We're back after a very busy summer filled with interesting projects. In the coming weeks I'll share some of the
design challenges we faced in the hope they will motivate readers to share their own
projects, questions and solutions. My favorite project of
the summer was done for Baby Boomers who live in an upscale oceanfront
condo in S. Florida. Although they had recently redone their
master bath, one of the spouses had since suffered a disability and bathroom
modifications were needed so the bathroom would remain functional and
attractive for both. Given
that they had already spent quite a bit of money on the first renovation, they hoped to
keep the accessibility modifications to a minimum. CHALLENGES: 1. The
biggest obstacle to functionality was the curb at the shower entrance. The disabled spouse accessed the shower via a
wheelchair, and while able to stand and pivot onto a shower seat, walking was
difficult and the 5" shower curb made it extremely difficult to
navigate. Our preference when
adapting a shower for accessibility is to remove the curb and level the shower
and bathroom floors so there is a smooth transition between both. We pitch the floor and adjust the shower
drainage to include trench drains at either the shower entrance or back wall to
catch any water from "leaking" onto the bathroom floor. In this case however, while the pitch was
good, the shower floor was actually 1/4" higher than the bathroom
floor. Our client wanted a simple,
inexpensive solution so that that the shower floor would not need to be dug out,
re-plumbed and re-poured to match the level of the bathroom floor. 2. The disabled spouse
was using a free standing shower chair which was in the way when their partner
used the shower 3.There were inadequate
grab bars in the shower to aid the disabled spouse in standing once seated in
the shower 4.The lowboy toilet
necessitated the need for a toilet commode which both spouses disliked. 5.The entrance door to
the master bedroom/bath suite was 30 " wide and was a tight turn for the
wheelchair when coming into the master suite hallway. As a consequence, the walls and door trim
were getting pretty beat up. BEFORE – EXISTING BATHROOM  5”
shower curb, narrow glass door entry, free standing shower chair   Lowboy toilet with
commode; grab bars placement ineffective for client  Narrow doorway created
tight access for wheelchair DURING RENOVATIONS: 1. Shower entrance – the 5” curb and glass
doors and panels were removed so that non-slip stone tile matching the existing
marble was installed as a sloped threshold.  2. A built in shower seat extending across the
back of the shower was built to eliminate need for a free standing shower
chair.  3. All the glass, doors and panels were
removed. The ½ wall between the vanity
and shower was built up so that we could install a grab bar at an appropriate height
for the client’s use on the interior shower wall.  AFTER – RENOVATED BATHROOM  Curb-less entry shower, 36” frameless shower door, built
in granite shower seat, additional grab bars  The old toilet, commode and grab bars were removed
and replaced with a Kohler Cimarron series, comfort height toilet and new grab
bars on either side of the toilet better located for the client.  There was
no room to open up the doorway given the configuration of the rest
of the condo. We were able however, to
gain an additional 2” in the doorway by installing swing away hinges
and cutting a pocket in the wall for the door handle so that the door would lie
flat against the hallway wall.  Susan Luxenberg, Pres.HomeSmart LLC |
 |
|||||||
 
|
|
 |
|||||
    |
|||||||
