Accessible Bathroom Remodel in Dallas, TX

What an Accessible Bathroom Remodel in Dallas Changes

Accessibility is built into the structure of the room, so most of the work happens before the finishes go on. Our scope commonly includes:

• Curbless or low-threshold shower. A floor recessed so it slopes to the drain with no step, or a very low curb where recessing is not practical.
• Grab-bar blocking. Solid wood between the studs at the toilet, shower and tub, so bars can be installed now or later.
• Comfort-height toilet. A seat around 17 to 19 inches high, set with room beside it.
• Wider doorway. Reframed for a walker or wheelchair, with lever hardware.
• Shower bench and handheld shower. A built-in or fold-down seat, a handheld on a slide bar and controls reachable from the seat.
• Slip-resistant floors and better lighting.

ADA Bathroom Remodel Guidelines as a Starting Point

Private homes are not required to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design are a useful reference. Typical figures include:

• Turning space. A 60-inch circle of clear floor.
• Doors. At least 32 inches of clear opening.
• Grab bars. Mounted 33 to 36 inches above the floor.
• Toilet. Seat height of 17 to 19 inches, centered 16 to 18 inches from the side wall.

We start from those numbers and adjust for the person using the room. Someone who stands and walks with a cane needs different grab-bar locations than someone who transfers from a wheelchair. Our aging-in-place bathroom checklist walks through the questions to ask.

When Is It Time for an Aging in Place Bathroom?

The signs usually come before a fall. Someone steadies themselves on the towel bar or the sink edge, sits on the tub edge to wash, avoids the shower without help or struggles to stand from a low toilet. A walker that will not fit through the door is another. Many 1950s to 1970s single-story Dallas ranch homes are otherwise easy to stay in, with no stairs, but their hall baths have narrow doors, tub-shower combinations and low toilets.

Grab Bar Installation Starts With Blocking

A grab bar is only as strong as what it is fastened to. While the walls are open, we add wood blocking between the studs at the toilet, along the shower walls, beside the bench and at the tub, then record where it is. Grab bars can then go anywhere on that wall now or years from now. Rated bars in finishes that match the faucet keep the room from looking clinical.

Curbless Walk-In Shower With a Bench and Handheld

A curbless walk-in shower is the most useful single change for most people, and the most technical. The shower floor has to sit below the bathroom floor to slope to the drain. On a slab foundation, that means saw-cutting and recessing the concrete in the shower area, after locating the tendons if it is a post-tensioned slab, or building up the bathroom floor so a gentle ramp meets the shower. On a pier-and-beam floor, the framing under the shower is lowered instead.

A linear drain at the back wall, a fold-down or built-in bench, a handheld shower on a slide bar and a thermostatic valve complete the shower. The floor tile matters as much as the layout; our bathroom tile page explains slip ratings and why smaller tiles grip better underfoot.

Aging in Place Bathroom Remodel, Step by Step

1. Assessment. We visit, measure doorways and clearances, and talk with the person who will use the room about how they move.
2. Design and selections. You see a layout with grab-bar locations, turning space and fixture heights, and choose finishes.
3. Permits. Plumbing, electrical and framing changes are permitted with the city. Texas requires plumbing by TSBPE-licensed plumbers and electrical work by TDLR-licensed electricians.
4. Demolition and framing. Old finishes come out, the doorway is reframed, and blocking goes in.
5. Shower and floor. The slab is recessed or the floor built up, then waterproofed, flood tested and tiled.
6. Fixtures and walkthrough. Toilet, vanity, grab bars and shower fittings go in, and we test each one with the user.

Widening a doorway in a bearing wall, recessing a slab and moving plumbing all need a city permit. In the City of Dallas, that permit comes from a registered contractor; Richardson and Fairview inspect through their own offices.

In a primary suite, these features can be part of a larger primary bathroom remodel, so the room looks like a well-designed bath rather than a medical space.

Cost Factors and Where We Work

Recessing a slab for a curbless shower and widening a doorway are the largest structural items. Plumbing moves, a new valve and toilet, electrical changes for lighting, and the size of the shower follow. Blocking itself adds little when the walls are already open.

We build accessible bathrooms in Dallas and Richardson, about 20 minutes from Lake Highlands, and as far north as Fairview, the Collin County town that is home to the Heritage Ranch active-adult community, about 40 minutes away.