Bathroom remodel

[KimT]

Hello Everyone,
I need my bathroom sooner that I thought. I'm uploading pictures of the bathroom I'm having done. Is there a way to modify it so it is safe and functional without knocking out all the tile. I ask because I'm getting my room set up and all my medical equipment is located nearby. I can't imagine relocating to another room due to the severity of my pain. I can still stand and get to and from the bathroom. The actual shower is way too small and has no seat. The original plan was a complete demo but things didn't work out and we moved in early. Now I want something safe without them taking 4 weeks to complete. The one plus I see is that the current shower and tub are prefab pieces....no tile except on the floor.

I've been very disappointed with ALSA referred builders. One came and never called back and the other never returned my call.

 

[KimT]

Apologies for the decor. It was staged when I took the pictures. Everything is now gone. Do you think the wall next to the toilet needs to be removed? I was hoping not. I can fit an over the toilet chair, if necessary, and I have a ADA toilet coming next week. The bidet is already here waiting. It is killing me to wipe my butt.....twisting my back is horrible.

 

[gooseberry]

You need roughly 4.5 ft of maneuver room to get to your toilet. Grab bars on both sides and behind it will help. I would consider a light for that aeea on a sensor.

Is that a shower stall? If so, they could remove the tub and shower put a floor drain along the curtain line, and tile a roll in shower. You would have room for a bench or shower chair. We were told a 5 ft square shower was minimal due to turning requirements. If it is open it helps. Also a hand held shower head close to your bench with a 6+ ft length of tubing is needed. Think about how you want shower supplies. If they are taking out the prefab, they can build you a nook for bathing necessities.

I would make sure your bathroom door is 36 in. I would replace the vanity or have them reconfigure the doors so they open and slide in. You will need to be able to roll under your sink. You will want to consider shelving, storage etc. If you can mot go all the way u der the sink, things will need to be close at hand. You may also want to consider a sensor faucet.

If you are doing any tile work, get as high a coefficient of friction as possible. Our tile is .62 which is pretty high but feel slippery to me when wet.

 

[KimT]

I was thinking 5 wide by 8 long so they can do an incline without having to remove the existing tile. Anti slip is important, too. It's all so overwhelming and I just have nowhere to go for 4 weeks they say they need to to a complete remodel.

 

[scaredwifetx]

Kim, We had our tub and bathroom counter/ cabinet removed. We had a custom made cabinet made shorter to give more room for the toilet area and put ADA safety bars on the wall and the end of the counter. You cant see that in the picture but Steve uses both bars to get up from the toilet. He also has the Bidet seat and it has been such a blessing for him.

You can see that one end of the counter/ cabinet opens so he can roll his chair close enough to the sink. The doors are on rails so if company comes we can close it.

The door is 38 inches wide and the entire floor is tile so that he can turn his chair and enter the shower area without problem. The shower has safety bars in the back and the sides. Its very safe if you actually use the bars . Steve normally does but the day he fell he wasn't using them.

We also have a sliding bar with a handheld shower attachment. We both use that. His shower chair fits in the shower no problem and it rolls right in. We did find a wheelchair plastic threshold which keeps the shower water off the bathroom floor.

We do not have a huge bathroom so this is the best we could do. Steve designed the bathroom cabinet/ counter himself with assistance with the drawing of the plan. We still have the blueprint. We had a local cabinet maker do it and he was very reasonable with his charges. We were also able to get the countertop, mirror and plumbing donated.

Make sure you get several bids because we found out that there are companies out there that prey on the disabled and way over charge.

 

[gooseberry]

Kim, is it possible to use your roommates bathroom for that short time?

 

[Nuts]

Kim, this is such a difficult situation. We had plastic covering the opening between our room and the bathroom while it was gutted. Matt was able to use a bathroom down the hall (just barely), and we joked about having conversations with our contractors while having coffee in bed in the morning.

