Aging in Place expert, Joe Smith talks about remodeling your bathroom for accessibility, yet keeping it beautiful with curbless showers, higher vanities, adult height toilets, de-fogging mirrors, fireplaces and more…
Related Project
In the video above, expert Joe Smith mentions this Maryland ADA Bathroom Remodel. The project was a complete master bath renovation which was initiated due to the fact that the spouse has some disabilities and the husband could no longer lift her in and out of the existing tub and space did not work well as originally designed.
Video Transcription
We’re all aging in place. This has really been a hot topic the last 4 or 5 years where we are doing a lot of things for people planning to stay. My parent’s house – my parents don’t want to leave – they say that they’re staying until they fall over and we have to tow them out of there. What you have to consider is how do they live on the first floor. Now in their case, they have a rancher, but we have to convert some areas to make it more user-friendly. Add some block, grab bars, transition areas, lighting in critical areas, and hallways. Traditionally in some older houses, there isn’t a lot of light in the hallways, stair areas, so we try to light those areas up because visual acuity is important. Flooring is important – again transitions from one flooring to another – seeing a difference in color, if there is a step, those are all important things. Blocking for shower walls. We do that as a standard. But you can add grab bars after the fact. Let’s say that you didn’t plan on grab bars – something changed and someone got injured. There are special anchors now that we don’t have to tear up your walls to add. They also make a shower rod that that is actually a grab bar and a slide bar. So it looks like a slide bar for a shower head but is actually a grab bar.
In the kitchen, you have to think about oven height and microwave height. You don’t have to be handicapped, just do I want to bend over to my oven. We put dishwashers up higher. You really have to think it through and talk with your adviser if you are staying, and how long.
Curbless showers are a big item where we don’t have any curb so you can walk right in. People with a broken hip can’t pick their foot over that hump.
