Before and After: 3 Bathroom Remodels Add a Curbless Shower
Home pros carefully accounted for wheelchairs, walkers and even a large bullmastiff in these bathroom designs
Adding a curbless shower is a great option for increasing accessibility in a bathroom. It provides seamless access that doesn’t require stepping over a curb and easy maneuverability for a wheelchair or walker. Here are three bathrooms renovated for homeowners with a wide range of needs. Their design pros carefully considered those needs with thoughtful curbless shower designs.
After: Schultz removed the curved wall and raised the shower floor to meet the rest of the bathroom. This allowed her to install an expansive curbless shower. “We gained about 6 or 7 inches of actual shower space by taking down that wall and reconfiguring the space,” Kasey says.
Another space-saving feature in the bathroom is the rolling shower door. Schultz found an image of a shower with similar hardware on Houzz and showed it to the builder for guidance. Using a rolling door like this saves space compared with a swinging door. Another advantage a rolling door has over a swinging one is that a bathmat can be placed directly outside the stall. A shower door that swings out into the bathroom can get stuck on the mat.
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Another space-saving feature in the bathroom is the rolling shower door. Schultz found an image of a shower with similar hardware on Houzz and showed it to the builder for guidance. Using a rolling door like this saves space compared with a swinging door. Another advantage a rolling door has over a swinging one is that a bathmat can be placed directly outside the stall. A shower door that swings out into the bathroom can get stuck on the mat.
Browse bathroom tile in the Houzz Shop
The existing window’s glass block provides privacy. By using clear glass shower doors, Schultz allowed the rest of the bathroom to share the natural light provided by the large window.
On the floor, river rocks delineate the shower stall from the rest of the bathroom. Their coloring plays off the veining on the new vanity’s countertop.
The spacious new shower stall gives the guest bathroom the feel of a luxurious, airy primary bath. And it has plenty of room for large-canine grooming, made even easier with the handheld shower head.
Learn more about this bathroom renovation
On the floor, river rocks delineate the shower stall from the rest of the bathroom. Their coloring plays off the veining on the new vanity’s countertop.
The spacious new shower stall gives the guest bathroom the feel of a luxurious, airy primary bath. And it has plenty of room for large-canine grooming, made even easier with the handheld shower head.
Learn more about this bathroom renovation
2. Decreasing the Chances of Trips, Slips and Falls
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Reston, Virginia
Size: 127 square feet (12 square meters)
Designers: Emily Bickl (layout and cabinet design) and Camille DeLew (interior design) of Synergy Design & Construction
Before: Dreams of getting rid of the large platform bathtub they never used spurred this Virginia couple to start collecting images of bathrooms they liked on Houzz. Then they hired Emily Bickl and Camille DeLew of Synergy Design & Construction to help make their vision come to life.
The existing shower stall was narrow, dark and had a curb, and the room’s fixtures and finishes were past their prime.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Reston, Virginia
Size: 127 square feet (12 square meters)
Designers: Emily Bickl (layout and cabinet design) and Camille DeLew (interior design) of Synergy Design & Construction
Before: Dreams of getting rid of the large platform bathtub they never used spurred this Virginia couple to start collecting images of bathrooms they liked on Houzz. Then they hired Emily Bickl and Camille DeLew of Synergy Design & Construction to help make their vision come to life.
The existing shower stall was narrow, dark and had a curb, and the room’s fixtures and finishes were past their prime.
Find a local bathroom remodeler
After: The designers took advantage of the natural light coming in from the skylights and placed an expansive curbless shower where the bathtub had been. The skylights wash sunlight down the new textured 12-by-24-inch 3D porcelain tile along the back wall of the shower. This provides a lovely view from the rest of the bathroom. “The 3D tiles provided a different texture, without a huge contrast,” Bickl says. To keep the focus on the accent wall, the designer placed the shower niches on the plumbing wall on the right.
One of the Houzz bathroom photos the homeowners shared with their designers featured cut stone used as an accent on the floor. Here, Bickl covered the shower floor with river rock tile, then extended it as a border around that bathroom’s wood-look porcelain tile flooring.
One of the Houzz bathroom photos the homeowners shared with their designers featured cut stone used as an accent on the floor. Here, Bickl covered the shower floor with river rock tile, then extended it as a border around that bathroom’s wood-look porcelain tile flooring.
Using the river rock this way connected the shower to the rest of the room. And the texture of the tiles provides a nonslip surface in the shower. The curbless design, handheld shower wand, grab bar and attractive teak shower stool will help the couple with accessibility if they need it down the road.
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Shop for shower benches and seats
Before: The existing shower and a toilet closet were located in an alcove along the side of the room.
After: DeLew replaced the old shower stall with linen storage built-ins. The couple wanted to save the location and privacy of the water closet, so Bickl widened its door for easier access. She also took advantage of some space behind the new built-ins, installing niches. These keep extra toilet paper and items like the toilet brush tucked away.
3. Design Keeps Home Health Care Needs in Mind
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: El Cajon, California
Size: 82 square feet (7.6 square meters)
Designer: Danielle Perkins of Danielle Interior Design & Decor
Before: As part of a whole-house remodel, interior designer Danielle Perkins helped this San Diego-area couple get their primary bathroom ready for aging in place. She came up with strategies to accommodate declining physical abilities, keeping walkers, wheelchairs and a home health aide in mind.
