As you age or move elderly family members into the home, you may need to renovate bathrooms to accommodate wheelchairs. Doing so will make it easier to navigate the space without getting injured. Here are a few bathroom remodeling tips to make interiors more convenient for people with disabilities.

How to Make Your Bathroom Wheelchair Accessible

1. Install a Curbless Shower

Stepping over the ledge to get in and out of the shower enclosure might be difficult, or impossible, for people with limited mobility, so get rid of the curb. Install a shower aligned with the bathroom floor with a slightly sloped floor to help water drain while taking showers. To move a wheelchair around freely, the stall should be at least 60 inches wide.

2. Remove Cabinets Under Sink

With cabinets under the bathroom vanity, someone in a wheelchair will need to stretch far to access the sink or counter. To prevent strain and possible injury, move cabinetry elsewhere in the room and free up space to move the wheelchair closer to the sink.

3. Consider Hands-Free Fixtures

Adjusting shower heads and turning faucets on and off might be hard to do from a seated position. Bathroom fixtures that operate on sensors are available, which make it possible to turn on faucets without moving handles or knobs. Control panels can also be installed in showers to change water temperature, pressure, and additional settings while sitting in a wheelchair.

For professional help with your bathroom remodeling project, turn to the licensed general contractors at Cutting Edge Builders Hawaii of Waipahu, HI. Serving the island of Oahu, their team will brainstorm bathroom design ideas with you to ensure the space is ADA-compliant without compromising comfort for non-wheelchair users in the household. For a free consultation, call (808) 478-6718 or visit their website. You can also follow their Facebook page to see previous projects.