When remodeling a bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible:
- Door Width: Make the bathroom doorway 36” wide.
- Door Location: Position the door so it opens into a room, rather than a narrow hallway.
- Shower Access: Lower the curb on the shower for easy wheelchair access.
- Toilet Access: Position the toilet with enough room around it for wheelchair access.
- Sink Access: Leave the sink open underneath for wheelchair access.
Watch the video above to find out more.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Danny Lipford: Of course, the bathroom is something that’s always a challenge for people to figure out exactly the accessibility there. But seems a bit unusual that this opens to the living area instead of maybe the hallway, but that would be pretty tight in there, wouldn’t it?
Josh Shedeck: Danny, I’m glad you brought that up. Originally the house had a door. And it was a 2’ 0” door entering the bathroom right here.
Danny Lipford: I see.
Josh Shedeck: And structurally, it would have been a little bit more because we have ceiling joists and rafters that come into this wall, sitting right on this middle wall. And the other thing was by adding the door here and making it a 3’0”, it’s a lot more easier for her to get in and out of the shower. It’s a straight shot. You’re able to move around. And this is also cost efficient for us. We were able to get the shower in here, move the wall a little bit and get the toilet positioned over so that the shower would work. And that’s a key point when you’re trying to make a handicap accessible shower or tub unit.
Danny Lipford: Absolutely. Boy, you went all out there in order to lower that down. Because a lot of times you’ll have a pretty significant curb there. And the sink works out well. You have accessibility under there. And still, instead of the large handicap type sink, which can really be expensive, using a traditional sink, but just positioned in a certain way.
