Accessible design that isn’t institutional

When people think of accessible or universal design, usually the first thing that comes to mind is a commercial space that is cold and uninviting.  Today we are able to package stylish products with accessible design. This allows people to design these features into their new home or renovation long before they may even need these elements. When this is done correctly your home will look great and also be comfortable and safe for family members of any age or ability to use.

Comfort height toilets

Toilets are at the top of our list because they are the easiest part of the bathroom to tackle and provides the quickest return for just about any one. As the name suggests, these toilets are just more comfortable than lower height models.  Anyone that has ever had sore legs or a bum knee will also agree that the higher seat of these products allows the user to exert less effort to use. A bonus feature is that new comfort height toilets also use less water than older toilets, providing another benefit by saving money.

BARRIER-FREE CURBLESS SHOWERS

 Today’s bathrooms are ballooning in size. The average bathroom in a Calgary 1960’s house was 40 square feet (this is your typical tub, toilet, vanity set-up). The average master bathroom today according to Hunker.com is 160 square feet and average. This extra room allows more possibilities to integrate universal design into your renovation or new build. One item that definitely ups the wow factor for your bathroom is a barrier-free or curbless shower. They look great, are highly functional and if done correctly will provide future aging-in-place possibilities.

DUAL PURPOSE BATHROOM ACCESSORIES

Bathroom accessories used to be flimsy things that barely could hold a wet towel without falling off the wall. Now, with proper planning these products can improve the function and safety of your bathroom without sacrificing style. This includes towel bars, corner shelves and curtain rods that are able to function in the traditional sense, but also be used to support up to 300lbs of weight when required to. These products are available from most supply companies and some box stores. They do need to be planned with proper backing installed for them to function properly.

These are only a few options for someone looking to integrate universal or accessible design into their bathroom renovation.  If you have other questions regarding these features in your project feel free to contact us for more information.

Barrier-free showers

New products allow us to build a barrier-free shower easier than ever before. Wedi has introduced the Wedi Fundo Ligno shower base. Schluter has introduced their KERDI-LINE linear drain systems which ties into their existing product line.

The Fundo Ligno shower base has been designed for wood frame construction. This shower base allows for barrier-free showers to be constructed in most bathrooms easily and without time consuming levelling or major alteration of the structure. Its thin profile of 20 mm (just over 3/4″) easily matches up with existing subfloor in most homes. As well, in concrete structures, the thin 3/4″ profile requires less build up than the usual go-to foam shower base or a traditional dry pack shower base. This allows us to create shorter ramps, allowing for more flexibility in design.

Completing an install with Wedi’s shower kits is also extremely fast. Typically the prep work takes only a few hours and the tiling can begin almost immediately after.

Schluter’s KERDI-LINE system, while not being as simple to create barrier-free showers as the Wedi shower base, does allow for more design flexibility. These elegant, low-profile drains are available in sizes from 20″-72″ in 4″ increments with either a centre or offset drain outlet location. This drain’s low profile and the flexibility in sizing and drain location allows for these drains to be placed in locations that allow for minimum transition from other areas outside the shower - keeping barriers at a minimum.

Tile is perfectly suited to creating these spaces, whether it be a residential or commercial wet room or bathroom.  Tile’s durability and endless design capabilities combined with Schluter and Wedi’s waterproofing reliability and ease of install make these installs come together perfectly and look amazing. This final product also has the benefit of not needing to look “accessible”.  Which if resale is important is something to keep in mind.

Require a barrier-free shower? We would be happy to help you on your next project. As well, if you have limited mobility and are low-income we work with RAD Renovations/RAMP to complete these type of projects. For more information regarding these programs follow the links below:

Accessible Housing RAD Renovations

Residential Access Modification Program Alberta