HomeSmart
Home Adaptations for Independent Living
Blog
Project Files: Designed for Aging-in-Place
| Posted on June 11, 2014 at 7:38 PM |
comments (2067)
|
Here’s a look at another bathroom
project recently completed. We were asked by adult children of an elderly couple to
modify this bathroom to suit their parents.
One of the parents used a walker at all
times, the other a cane. This existing bath off the master bedroom had a small step
down shower adjacent to a garden style bathtub. Neither bath nor shower was functional or
safe for these clients and the couple never used the garden tub. EXISTING LAYOUT    The clients’
wish list for their redone bath included more storage and a second sink. The existing 9 1/2’ x 12’ bathroom while
fairly large, did not have a linen closet and while there was a 60" vanity, part
of it was wasted with an extended counter without either a sink or storage cabinets underneath. In addition,the toilet was standard height which was becoming increasingly difficult for both parents to use and
there were no grab bars anywhere in the bathroom.
Our plan
then was to remove the shower stall and bathtub in order to reconfigure that
area and build a walk-in shower with adjacent linen closet. We also pulled out the old single sink vanity
in order to install a double vanity with a sink for each user. NEW LAYOUT  Our Work Plan DEMOLITION:
remove
existing tub, toilet and 5’ vanity
remove
existing step down shower to include glass shower enclosure & wall tile
cap and reroute plumbing lines and close
floor drain remove all bathroom floor tile CONSTRUCTION: fill in shower floor (4”) and bring to same
height as bathroom floor frame linen closet:
3’ wide x 2’8” deep
frame shower:
60” wide by 42” deep
with entrance
opening at 32” build
shower bench 3’6” wide x 18” deep x 18” hi
build 9” x 12” shower niche; bottom of niche at 46” A.F.F.
install
blocking at (2) grab bar locations in shower PLUMBING:
reroute
plumbing as per plan
install
shower valve and two-way diverter, rain head and handheld shower rheads install
2 trench drains: 1 in opening to shower
and 1 along rear wall as shown on
plan
v vanity: install plumbing for additional sink install new sinks (2) and lav faucets (2) toilet:
replace existing toilet with new Kohler comfort height toilet FINISHES: tile
bath floor and shower floor, walls and shower seat; top of seat to be granite Install
1 row of 4” tile as baseboard as required install
(1) 24” horizontal grab bar in shower at 34” A.F.F. and (1) 18” vertical grab
bar with bottom of bar at 48” A.F.F
install (1) 24” diagonal grab bar adjacent to
toilet; bottom of bar at 30” A.F.F. install
3 new vanity cabinets: 2 sink bases, 1
drawer base install granite vanity top replace
existing exhaust fan with new fan in same location paint
bathroom walls and closet door & trim  Framing for linen closet on the left and walk-in shower on the right You can see the new plumbing in place in the shower and the old shower plumbing still needing to be removed in the back wall of the linen closet  The locations for the two linear shower drains. The shower floor is sloped to the rear drain and catches all the floor water while the front drain is an extra measure to catch water that might spray off a body while showering.  A view from the doorway through the newly tiled bathroom. Shower to the right, vanity and toilet to be placed to the left.  New double vanity in place waiting for granite top and plumbing finishes. The completed bath - a more functional, updated bathroom for aging-in-place!  Double sink vanity with drawer space   Ceiling mounted rainhead shower head plus handheld shower head situated near built-in seat. Non slip floor tile, levered handled faucets, and grab bars complete this safe and functional yet stylish shower   Susan Luxenberg, Pres. HomeSmart LLC |
Project Files: Updating a Bathroom for Accessibility
| Posted on July 15, 2013 at 6:41 PM |
comments (479)
|
We’ve recently worked on a number of bathrooms needing
modifications, all for clients with vastly differing physical issues. Regardless of the underlying issues, however, the
remedies are the same – building walk in
showers, replacing low toilets with higher ones, and widening doorways seem to
come along with most bathroom modifications. A recent project involved widening a standard bathroom for scooter accessibility which resulted
in opening one of the bath walls into an adjoining bedroom closet, removing an
old tub so as to build a walk in shower, shifting the location of the toilet,
and removing a standard vanity so as to build a roll under one. Here’s the original layout of this 8’ x 11’ bathroom:   View of the existing bath from the doorway  crowded toilet with little access  Standard bathtub  Narrow doorway To accommodate our client who who wanted to bring her wheelchair or scooter into the bathroom,
we needed to create a wide turnaround area that would allow her to move freely between toilet, shower and vanity. We designed the following layout:  The general scope of work was as follows: · Remove the wall between the bathroom and guest
room closet and close in the closet from the guest bedroom side to gain an additional 3' of width in the bath (new bath size: 11' x 11') ·
Shift the location of the bathroom door and
expand it to 36” ·
Build a curb-less shower , enclosed by two ½
walls topped with glass panels ·
Move tub drain location and replace with trench drains along shower walls ·
Install new tile walls in shower, floor to
ceiling, and behind toilet ·
Install new tile floor throughout bathroom and
into shower ·
Relocate existing electrical to work with new
fixture location ·
Install can lights over vanity and toilet and
fan/heat/light adjacent to shower ·
Remove the existing vanity and replace it with a 36” roll under counter, new sink and faucet ·
Build a 24” linen closet adjacent to the vanity ·
Paint bathroom ·
Install new 36” hinged door for guest room ·
Rebuild guest room closet on alternate wall  Toilet plumbing was relocated to the adjoining wall for direct access from doorway and sufficient room to maneuver.  Shower walls in process; you can see the wood framework in the corner for a floating corner granite shower seat.  Non-skid flooring tiles were installed throughout bathroom and shower.  Shower half-walls being measured for glass splash guards.  Vanity top, sink and faucet installed; open underneath for scooter access  Curb-less shower entry; shower floor sloped to trench drains installed along interior shower walls which keep all water within shower boundaries and off the bathroom floor COMPLETION! After months of frustration at being unable to take a shower or use her bathroom independently, the end result was a happy client whose updated bathroom now functioned to meet her needs.  Susan Luxenberg, Pres. HomeSmart LLC |
Project File: Minor Bathroom Modifications
| Posted on September 4, 2012 at 12:07 PM |
comments (533)
|
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. HomeSmart LLC |