Multi-Award Winning Universal Bathroom
Billy is an 8-year-old paraplegic who lives with his five-year-old brother, nine-year-old sister and mom, who adopted all three children. Kris is a part-time early childhood special education teacher and full-time mom. Kris has daily help from two home personal care attendants (PCAs). There is a vertical platform lift in the home and the family has a minivan with a powerlift. Billy uses a wheelchair, but must be pushed by others. In other respects, Billy is a happy, sweet and intelligent little boy.
Billy weighs over 50 pounds and it is becoming increasingly difficult to move him in and out of his wheelchair. Dressing and hygiene issues are especially challenging. Dakota County Social Services authorized additional help for Billy and his family. They approved a power door opener on the service door to the garage, a ceiling sling lift to help him access his bed, wheelchair and toilet, shower and chair. They also approved expansion of a handicap accessible shower across from his bedroom on the entry level of their split-level home.
While the immediate need for these items is paramount, Billy’s long-term needs must also be considered. When he becomes an adult and his siblings are gone, his mother plans to move to a home nearby. She will hire live-in staff to meet Billy’s special needs and the entry level of the house will remain Billy’s suite. It is with these factors in mind, the designs of the bathroom and the access to the bedroom were considered.
PROJECT GOALS AND SOLUTIONS
GOAL 1: Make the bathroom functional for Billy
SOLUTION:
- Double the size of the existing bathroom by taking space from the family room.
- Treat the entire bathroom as the shower by waterproofing and tiling walls and floor using the Schluter Kurdy shower system, sloping the floor toward a center drain, and design the floor with no curbing to shower.
- Be sure there is enough room on both sides of the toilet so a shower chair can straddle it.
- Remove vanity and install an ADA wall mounted sink.
- Install a tilting wall mirror over the sink so Billy can see himself in the mirror.
- Even though Billy can’t use his hands, install an ADA single lever vanity faucet and shower faucet so the caregivers can work more efficiently.
- Install a fiberglass door to protect it from excessive moisture.
- Be sure door is 3 ft. wide for easier wheelchair access.
- Install a heated floor so the room can be kept warm by keeping the door closed and the temperature around 80°. This will maximize his comfort once the shower is turned off.
- Install a wall niche for toiletries.
- Design, fabricate and install a retractable changing table designed with a growing boy in mind.
- Install a portable hoist on a ceiling track to move Billy to and from his shower chair, changing table and wheelchair.
GOAL: Make showering more comfortable for Billy and the caregiver
SOLUTION:
- install a hand held shower in addition to the normal wall shower so the caregiver can direct the flow of water where needed,
- double the length of shower hose to 10’ so the caregiver can spray from all sides of the shower chair
- ensure there is plenty of room for the caregiver to walk around the shower chair with the hand shower
- plan for plenty of light with two recessed MR16 halogen lights with 60° beam spread.
GOAL: Make the access between the bedroom and bathroom easier to navigate.
SOLUTION: Clip the corners of each room at a 45° angle so the doors are directly across the hall from one another; travel and turning down the hall are eliminated. It also addresses future privacy issues of the old bedroom door at the bottom of the stairway to the main floor and in the traffic flow to the front entry.
GOAL: A linen closet is needed somewhere in the design.
SOLUTION: Put the linen closet at the end of the bedroom closet instead of the bathroom for space and humidity considerations.
GOAL: Caregivers must have help getting Billy out of bed.
SOLUTION: Install another ceiling track for the portable hoist over the bed.
GOAL: It is inconvenient to hold the self-closing door to garage open and push a wheelchair through the narrow doorway.
SOLUTION: Install a 3’ wide door and an automatic door opener.
GOAL: Existing carpet is pretty old and has a deep pile making it tough to push the wheelchair.
SOLUTION: Install a low pile carpet on a thin dense pad to make rolling the chair easier.
GOAL: Homeowner would like to create some privacy in the lower level so rolling Billy across the hallway is not such a public event.
SOLUTION: Putting a door in the hallway at the base of the stairs effectively makes the bedroom, family room and bathroom its own little suite. With that door shut, people entering the house and going up the stairs could do so without interrupting any hygiene or bathroom activities and give Billy the privacy he needs. This will become especially handy when caregivers occupy the upstairs when Billy is on his own.
GOAL: Reconfiguring the bedroom and bathroom doorway will necessitate new carpet.
SOLUTION: Recarpet bedroom, hallway and family room.
GOAL: Almost as important as functionality, the bathroom should be beautiful and not institutional looking. Universal design does not equal institutional “looking”.
