GRAB Bars in your New Build
a1an
5 years ago
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Comments (18)
a1an
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Shower/Tub Grab Bars: Where? How Many?
Comments (7)As far as grab bars go my gut take on all of them is this; They look to industrial and remind me of public toilets - for the most part, cheap and hospital like. I sourced an excellent supplier here in Canada that can custom make them for me in any size. These custom grab bars are pricy but worth the money. I also received a package from GreatGrabz showcasing their complete product line and this company has some tasteful good looking grab bars - Are all these ADA approved - I'm not sure. Can they stable you if you slip or loose your balance? I bet yes. I install extra blocking for all my clients in the 50 - 70 year age range and we discuss this in concept stage. There is no need to install grab bars until you need them, but at the first sign of dizzy spells, new medication or an injury a grab bar can not only keep you in your home longer - it can save your life. Order your grab bars so that they, your glass door handle and towel bars all look the same - this adds to the upscale look and a cheap grab bar doesn't cheapen the whole ensuite. If your building a shower bench it's nice to pull up with a grab bar as you get older. I made the mistake of installing my last one on a 45 degree angle and this is not to code. I offered to change it (my cost) but my client loves it as is. I can't get my 83 year old Nana to allow me to install more grab bars in her shower (I fixed a botched install a number of years back when she hired a Medical Supply Store to upgrade her Burnaby home.) - she wants them when she is old she says.... :) If you can upload a picture of your bathroom layout it will be much easier to advise on best location. The ADA guidelines are very specific and have been time tested for sure. Extra grab bars or hand held location for getting in and out are key. If you have a shampoo niche a place to grab and hold on will reaching for shampoo is a good idea as well. If you want the best - remove the curb, build a wet room with level access shower entry, add in grab bars and built it right the first time. If you build your next bathroom to last into your golden years you will be so happy you spent the extra $5,000 grand or so to make it perfect. I have replaced showers with 4" curbs that clients could not step over - think about that a 4" curb in your shower is to high to get in. To shower with this bad hip involves being driven to the local pool to shower in a public wet room. Not me... I'm 41 and building my curbless shower as we speak. For younger and older couples alike who have the time and desire to shower together - Grab bars can only open up new options in bathing department - I'll leave this where it belongs - with your imagination! Here is a link that might be useful: Great Grabz...See MoreDo grab bars have to look ugly?
Comments (32)Just my opinion, but I would worry less about aesthetic properties, and plan for security. One can‘t go by age because joints can go at anytime. If you don‘t use something ADA compliant, you could end up falling holding on to the “available” bar. Something that works one year may not be adequate for the next year. We used metal wall anchors for our grab bars because I wanted the ”big girl” strength variety. If you are rennovating, plan on now to make it handicap friendly. Your love ones may need assistance before you do when they visit. You might check with your workforce commission, vocational rehab, or whatever they call themselves now if you still work and need support services. Before I retired I wanted an egronomic chair to work for the state from home. What I didn't know was they had money to get me an office chair, work desk, foot rest, desk lamp, ramp outside the house, grab bars near the toliet, and made a roll in shower with grab bars. At the time I was using a cane. My husband became disabled also, so this worked out for both of us. I like my home nice too. I just incorporate what I need to also be safe....See MoreShould we install a shower grab bar if we don't need it now?
Comments (25)The difficulty about a bathtub is the entry/exit. I have real problems with my knees, for example. Getting into a bathtub is hard enough, but getting out of it is a nightmare! Without a vertical grab bar - rarely found for a tub, and even more rarely in the right location, on the side where your grip is strongest (e.g., are you left-handed or right-handed?), it takes some careful maneuvering for me to get out safely. For my MIL's tub (she's 84 but in reasonably good shape for her age with only minor balance issues), I have a short bar angled slightly upwards on the long side of the tub, just where it is comfortable when you sit up straight inside the tub. Then there is a longer vertical bar she can hold onto once she is standing up, close to the towel bar (which swings for easy access; it's actually a swinging curtain bar). She says this works very well for her and she feels safe....See MoreWhere to place/plan for grab bars
Comments (13)Thank you both! I cannot decrease the size of the linen closet. The back wall of it will contain the pocket door for what is becoming the adjacent washer and dryer closet--our GC worked out this solution to some issues with the size of the current hall closet that will become the w/d closet. This is a spill over effect of increasing the size of the kitchen by taking over the laundry room so that I will be able to have counterspace next to the range. There is no other place in the house to put the w/d. It's a small old house (and a limited, though not tiny, budget) so some compromises are unavoidable. I had wanted a partial wall rather than glass separating the shower area for easier cleaning. Or a curtain. Dh is adamant about wanting glass because it will be thinner and allow more light through and he "hates" shower curtains. The glass turns out to be cheaper than a tiled wall as an additional point in its favor. I had the toilet and the vanity reversed from the plan I showed in the OP above before primarily because I thought it would "hide" the toilet a little better upon walking into the bathroom. But the suggestion on here was the reverse--as shown above--and my GC thought it would be better to move the wood vanity farther from the curbless shower. I have never had a glass shower wall installed before. I wonder if it is possible to have it installed in a way that would make it relatively easy to remove in the future? So if we needed increased accessibility, the shower glass could be taken down and a shower curtain rod installed. I think the ultimate truth here is that if one of us ends up in a wheelchair permanently we would likely need to move. The kitchen won't be wheelchair accessible, not all the doorways in the house are wide enough to be accessible, etc. But I do think what we are doing now would be helpful if we end up with balance problems, on crutches, needing a cane or walker, etc....See Moremomfromthenorth
5 years agoeinportlandor
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agopattyl11
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoHelen
5 years agoa1an
5 years agoUser
5 years agoHelen
5 years agoeinportlandor
5 years agoa1an
5 years agowritersblock (9b/10a)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoa1an
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoLyndee Lee
5 years agoHelen
5 years agoUser
5 years agoS CG
5 years agoa1an
5 years ago
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