Comfort Height Toilet, Fold Down Grab Bars and more
Recessed track with a removable plate on one end to add the lift if needed.
FSC certified maple floor with slip-resistant finish.
Water-saving toilet with no tank.
“Comfort” height toilet is easily used by tall people, wheelchair users, or older people with reduced upper body strength.
Fold-down grab bar supports hidden behind removable tile. Just pull out the tile (attached by magnets) and set the grab bar in place. No tools, screws or bolts are necessary.
Walls of glass and mirror to increase light levels.
Bathroom cabinets, wall mounted at 42” a.f.f. to reduce bending. Because they are wall mounted, they can be lowered at a future date (for shorter people and wheelchair users).
Before: this bathroom layout meant Katie needed assistance.
Ken Bryan owner of KBC, Inc. did the design and remodel of this bathroom to allow their client’s daughter, Katie, greater accessibility and privacy. Her bedroom was an addition to the house done by by her father when she was 12. Over the years, Katie desired more privacy which meant remodeling her bathroom area.
The bathroom was built over an existing crawl space that allowed us to remove the existing flooring, taper the floor and recess the entire shower floor. Katie can now shower without assistance and on her own schedule.
Removing the linen closet wall allows Katie to freely move about. Both Katie and her mom (Joyce) are very pleased with the project and the ease of cleaning the urethane white grout.
Remove existing small 3’ x 3’ fiberglass shower unit, small linen closet and existing flooring.
Modify existing subfloor and recess new roll-in shower 3’ x 7” with tile shower floor, bathroom floor and shower walls up to the ceiling.
Install fixed shower head and hand-held shower head on wall bracket.
During: Opening up the space by removing linen closet
After: Recessed floor with roll-in shower, hand held shower
KBC, Inc. serves the greater Cincinati, Ohio area, specializing in commercial and residential remodeling. Owner Ken Bryan is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist, Certified Green Remodeler and Certified Graduate Remodeler.
Four foot wide barn door separates the original home from the addition.
As the boomer generation ages, and lifestyle needs change, more professional remodelers are helping homeowners modify their existing homes to accommodate universal design standards. Even if you’re not sure you need some of these features right now, it’s often easier and less costly to plan ahead for future needs than to remodel later on.
One way to get the most out of your investment long-term is by incorporating elements of Universal design, according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). Universal design is an approach to the design of products and environments that makes them easy and comfortable for everyone, regardless of age, ability or situation.
Warner McConaughey, is a certified remodeler who witnessed first hand the need for early planning in his parents’ home. As founder and owner of HammerSmith, Inc., a design-build firm in Decatur, Ga., he won a 2008 CotY Award for the residential universal design project he completed for his family’s 2,800-square-foot residence.
“My parents talked for a long time that they want to stay in their current house forever, but my mom broke her ankle about three years ago, and that’s when she realized how hard it was to get around,” McConaughey said. “Universal design isn’t for an old person. It’s for anybody.”
The unique design of trackless shower doors forces water to run back into the tub saving the floor from water damage. These handicap accessible barrier-free doors feature full unobstructed access to the bathtub or shower. Since they are trackless, there is nothing to clean or trip over. Doors open wide from the center, accordion-style, for easy access, leaving more room in your bath and the edge of tub free to sit on.
In 1985 the two top executives for Lyons Industries, Inc., Don Lyons and Gary Huff, attended a plumbing products show in Frankfurt, Germany. At that show they saw a trackless tub door and fell in love with its practical beauty. Unfortunately, as is typical with many products made for the European market, it was quite expensive, with a retail price over $1500.00.
But the idea was born.
Their challenge was to re-engineer the trackless concept to take out the cost but leave in the great trackless design and full unobstructed access. The trackless design was achieved by using lightweight, yet extremely durable space age materials that allow the doors to be hung from the walls, unlike traditional glass and metal doors that require a system of tracks to carry their weight.
The lower edge of the Shower Veil® doors are angled inward at the bottom to direct water back into the tub. Their bi-fold design allows the door to fold out of the way when not in use to provide easy unobstructed access to the tub or shower.
The unique design of trackless shower doors forces water to run back into the tub saving the floor from water damage. These handicap accessible barrier-free doors feature full unobstructed access to the bathtub or shower. Since they are trackless, there is nothing to clean or trip over. Doors open wide from the center, accordion-style, for easy access, leaving more room in your bath and the edge of tub free to sit on.
