At ZINTEX Remodeling Group, accessible bathroom design is one of our specialties and has been for over 25 years. Today, we’re here to explain the importance of customization in your accessible bathroom. Let’s talk about:

• Choosing a Footprint That Aligns with Your Mobility

• Reinforcing Weight-Bearing Walls
• Installing Grab Bars at Your Ideal Height and Angle
• Installing Sturdy Seating Options
• Picking Fixtures and Accessories for Ease of Use
• Accounting for Current and Future Needs

Grab bars and shower seating are two of the most common shower accessibility features. While you can purchase things like grab bars in home improvement stores, retrofitting an existing shower with weight-baring accessories comes with its own set of risks.

The biggest concern with retrofitting grab bars into an existing shower? You can’t accurately assess the condition of the support beams behind your shower walls.

A shower remodeling company will demolish your current shower and replace any rotting, damaged, or low-quality support beams, reinforcing them so they can hold 500+ pounds.

Grab bars aren’t just meant to be a hand-hold to help you keep your balance. They’re meant to withstand being pushed down on or pulled up on, depending on your specific needs. This is why remodelers will reinforce those hidden support beams, but it also points to another important consideration: the height and angle of each grab bar.

Store bought grab bars are often meant to be installed at horizontal, 180-degree angle. They don’t come with great instructions on how to install them based on your standing and seated height.

When you work with ZINTEX installers, they’ll actually involve you in the process of assessing where and how to install all of your grab bars so they’re positioned perfectly for your practical use. In other words, you don’t need to change your movement based on your grab bars. Your grab bars are customized to align with your movement.

If you experience symptoms like dizziness or have difficulty bending to reach your legs and feet, a walk-in shower may not seem at first glance like the right choice. Yes, it eliminates that tub ledge that’s so risky to step over, but it also requires you to stand for your entire shower, right?

Shower seating is a handy solution that pairs the safety of a walk-in shower with the relief of being able to sit down. Once again, there are store bought options. Shower stools are available at a pretty low price point, and you just set them in your shower and they’re ready to use.

The problem is that these chairs often have low weight limits and they’re prone to moving or tipping. Professional installers will secure bench or foldable seating to your shower wall with weight limits of up to 500 pounds.

Shower insert kits are available for DIY tub-to-shower installations, but they limit you to pre-fabricated designs. This may include a slippery bench seat and a shallow soap niche. It may even include a 12” grab bar. The problem is that all of these features are pre-installed, and you’re stuck using that pre-fabricated layout.

When you go with professional shower installation, you get to custom-pick:

• The type of shelves in your shower (including grab shelves) and their location
• Your shower head (including hand-held shower wands that allow you to move the rinse easily, even while remaining seated)
• Your shower enclosure (including fixed panels that you can navigate without letting go of a mobility aid)

Wondering how these accessories might impact your accessible bathroom remodel budget? Take a deeper dive with this guide.

Something like a professionally installed walk-in shower is going to last 15-20 years, unlike shower insert kits that tend to last about 5-10 years. A long-lasting shower offers a great opportunity to plan for your future needs, especially if you plan to age in place.

Professional design consultants can offer the guidance and expertise needed to determine what features might benefit you down the road without getting in your way today.

For example, you may prefer a foldable seat, that takes up minimal space when not in use, over a bench seat. You may not need a zero-threshold shower base now, but if an existing condition often leads to the use of a mobility aid, you may want to invest in that shower base now. Planning for your future maximizes your budget and reduces the chance of premature remodeling in the years to come.

Customization is key to creating a bathroom that is actually accessible to you. While pre-fabricated showers and accessories can reduce the hazards in your bathroom, they can’t maximize your independence or safety as well as custom solutions.

What’s next? Learn more about ZINTEX accessible bathroom remodeling to decide if we’re the right bathroom remodeling company for you and your family.