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Accessible Bathrooms With Pizazz
Design a bathroom that you'll love now and will still meet your needs in a later stage of life.
July 2006
You may love the idea of a luxurious bathroom, but keep this in mind: The day may come, if it has not already, when getting around won't be so easy. With the proper planning, though, you can design a bathroom that combines the pizazz you like with safety features you'll need if a wheelchair or unsteady gait ever comes into play.
As the number of older Americans grows, designers are paying more attention to the idea that simple changes in a home's floor plan and appliances can appeal to retirees and young families alike. For many seniors, such "universal design" elements can mean the difference between remaining independent and requiring nursing-home care.
Here are some design features to incorporate in your bathroom.
First, get in the door. Consider the case of an assisted-living facility in the Washington, D.C., area that boasted of its state-of-the-art accessible bathrooms. The only problem: Wheelchairs could not fit through the narrow doorways. A doorway that's at least 36 inches wide will accommodate a wheelchair.
Grab hold. The biggest danger in a bathroom is falling. So install grab bars around the toilet, bathtub and shower. Your contractor should make sure they are secured into wall studs and can support your weight. You can buy grab bars in polished brass, satin nickel or chrome. A 24-inch bar in chrome with brass fittings made by Grabz costs $144 on www.grabbarspecialists.com.
Forsake the soak. Whirlpool tubs look nice, but in a few years, will you want, or be able, to climb in and out? "When you speak with older people, very few are using the tub," says Rosemarie Rossetti, a wheelchair-user who, with her husband, is building an all-access model home in Columbus, Ohio, called the Universal Design Living Laboratory (www.udll.com).
If space is tight, you can install a roll-in shower large enough for a wheelchair. You can have one built or buy a module. Kohler's Freewill barrier-free shower modules start at about $1,600 (www.kohler.com). Also, consider an adjustable-height shower head that slides up and down on a bar, and can become a hand-held shower. Moen (www.moen.com), Grohe (www.grohe.com) and Kohler sell a variety of models. If you don't want a plastic hospital-like chair in the shower, check out the flip-up teak seat at www.waterworks.com (available with chrome fittings for $465).
For tub diehards, install a nonslip surface and on one side build a ledge on which you can sit and transfer more easily. Dianna Schrage, an interior designer for Kohler, says some tubs are designed to allow for wheelchair transfers while appearing noninstitutional. "Good universal design is not going to discriminate," she says.
Don't skimp on details. Under-the-sink storage is a convenience, but not when you have a wheelchair. Pedestal and wall-mounted sinks are the best bets. Place the toilet so you can easily move from a wheelchair. Buy a toilet that's a couple of inches higher than the standard. On the Web sites for TOTO (www.totousa.com) and Kohler, look for toilets that are ADA compliant, which means they meet regulations set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Make sure light switches can be easily reached, or put in motion-sensitive lights. And think about installing a telephone in case of a fall.
Finding a Contractor
Not all contractors are familiar with universal design. On the Web site of the National Association of Home Builders, you can search their directory of remodelers to find contractors who have taken a training course on universal design. (Visit www.nahb.org, click on "Education," then "Designations," then "Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists.") To guide your contractor, look at AARP's Bathroom Checklist at www.aarp.org/families (click on "Home Design").
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