3 Ways To Incorporate A Wheelchair-Friendly Bathroom Into Your New Home

One of the biggest advantages of building your own home is the opportunity to customise every aspect to your family's lifestyle. This is extremely useful when a member of your family is wheelchair-bound because ready-made homes may not always be accessible. If you're planning to build your own home, follow these tips to make sure you have a wheelchair-friendly bathroom.

Add a Glide-In Shower Cubicle

When designing a shower cubicle for a wheelchair-bound person, you'll naturally want to ensure that it is on the same level as the bathroom floor. This allows the wheelchair to roll in easily instead of having to force it over any steps or raises. You'll need to make sure that the dimensions of the cubicle are big enough to accommodate the entire wheelchair while the person is showering inside. A smart idea for wheelchair-friendly shower cubicles is sliding doors because they open sideways and make it easier for the person to open and shut the door without the wheelchair getting in the way. If you incorporate a front opening door, then the wheelchair will likely hit it while the door is being opened or closed.

Leave Enough Space for Navigation

When you build your own home, you have the freedom to customise the amount of bathroom space you desire. Use this opportunity to design a large bathroom with sufficient space to accommodate easy and safe wheelchair navigation. More space also ensures that your family member doesn't end up bumping into any fixtures, which can cause bodily harm. When trying to accommodate more space in a wheelchair-friendly bathroom, consider a wall-mounted vanity with leg space underneath. This not only gives the person more room, but also makes it easier to use the bathroom sink.

Elevate the Toilet Seat

Standard height toilet seats may suit the rest of your family, but they can be extremely uncomfortable for wheelchair-bound members because wheelchairs are usually higher than toilets. A good idea would be to elevate the height of the toilet seat by a few inches so that they can move themselves more easily from the wheelchair onto the toilet seat. Incorporating sidebars around the toilet will provide additional support for people when they need to move themselves from the wheelchair.

If you're hiring a custom home builder, consider incorporating these ideas for a wheelchair-friendly bathroom to ensure that everyone in your family, and maybe even potential visitors, is comfortable using the amenities.