The existing bathroom wasn’t large enough for certain aging-in-place elements the couple required. Specifically, the bathroom entry was too narrow for a wheelchair, and there wasn’t enough open floor space in the room to turn a wheelchair around. Style-wise, the finishes were pretty basic and dated to the 1990s.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: El Cajon, California
Size: 82 square feet (7.6 square meters)
Designer: Danielle Perkins of Danielle Interior Design & Decor
Before: As part of a whole-house remodel, interior designer Danielle Perkins helped this San Diego-area couple get their primary bathroom ready for aging in place. She came up with strategies to accommodate declining physical abilities, keeping walkers, wheelchairs and a home health aide in mind.
The existing bathroom wasn’t large enough for certain aging-in-place elements the couple required. Specifically, the bathroom entry was too narrow for a wheelchair, and there wasn’t enough open floor space in the room to turn a wheelchair around. Style-wise, the finishes were pretty basic and dated to the 1990s.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
After: To gain the space for a wheelchair turning radius, Perkins borrowed from a bathroom located behind this one. Those few square feet gave her a working area of 9 feet, 11 inches by 8 feet, 4 inches, which included a 5-foot turning radius for a wheelchair.
The toilet is ADA-compliant. The Americans With Disabilities Act recommends installing toilets that are 17 to 19 inches high. Perkins added support behind the toilet paper holder to make it weight-bearing. “It could be used to help someone push themselves up,” she says. The resin grab bar above it eases the way from the toilet to the sink.
Open space underneath a countertop is important for accommodating a wheelchair. This counter is 34 inches high. “My clients really only needed storage for the basics — toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrushes. They didn’t have a lot they needed to store,” Perkins says. She also notes it was important to use single-handle faucets so they could get the water temperature right with just one hand and support themselves with the other. Ample lighting was also important. There are wall sconces for facial light, as well as recessed lighting in the ceiling and a fan light in the shower.
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The toilet is ADA-compliant. The Americans With Disabilities Act recommends installing toilets that are 17 to 19 inches high. Perkins added support behind the toilet paper holder to make it weight-bearing. “It could be used to help someone push themselves up,” she says. The resin grab bar above it eases the way from the toilet to the sink.
Open space underneath a countertop is important for accommodating a wheelchair. This counter is 34 inches high. “My clients really only needed storage for the basics — toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrushes. They didn’t have a lot they needed to store,” Perkins says. She also notes it was important to use single-handle faucets so they could get the water temperature right with just one hand and support themselves with the other. Ample lighting was also important. There are wall sconces for facial light, as well as recessed lighting in the ceiling and a fan light in the shower.
Shop for an ADA-compliant toilet
Before: Of course, a big part of making the bathroom accessible meant redesigning the shower. The curb and opening into the existing shower couldn’t accommodate a wheelchair or walker, and there were no grab bars. Due to one homeowner’s declining condition, they anticipated that showering would involve assistance from another person. Perkins redesigned the shower with that in mind.
After: The new curbless shower stall measures 5 feet, 8 inches by 2 feet, 8 inches. Perkins continued the same tiles she used on the bathroom floor into the shower. The floor slants slightly toward a linear drain in the back. This placement prevents wheels from getting stuck on the drain. The amount of grout between the small penny tiles allows for good grip, and Perkins added a nonslip sealant on the shower floor tiles.
“Home health nurses recommended the vertical grab bar because it’s helpful for pivoting from the toilet into the shower,” Perkins says. “And the grab bar at the back helps when turning around.” She placed the shampoo niche on the wall across from the shower heads so that someone assisting with showering would have easy access to it.
Because the shower eventually would need to fit two people, Perkins opted not to add a built-in bench, though a portable one can be used if needed. And rather than using doors for the enclosure, she installed a shower curtain bar. This will make the shower much easier to access, especially for two people.
Learn more about this renovation
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“Home health nurses recommended the vertical grab bar because it’s helpful for pivoting from the toilet into the shower,” Perkins says. “And the grab bar at the back helps when turning around.” She placed the shampoo niche on the wall across from the shower heads so that someone assisting with showering would have easy access to it.
Because the shower eventually would need to fit two people, Perkins opted not to add a built-in bench, though a portable one can be used if needed. And rather than using doors for the enclosure, she installed a shower curtain bar. This will make the shower much easier to access, especially for two people.
Learn more about this renovation
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Matthew and Kasey Benson, their 8-year-old son and their bullmastiff dog
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Size: 65 square feet (6 square meters)
Designer: Keira Schultz of KSDesigns
Before: Matthew and Kasey Benson’s guest bathroom had a color palette of beige, beige and more beige. They hired designer Keira Schultz to help them bring it up to date and make it more functional. One thing on their wish list was a shower that would make it easy for them to bathe their bullmastiff. And of course, they also wanted their human guests to have a wonderful showering experience.
For some reason, the original shower was sunken — with steps that wasted space and posed an unnecessary hazard. In addition, the glass-block surround broke up the bathroom layout in a clunky way.
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