What Size Mirror Over a Vanity?
NKBA’s guideline 21 sets vanity mirror width, height, and cabinet door clearance, with the exact math to size one for your bathroom.
Standard Kitchen Cabinet Dimensions, Box by Box
Base cabinets, wall cabinets, and toe kicks all follow fixed dimensions set by ANSI/KCMA A161.1, the standard most stock cabinet lines are built to.
Bathroom Fan Duct: Diameter, Length, and Where It Has to End
Explains the minimum duct diameter, the difference rigid duct makes over flex, and the only place a bathroom fan is allowed to exhaust.
What Size Bathroom Fan Do You Need? CFM by Room Size
This guide gives the CFM math for small and large bathrooms, the fixture-based rule after 100 square feet, and the continuous-fan exception.
Minimum Ceiling Height Over a Toilet, a Tub and a Shower
The International Residential Code requires seven feet of ceiling height in a bathroom, but only six feet eight inches over the tub, shower or toilet area.
Standard Backsplash Height, and When to Go Full
Explains the 18 inch NKBA backsplash standard, when full height applies, and why the range wall follows appliance clearance rules instead.
Do You Need an Anti-Scald Shower Valve? Yes, and Since When
The 2021 IRC requires pressure-balancing or thermostatic shower valves capped at 120°F, set at the valve rather than the water heater, per ASSE 1016.
Hanging, Shelving and Fixing: The Wall Decides
A practical guide to matching wall type, fixing and load before you drill, hang or shelve anything in a room.
Bedroom Requirements: Size, Ceiling, Egress and the Closet Myth
The building code sets four numeric thresholds for a bedroom: floor area, ceiling height, an escape window, and natural light, with no closet requirement.
Kitchen Dimensions and Clearances: What the Code Requires and What the Trade Recommends
Explains which kitchen measurements are code-mandated life-safety rules and which are NKBA trade recommendations for usability, and why the difference matters at inspection.