Handicap bathroom design is something I have had a hand in lately with my nephew’s place getting some cosmetic work done and that included his specially adapted bathroom. Now, I know folks are often curious to know what designing a bathroom for a person with disabilities entails and for that matter what goes into one, so I’ll write a little on that and hopefully give you a better understanding of what it entails.
OK, the first thing you have to bear in mind when putting together a working design for a handicap-friendly bathroom remodeling project is the layout and that means you need to leave plenty of space for a wheelchair user to get around in there. They have to able to get in, turn around and get out as well as use the facilities without unduly needing to lean over stuff or stretch to reach anything.
If that makes sense, then the rest of this should all fall into place.
You need to start with things that cannot easily be moved, such as waste water pipes, hot and cold water inlets, electrical sockets etc. Those are things that are best worked with where they are if you can. So if you have a drainage point for a shower and a toilet that are far enough away from each other to allow a full sized handicap shower stall to be installed, that’s great. if not, you really cannot compromise on that one, as its no good installing a shower unit that a wheelchair user can’t use!
Same goes for the handicap toilet. It has to be in a place that is easy to get to and to transfer to and from a wheelchair using handrails fitted securely to the walls. So if it means having to move something major, like a water waste pipe, then you’ll probably find it easier to move the outlet for the shower than the toilet, which is a job you really do not want to undertake unless it is absolutely necessary!
Think about where you’ll install the wash basin or vanity unit too, as it’ll require water inlets and outlets too, although these are not too difficult to move if needs be.
When installing faucets, they had better be specially adapted ones so that a person with very little strength in their hands can still easily operate them. No point fitting a beautiful looking chrome mixing faucet that you can’t turn on or off.
Floor space is important of course, as a wheelchair needs to be able to get around in there and the handicap shower stall needs to be large enough to accommodate a wheelchair and handicap shower seat too. Hand rails need to be anywhere a person is likely to need to move around, for instance getting out of a wheelchair and sitting in a shower seat. Think about the best placement and for heaven’s sake if the handicapped person who is gonna use the facility is there, ask them where they want them!
Ensuring all the furniture is at the correct height is important as well, because a person in a wheelchair who wants to wash their hands will want to do so while sitting, for obvious reasons! Make sure they can get the chair under the wash basin so they don’t have to reach too far over to use the faucets.
Well, that’s about most of the main points about getting handicap bathroom design as right as you can. Smaller things like towel rails and stuff should all follow the same common sense placement as the furniture for height and distance and as long as you also fit a non-slip floor surface, you’ll have a pretty satisfied user.
That’s it for this post, so I’ll be back again soon.
Edwyn Prose 