Tips to Help Design a Functional Handicap Bathroom
July 07, 2015

Tips to Help Design a Functional Handicap Bathroom

If you are remodeling your home?s bathroom in Denver, CO, to accommodate for handicap access, there are some special items you need to keep in mind during the process, especially in the planning stages. It isn?t enough to just leave a lot of room everywhere; this won?t adequately cover your needs. Here are four items to keep in mind, as suggested by the bathroom remodeling experts at Striking Remodels by Bell:

Always think of turning ratio.

When a person in your home needs to use a walker or wheelchair to move, it?s important to make sure he/she can turn into the bathroom and turn around in the bathroom. To accommodate for turning radius, it?s strongly suggested that your doorway measure 36? in width, and that there is a 60? turning radius inside the bathroom.

Sink and faucet considerations.

If the person in your home uses a wheelchair, he/she will need to be able to wheel under the sink; as such, your sink will need to mount to the wall so your family member can access it. For those using walkers, you may need to raise the height of the sink. Standard installation is usually around 31?, but to accommodate a person using a walker, you?ll want the sink to be at 34?. As for the faucet, you?ll want to install fixtures that don?t need to be grasped in order to turn on.

Accessibility for the toilet.

Toilets in a handicap-accessible bathroom need to be placed 17? from the floor. Grab bars will also be necessary, and there must be enough room on the side of the toilet to place the person?s wheelchair or walker.

Tub and shower needs.

There are a couple of options when it comes to tubs and showers. If you would like a tub, your best choice is the kind of tub that has a vacuum-fitted door that allows the person to sit inside it. For showers, you can design a roll-in shower or you can have a shower with a slight curb that is fitted with a specialized chair for the person. Both tubs and showers should have grab bars inside them.

Don?t trust the design and installation of your handicap-accessible bathroom in Denver, CO, to just anyone, call the people you can trust: Striking Remodels by Bell.