Unfortunately sometimes in life things happen...someone in the family breaks a leg, or has surgery - maybe a hip replacement - that would require them to be in a wheelchair. If your lucky and nothing like that happens to your family you will still age and with age brings decreased mobility. Plan ahead and account for these things while doing a remodeling project or building a home. It will greatly reduce the cost of having to modify your house later.
Like the bathroom above, you don't have to go over board with this idea but simply putting a roll in shower in a bathroom on the main floor is a pretty good idea. It doesn't have to even look like a typical ADA shower. I choose this example not only because of the floor but because there is a bench with hand controls - which will come in very useful if you have limited mobility.
I love that the sink is off the ground in this picture. It looks great, provides easy cleaning and would allow a person in a wheelchair to better access the sink. The shower is also well designed and they provided a bench to sit on before and after your shower.
Grab bars are always a good idea in a shower if you anticipate being in a wheelchair however another alternative is to make sure they frame the bathroom walls in a way that allows you to add the grab bars later if needed. This would greatly reduce the cost of adding the bars in the future them while still giving you the look your want now.
These are two great examples of beautiful spaces and good functionality. The sinks are beautiful and unique while still allowing a wheelchair to roll up underneath.
Bathrooms are not the only place to think about accessibility when remodeling. Monday I will show you more things to consider in your project.
Posted on
Fri, July 13, 2012
by Cindy Aplanalp
filed under