ADA Compliance- Thinking Inside of the Box

We recently visited a homeowner whose husband was wheelchair-bound. While they were able to renovate their guest bath for full ADA compliance and easy mobility for him, it was not a convenient distance from their bed. She was looking to renovate their very narrow master bath, so he had a more direct way to get ready in the morning. A visit from one contractor led her to believe that her only option for getting a larger doorway and wider floorplan for ADA access was to add square footage to their home. This led to them to have to juggle a large renovation that would take months with a price point that didn’t fit their budget. Very distressed, the homeowner reached out for other options. Luckily they reached out to our team and we were happy to take on the challenge of finding a different way to meet their needs.

Their priorities for the project:

• Budget-friendly
• ADA accessibility
• No lengthy build outs leaving their home open to the elements
• No loss of a bathroom, so their home value isn’t affected
• Shorter project timeline
• Quality results
• Product satisfaction

The first things we needed to address were the toilet and how much space it took out of the path to the shower, and the oversized vanity which impeded the space available to widen the doorframe to the ADA required 48 inches. Our project managers and compliance officer put their heads together and came to a space-saving, budget-friendly option that wouldn’t affect the value of their home!

Aside from switching the vanity to a pedestal sink freeing up the floorspace for the widened doorway, and moving storage to wall cabinets, we explored the space-saving option of an in-shower toilet. Most often associated with RVs, in-shower toilets can be a space-saving option that, with the right design, can be an attractive option to maximize space in a tiny bath space. Essentially, we were going to transform the entire room into a water-proof space with the use of a single-piece toilet that doubles as a functioning shower seat with the lid down. By making these unique changes we were able to meet all the homeowners’ needs and give them a less-invasive and ultimately less-expensive solution to their accessibility issue.