How Aesthetics and Function Can Coexist in Your Handicap Shower
Most bathrooms are designed without wheelchair accessibility in mind, but that doesn’t mean you can design and install a handicap shower that is both functional and beautiful at the same time. Remodelling your bathroom to compensate for physical challenges is a difficult but rewarding job, and many professional renovation specialists will be more than happy to help you accomplish it. Here are a few considerations to take into account before you begin:
Durable Materials
First and foremost, your wheelchair shower is going to need durable materials for individualized use. Having a good quality base or a pre-fab bathtub installed is a great start to ensuring the materials surrounding the shower won’t degrade over time. An accessible shower may be exposed to more wear and tear than conventional showers, and as such should be made of higher quality materials to withstand the use.
Threshold
While the traditional shower may use a threshold to help keep water in, this is a no-go for handicap showers—for obvious reasons. There should be no obstructions in the design that prevent it from being fully accessible.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Maintaining a shower over its lifespan is a matter of keeping it clean and well-maintained as often as possible. If you have mobility challenges but live with someone who doesn’t, then this should be simple—otherwise, you may need to plan out in the design stages how to make the regular maintenance easier for spaces that you may have difficulty reaching.
Additions
Renovating an existing shower into a wheelchair shower typically means installing additions, ranging from a tub-transfer bench to a bathing seat. Grab-bars are also a very common addition which many homeowners find useful. Before undertaking any renovations, consider these factors, their costs, and whether or not the existing shower structure can accommodate them.
Aesthetics
Just because you require a functional handicap shower doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with its look and style. When you work with home renovation experts, you won’t have to worry about choosing between function and aesthetics—they’ll help you create something that meets your needs while complementing the design of your home.
Creating a beautiful and functional wheelchair shower can really help make your house into a home—get in touch with a qualified contractor to begin today.
