Hallway Addition

[Samantha Fey]

I am looking to add a hallway through the center of my home. Currently, we have to walk through the second bedroom to reach the master bedroom and the only bathroom in the house. To avoid this, I would like to add a hallway where there is currently a closet attached to the second bedroom. This closet lies between two load bearing walls, so unfortunately it cannot be widened. The opening is 32" plaster to plaster, and the "hallway" would be approximately 10 feet long with a large opening/hallway at one end and the living room with large windows at the other. We would not have any doors on this hallway. I know the minimum width requirement is 36" for a hallway, but I can't seem to find any information on what designates this a hallway.

I know I'm reaching, but we would retain the current passageway through the doors on either end of the second bedroom. This hallway would not be the only means of egress, just a second option to go to the master bedroom if the second bedroom is occupied. There is a window in the second bedroom as well.

We have an exit door off of the master bedroom which could serve as an emergency exit for the master bedroom and bathroom if that were the issue.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this, as well as any ideas anyone has if they have experience moving a load bearing wall by a few inches. The load bearing wall I initially planned to move has ceiling beams which meet on top of it and one set of roof joists which rest on it as well.

[Jerry Peck]

Load bearing walls can be moved.

Not easily, and not inexpensively, but they "can" be moved - just takes someone who knows what they are doing to allow for the transfer of loads to the new wall location(s) and most likely would need new footings below too.

Slab on grade or raised floor with a crawlspace below it?

Minimum width is minimum width, and a hallway (passageway, corridor, etc) is still a hallway (a rose is a rose, and by any other name ... is still a rose).

[John Kogel]

If you could draw the floor plan and post a picture of it, you could get some better advice.
To move the wall 4", a 10 foot beam could be put in with a post or wall at either end to support it.
Yes, we need more info, such as what is below the floor, and how good is access to the area below the bedrooms?

Your local building authority may have some advice and has the power to grant a variance, as that seems to be your preference.

I wonder what kind of architect designed a house with no private access to the master bedroom? My guess is some additions were made to a cottage floor plan. Anyway, as JP says, it can be fixed. A bumpout could even be added to an exterior wall if that worked better.