Handicap Bathroom Layout

Getting the right design created for a handicap bathroom layout is an extremely important consideration when designing a new bathroom or renovating an existing one.

Here we'll look at some of the aspects involved and some of the initial planning factors to be remembered before you can even lay the first tile!

Layout

The first thing you need to know about planning any room, no matter what it will be used for is getting the layout right before you start buying furniture and accessories.

This is even more especially the case when it comes to designing a room that will be used by a person with disabilities and crucial when designing a handicap bathroom layout that must be functional, easily accessible and comfortable and enjoyable to use at the same time.

The best way to do this is to start with a piece of graph paper and measure out, in scale, the size of the room you will be working with. If you can mark the exact positions of all drainage pipes, water pipes, faucets and shut-off valves as well as any electricity points that will be a great help.

Furniture

Then you need to have a catalog of bathroom furniture suitable for a person with disabilities and have their exact measurements so that you can select the ones that fit best and then draw then to scale inside the handicap bathroom's plan.

It's really not all that hard to do this as long as you can draw straight, or use a ruler and for heaven's sake draw it in pencil so you can rub out any mistakes and start again!

You have to make sure that each item of bathroom furniture fits in with the necessary pipes and drainage, such as the toilet, bathroom vanity unit, bathtub and shower as well as other fixtures and fittings. These are the main components of furniture you'll have in well designed handicapped bathrooms, so the most attention must be paid to these items.

Of course, the largest items will be the bathtub, follwed by the shower. These are, by nature, much larger than regular shower enclosures as they need to be large enough to accommodate a wheelchair, a suitable shower chair as well as the necessary grab rails, accessory racks and of course the shower head, pressure mixing valve if you are planning one of these and the taps.

The handicap shower unit has to fit in the room against one of the walls and also match up with water drainage pipes and hot and cold water inlet pipes.

Toilet

The specialist bathtub and handicap shower enclosure also has to leave room for the toilet unit which must be sited where the appropriate waste pipe is, as often this is a difficult thing to move.

After you've sited the first two items, then you have to site the vanity unit and before you even do that you have to ensure that there is plenty of space in between all units for a wheelchair to easily get through without obstruction.

Once these have been sited, then its simply a case of adding handicap bathroom accessories such as towel racks, accessory and toiletries units and cabinets, ensuring that you get them all at the correct height so that a wheelchair user can easily reach everything.

Bathtub

Some consideration should also be given to the bathtub you intend to install, the type and its situation in the room.

A unit that is in keeping with general decor of the room is one consideration, but it should also be chosen for its suitability for someone with limited mobility.

To make it easier and safer getting in and out of the bathtub, a specially designed bathtub step stool should also be included to aid people with disabilitis as well as the elderly and infirm.

A tub with a non-slip surface is a good choice to reduce the possibility of accidents happening from slipping over. There are also step-in bathtubs that negate the need for a step stool, as they can be entered and exited on level ground through a side door built into the tub.

Summary

With all the furniture elements properly and intelligently laid out on a plan, you're ready to take the next step in ordering the items and wqiting for delivery.

There you have your handicap bathroom layout ready to get the workmen in to do it for real, so you'll have the facility you always dreamed of!

Originally posted: February 15, 2010


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