiling over 3.5 m² (4.9 m² in the main bedroom) and a 0.35 m² escape window.Read the guide
- 9 min readMinimum hallway width in Alberta: 860 mm, plus door widthsIn Alberta, a hallway in a home must be at least 860 mm (2 ft 10 in) wide, or 710 mm in one narrow case. Most interior doors must fit a 760 mm door.Read the guide
- 10 min readStair code in Alberta: rise, run, width, headroom and handrailsIn Alberta, stairs in a house can rise up to 200 mm per step on a run of at least 255 mm, with an 860 mm width and 1 950 mm of headroom, as of 2026.Read the guide
- 10 min readWhat size room for a king bed: primary bedroom clearancesA king bed needs a room about 11 ft 4 in by 9 ft 2 in for 30 in walkways, and about 12 ft deep once a dresser sits at the foot. Alberta sets no minimum.Read the guide
Stand in the numbers before you build
A dimension on a drawing is hard to feel. On the studio's LED floor your plan is shown at full size, so you can walk the hallway, see the stair's footprint and stand where the bed goes, while a change is still an edit to a drawing.
Unit 105 · 2750 22 St NE
Come walk your plans
Every day, 9 am to 5 pm, by appointment. In the South Airways business park in northeast Calgary, with parking at the door.
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