Doorways

[starente15]

Hi everyone. I'm back at my parent's through next Friday. Does anyone know the minimum doorway clearance required for PWCs ? We are getting shower remodel estimates and there's so much to think about. Thanks!

 

[bigmark1954]

I recently had my bathroom remodeled and tried to get them to do a 36 inch door. We would not have been able to open the door all the way because of the hall width. I ended up going with a 34" and it seems very adequate, according to my research on the width of the most popular PWC's. In fact most of them were less than 25" wide.
I would go 36" if it will fit, that is a huge door. They also make hinges that open out so the door has no interference with the opening. Pocket doors are optimal, but difficult to do in most applications.

 

[cheerleader]

We put in 3 different 36 inch pocket doors. 36 is the ideal by ADA standards. The wheelchair can be driven through smaller doors by GOOD drivers, but it takes a lot of practices and is more difficult if you have to turn at all. Big Mark, I can picture you hot rodding through ANY door! Lol

 

[davbo49]

i have 29's in the bed rooms and get through good with the pwc. now i need the doors off. im not able to open them any more.

 

[lgelb]

Of course, a shower chair isn't as wide as a PWC, so the shower width can be less. Actually, we took our door off since we rented, but there's still the width of the opening.

Also important is how the power chair gets into the bathroom, and how much room is there to transfer into the shower chair, if/as he is still doing commode transfers. That means having the Hoyer and at least one chair in the bathroom at the same time. If not, he can transfer into the shower chair in the bedroom.

 

[starente15]

Thanks. Both bathrooms are on the small side and we will be lucky if we could get to 29". One bathroom currently is 23 and the other 24. I can't even begin to imagine how this will all work down the road.

 

[chally]

just had my shower re-ramped with a slope going up to the actual shower area then slight slope into the shower for drainage. doors suck! my chair is 27 and i go thur most door jam of 30 but it's close and it has to be straight on. doors are coming off at my house. va hisa grant helped $ to git the job done. thanks tax payers! love chally

 

[hjlindley]

One of the things we did was to use a barn door when we didn't have swing for regular door. My chair is 25 inches wide and I can sneak it through a regular door but the areas I live in have 36 inch doors and a barn door into the bathroom.

 

[MaxEidswick]

>thanks tax payers!

Ditto that!

 

[starente15]

Great ideas! Just having the person come in to give an estimate upset my father. He did all the work in the house and now he has to see it get ripped out. They also have to do the hall bathroom vs. the bedroom because it has better accessibility. He wasn't happy about that.

I wanted a flat opening level with the floor but they are recommending a 2" lip to contain the water. I'm worried about how that would work someday with a pwc, if it even could. It's not a big enough space to slope the shower floor more toward the drain because then that would be unlevel. My mother is also VERY opposed to "knocking down walls." The change is just too much for both of them but I see an accident in the near future if we don't change. She's already complaining about back pain and he's stepping over a 2ft high tub side. Yesterday he had trouble getting out of the tub and she doesn't have the strength to lift him.

 

[Green Queen]

Star we are going to rip our kitchen out to put a more accessible one in. Wayne is gutted. He's a cabinet maker, and like your dad, did most of the house himself.
We have talked about it, it's not so much ripping 'his' kitchen out that guts him, but more that it means progression is real. Has your dad talked freely about his progression. It may be hard, particularly being a bloke, that progression is real and here to stay.
All the best with the renovation, doesn't sound easy. As you have seen though, lots of tips here...no question is a silly one either!
God bless, Janelle x

 

[Nuts]

Star, a 2 inch lip will make it impossible for your dad to get into the shower once he can no longer walk. You need a barrier free shower. I've seen drains that run the length of the opening if you can't get the slope in (in our bathroom they sloped up to the shower area and then back down, so the shower area is built up, rather than the floor being dropped).

 

[Atsugi]

A two inch lip, any lip at all, is not acceptable.

 

[cheerleader]

Star, they now have rectangular side drains so a gentle slope can go toward the back wall. You don't need a lip to contain the water. A shower curtain will do that. Would suggest a second contractor's opinion and they need to tell HIM what is needed, not him telling them. Mike and Nuts are correct- any lip is unacceptable. My heart aches for them, as your home is part of your life. You might remind him that this upgrade can increase the value of the home for resale-
I just had a realators out and she told me things like a roll in shower are highly desirable- even for able bodied people. So there are positives. Donna

 

[davbo49]

the word here is Chainsaw