Yeah, Kohler has some stuff that looks okay. But in the immediate bathing area, where one side may have a vertical and horizontal, and the adjacent side will have horizitonal and a angled bar, it will still look *hospitlish- sticking out* as grab bar city at the end of the day. But it's not about fashion at that point in time. It will be all about usability.

I hope this thread at least puts this on the radar cause we all will get old at some point. And stuff happens inexplicably, and you find yourself needing such necessities in life earlier than planned.

Hopefully for those that see this thread, will be adding blocking before the walls are closed.

They make speciality anchors, but nothing IMO beats proper blocking tied into the studs and is structurally strong for grab bars

Putting them in...there are some nice modern styles out now. Older folks aren't the only ones that use them - they are really called "safety" bars. I won't redo a bathroom without them.

I added two attractive grab bars when I remodeled my bathroom. They are installed horizontally and match the rest of the chrome fixtures in the room. The one nearest the shower door acts as a towel rack for the bathmat. The other one is under the built-in niche. They don't look institutional at all.

None of us knows when we'll find ourselves hobbling around with a sprained ankle or recovering from an illness. Grab bars, a hand-held shower and a bench just make good sense.

Delta makes a sliding shower/grab bar combo for a hand held shower head. Looks like a regular adjustable hand held shower, not institutional at all. Not all of their adjustable shower bars are grab bars too, it must say so. Kohler makes a Choreograph shower bar that also serves as a shelf.

I also added grab bars when I remodeled. Mine are oil rubbed bronze and really fade into the design scheme and don't look at all institutional. I also installed a grab bar in the guest shower.

I have one by the toilet which serves as a toilet rack for before they are ready for the hamper :-). I have two in my walk in shower - you don't have to be feeble to have some kind of emergency. Several years ago when I was still spry I took a fall because the housekeeper moved the mat from its usual position and so I hit slippery wet floor with my foot instead of what I assumed would be the rug.

Keep the postings guys. How many have you installed ?

I will be putting plenty of blocking. Will even do a larger *block* wall where both adjacent bathing walls are.

In my mind, one must install at least 6 minimum if one is doing bars. A horizontal/vert by the toilet. Same goes for both side of the adjacent bathinh area. If there is a tub, on the tub side wall, it would 2 horizontal followed by a ~angled~ vertical

I don't see any reason to not put in a few now regardless of your age.

I'm using a 36" Kohler shower barre along the 60" wall and it will double as a shampoo shelf. We don't want niches. It comes in lengths from 24"-54" and in three finishes.

I need a vertical bar for stepping into and out of the shower. Is 12" enough or is 18" better?

Regarding the vertical bar which I have. Mine is 18". Longer on a vertical bar is better since it is theoretically is available to people of different height.

I'm not sure angled grab bars are a good idea. Be sure to research before you install. I didn't install one by the toilet because there is a vanity on one side and a windowsill on the other so no room and no need.

Diag is for situations kinda like a stair handrail. It's a easier transition if you end up needing to use a bench/chair

It's a easier transition if you end up needing to use a bench/chair

I can see why you think that if you've never tried it while weak, but actually, it's not. The ADA recommends U-shaped grab bars or three in a U if you need that much support, but for just getting up from a seat, a horizontal bar that you can bear down on is more helpful.

For by the toilet, there are several companies, like Delta, that now make toilet paper holders with a short bar built in.

Placement aside, I hope all of ya'll grab bars are installed into real wood, studs and not anchors. Part of the issue depends on the guy doing it. To some, it may just screwing in a anchor so the bar is there. Hopefully, it's the latter and the person doing it recognizes it needs to support shear load force as well (yes, I'm aware of the speciality anchors like the wingits)

Had it not been for the recent familial issues requiring home assistance, grab bars and such would not be on my radar. I get it now. $h1& happens unexpectedly, and life changes.

I don't remember which company makes this TP holder which also functions as a grab bar. It is extremely sturdy even though only 1 side is into a stud as it was an existing wall. These come with a special anchor which is installed through the wall similar to a butterfly but sturdier.

My 87 year old father thought this design was the best TP holder he had ever seen. He liked the grab bar but really was impressed by the pivot which means you can change the roll without any pieces falling on the floor and rolling away. Cleaning and maintenance is another aspect of aging which is often considered secondary to the use of the bathroom. But, not everyone is ready or able to hire help to take care of small tasks like changing TP but those need to be done as well. Hanging towels, picking up the bath mat, carrying towels to and from the laundry are all tough if you are hobbling on one foot or pushing a walker

When I was designing my bathroom in terms of grab bar options, my designer said that diagonal is used as a compromise because it can be used by people of different height.

One thought about a grab bar by the toilet - my senior friend who really needs a grab bar to help getting up from the toilet likes the long horizontal one because she can use her arm to assist getting up so all the weight isn't on her wrists. It's another thing to consider because often people have issues with wrist pain especially if they also need to use a walker to get around - it's a lot of pressure on the wrist. Also the smaller surface of the toilet paper grab bar also would not be ideal for someone who has arthritic fingers since you would need to grasp the relatively small area of the grab bar.

I’m a CAPS K&B Designer. I highly recommend downloading or ordering the AARP’s free Home Fit Guide. An accessible bath is more than grab bars. You need to think about your path through the rest of the home as well. For blocking, let in blocking is usually the choice that impacts the available space less than applying plywood sheathing over it all.

https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/info-2014/aarp-home-fit-guide-aging-in-place.html

It's definitely not just a matter of age. I get low blood pressure when I'm pregnant- not exactly a great situation combined with a shower. How complicated is it to retrofit a grab bar? Our condo is under construction and I don't think we can add grab bars at this point until we move in. I remember my parents added one years ago to the guest room powder room for when my grandparents would visit but I imagine it's easier with drywall (if I'm using the right word; left the country as a teenager) than tiled cinder block walls.

S CG

Can I suggest at least having the builder install the proper blocking where you think you plan to have grab bars. Grab bars are afterthought I suppose and I suppose my post was to say, hey, let's put it on everyones radar