It will be miserable not having your own bathroom. Can you make it with a commode chair in the bedroom and even sponge baths if necessary until the work is done? You will need all of the space that's already been described. Yes, the wall must come down beside the toliet. You need space for a wheel chair next to it for later transfers, and/or for an attendent when you need help getting up and down. then, when a lift is used, you will most certainly need the space.

Planning a bathroom for an ALS patient requires considering every stage. You must be safe now and must have space for your caregiver to shower you later.

As for the bidet, sometimes I still need to do a bit of final cleaning when hubby is done.

You can never have too much space. Please find a way to get the bathroom you need.
Becky

 

[gooseberry]

Some pics of what we did....very similar to Deb.

 

[KimT]

Yes, the condo has three full baths. Using another bathroom is not a problem. In fact, we got a prefab shower installed for the bathroom Fred is going to use and he ordered a seat and grab bars so I can use it. He got a special surface on the floor and a nice three piece shower (rainfall plus a beautiful hand held with an attachment right next to the fold down chair. We used Bath Fitters for that job and it should be installed within a month. The actual installation only takes two days because there is no tile to remove, just a pre-fab shower to replace. He made it very accessible (for now.) There is also another full bathroom but it only has a bathtub.

The real problem isn't not having a bathroom, it's that my master bedroom and master closet (which is large enough for a motorized wheelchair, file cabinets and all my clothes) are in the master suite with the bath that will be remodeled. I'm not sure I'll be able to move my bed out which the contractor wants me to do.

The original plan was to do a total demo and to all tile (floor and walls) and pitch it so I wouldn't even need a shower door or wall, then have an accessible sink with lots of accessible storage and do away with the second sink, leaving an extra two feet for the toilet area. Now I'm changing my mind just because there is so much time and chaos involved.. I guess if it's what I have to do I'll do it.

I never thought about a shower curtain. I always imagined a tiled wall to keep the water from the other half of the bathroom.

On the plus side, my bedroom is very large (I had a huge TV and sound bar mounted last week) and it holds my bed, dressers, hospital table, and chair with room to spare.

I'm waiting for one bid which should come in tomorrow. It is with Homes Sweet Accessible Homes out of Jacksonville. I have a feeling they can get it done more quickly than my friend (who is a contractor) or any of the others but their price will be a lot higher. The one thing they are capable of is doing the ceiling trac thing and knowing exactly what works for ALS patients because they have a bunch of them and do lots of VA remodels, too.

I like my master bedroom a lot. It is very bright and cheerful.

 

[azgirl]

Unfortunately, we had just remodeled the bathroom prior to my diagnosis. The toilet area with the bars worked well for me while I was using walker and even with power chair while I could still take a few steps. Loved having the higher seat and bidet. It is unusable now.

The shower still works, we took off the glass door to make room for shower chair. Wish we had made it a roll in but very short ramp words works pretty well.

I wish we would've had the overhead track put in a year ago, and I think that is what will help you be able to use your existing toilet and shower for the duration.

 

[gooseberry]

Kim, I put in rollout drawers under the sink on the one side to maximize space and have order

If they have to rip it all out, you can have a drain at the long edge of the shower or in the middle with some enclosure of a wall,glass,or curtain. The more open the better.

 

[gooseberry]

Be careful of Universal designs out of Jville. They bid our project with lesser quality flooring, vanities,counter tops etc, for almost what we paid for much higher quality work and materials.

 

[KimT]

Thanks, Steph. The only company out of Jax that was interested in coming down here was Home Sweet Accessible Homes. Just waiting to hear back.

 

[KW1234]

We are starting our work in about a month, once we close on the new house. We are going to be in a small apartment for 3 months while the contractors widen doorways, lays hardwood on the floors and does the bathroom and the kitchen. I can still get around with a cane and walker, so I think we should be okay. Our new house has an L shaped bathroom and will have a roll in shower. One of the things I've been thinking of is a ceiling track system between the bedroom and the bathroom. Does anyone have any experience with these?

 

[KimT]

I'd like to know about the ceiling track as well. I know they are pricey but are they worth it? I was thinking the same thing....between the bedroom and bathroom.