First I would like to say Happy Holidays and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

I have designed quite a few handicap bathrooms in my career, but have been lucky enough never to have needed the assistance of one.  Until now!  Last weekend I threw out my back.  You never realize how dependent you are on your back until all of a sudden you are stuck - not being able to walk, sit up, stand on your own, or even shower!

Now if you have read my blogs before, you know that I rent, and therefore am stuck with a very outdated and not ideal bathroom.  My bathroom posed quite a few challenges for me this week, and I would like to share them with you and how I would  design my bathroom to solve them.

1. My Toilet - My toilet is a very old, standard height toilet with a very heavy seat.  The seat of a standard height toilet sits just under 15" from the ground, and was the most common height for toilets for decades and decades.  Over the last few years, comfort height toilets have been gaining popularity throughout the country.  The seat on a comfort height toilet sits just over 17" from the ground, which is the height of a dining chair.  I found it very difficult to sit down on the low toilet this week, and had a very hard time getting up!  At work we have comfort height toilets, and it was a world of difference.
2. My Tub/Shower - One of the selling points of my apartment was the huge whirlpool bath in my master bathroom.  I love baths and take them as often as possible.  What I never realized was how difficult it could be to step into such a large, deep tub.  When my back went out, I couldn't lift my legs up high enough to get into my shower!  I had to use my secondary bathroom, which is a much smaller tub.  Neither bathroom has grab bars, making it hard for me to shower once I was able to actually get in.  Most people only think of putting grab bars in handicapped bathrooms, but I will now put one in every shower I ever build for myself!  Rohl makes a very cool grab bar that actually doubles as a hand shower slide bar (see image on right).  SOLD! 
3. My Towel Bar - It's funny, but just reaching out of the tub for my towel has been difficult!  I have had to put my towel on the ledge of my tub so I can reach when I'm done, and it has been getting quite wet!  In the future I will think about putting a hotel shelf in my shower and keeping some towels up there at all times.  See image on left for hotel shelf.

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