SOLUTION: Use a soft mottled tan tile with an accent band to add interest and blend with the rest of the home. Coordinate the color of the changing table’s top and bottom with the tile and trim. Good color selections make a great difference.
Billy weighs over 50 pounds and it is becoming increasingly difficult to move him in and out of his wheelchair. Dressing and hygiene issues are especially challenging. Dakota County Social Services authorized additional help for Billy and his family. They approved a power door opener on the service door to the garage, a ceiling sling lift to help him access his bed, wheelchair and toilet, shower and chair. They also approved expansion of a handicap accessible shower across from his bedroom on the entry level of their split-level home.
While the immediate need for these items is paramount, Billy’s long-term needs must also be considered. When he becomes an adult and his siblings are gone, his mother plans to move to a home nearby. She will hire live-in staff to meet Billy’s special needs and the entry level of the house will remain Billy’s suite. It is with these factors in mind, the designs of the bathroom and the access to the bedroom were considered.
PROJECT GOALS AND SOLUTIONS
GOAL 1: Make the bathroom functional for Billy
SOLUTION:
- Double the size of the existing bathroom by taking space from the family room.
- Treat the entire bathroom as the shower by waterproofing and tiling walls and floor using the Schluter Kurdy shower system, sloping the floor toward a center drain, and design the floor with no curbing to shower.
- Be sure there is enough room on both sides of the toilet so a shower chair can straddle it.
- Remove vanity and install an ADA wall mounted sink.
- Install a tilting wall mirror over the sink so Billy can see himself in the mirror.
- Even though Billy can’t use his hands, install an ADA single lever vanity faucet and shower faucet so the caregivers can work more efficiently.
- Install a fiberglass door to protect it from excessive moisture.
- Be sure door is 3 ft. wide for easier wheelchair access.
- Install a heated floor so the room can be kept warm by keeping the door closed and the temperature around 80°. This will maximize his comfort once the shower is turned off.
- Install a wall niche for toiletries.
- Design, fabricate and install a retractable changing table designed with a growing boy in mind.
- Install a portable hoist on a ceiling track to move Billy to and from his shower chair, changing table and wheelchair.
GOAL: Make showering more comfortable for Billy and the caregiver
SOLUTION:
- install a hand held shower in addition to the normal wall shower so the caregiver can direct the flow of water where needed,
- double the length of shower hose to 10’ so the caregiver can spray from all sides of the shower chair
- ensure there is plenty of room for the caregiver to walk around the shower chair with the hand shower
- plan for plenty of light with two recessed MR16 halogen lights with 60° beam spread.
GOAL: Make the access between the bedroom and bathroom easier to navigate.
SOLUTION: Clip the corners of each room at a 45° angle so the doors are directly across the hall from one another; travel and turning down the hall are eliminated. It also addresses future privacy issues of the old bedroom door at the bottom of the stairway to the main floor and in the traffic flow to the front entry.
GOAL: A linen closet is needed somewhere in the design.
SOLUTION: Put the linen closet at the end of the bedroom closet instead of the bathroom for space and humidity considerations.
GOAL: Caregivers must have help getting Billy out of bed.
SOLUTION: Install another ceiling track for the portable hoist over the bed.
GOAL: It is inconvenient to hold the self-closing door to garage open and push a wheelchair through the narrow doorway.
SOLUTION: Install a 3’ wide door and an automatic door opener.
GOAL: Existing carpet is pretty old and has a deep pile making it tough to push the wheelchair.
SOLUTION: Install a low pile carpet on a thin dense pad to make rolling the chair easier.
GOAL: Homeowner would like to create some privacy in the lower level so rolling Billy across the hallway is not such a public event.
SOLUTION: Putting a door in the hallway at the base of the stairs effectively makes the bedroom, family room and bathroom its own little suite. With that door shut, people entering the house and going up the stairs could do so without interrupting any hygiene or bathroom activities and give Billy the privacy he needs. This will become especially handy when caregivers occupy the upstairs when Billy is on his own.
GOAL: Reconfiguring the bedroom and bathroom doorway will necessitate new carpet.
SOLUTION: Recarpet bedroom, hallway and family room.
GOAL: Almost as important as functionality, the bathroom should be beautiful and not institutional looking. Universal design does not equal institutional “looking”.
SOLUTION: Use a soft mottled tan tile with an accent band to add interest and blend with the rest of the home. Coordinate the color of the changing table’s top and bottom with the tile and trim. Good color selections make a great difference.
Country: United States
