How can I change my 1/2 bathroom to make it handicap accessible?

Question

It's a rather small one. And I don't want to move a wall.

Answer 1

The door must be 36" wide you will need a grab bar at the back and the side of the toilet you will need 60" clearance in the room where a wheelchair can turn around and you will need a sink with out a cabinet beneath it so that a wheelchair can pull up under it. These are the basics to make the bath ready for a friend, if you need to make it to the building code for Americans with Disability's Act check with your local building dept or the dept of justice has a document called the ADA compliance for small business available at their website that has pictures and easy to understand instructions

Answer 2

Per ADA standards there needs to be a 5' circle to turn a wheelchair

The toilet needs to be 17.5" high at the seat

The lav (sink) needs to be 29" clear underneath for a wheelchair to to go under.

that's for public access

for a small private bathroom you can do whatever you want to accommodated you own needs. there are a lot of stores online that you can pick out what items you need.

I can help you just email me and we can go from there

Answer 3

Your biggest challenge will be the doorway... it needs to be 36" wide to accommodate a wheelchair. Also, access between the fixtures needs to be 36". If it's just a walker that needs to fit through, a minimum 24" will work.

There are specifications for sink and toilet height. You can purchase accessible-height toilets. Sinks should be a little lower than the height of your kitchen table and not too deep. (Sit in a chair and measure!)

Handrails must be screwed into supporting studs in the wall - find your studs and measure first to be sure you buy the right sized bar.

Answer 4

Hi mcpher,

This link may have a project too large for the 1/2 bath, but since we're talking barrier free accessibility (maybe for a future bath remodel?  It's such a great article. :) )...

*great info from the others