Accessible and aging-in-place bathrooms in San Antonio

Why the bathroom first

The CDC says more than one in four older adults falls each year, and falls send older adults to emergency departments about 4.5 million times a year. The bathroom combines a hard floor, water and a high tub wall, so it is where many families start.

What an accessible bathroom usually includes

• A curbless or low-curb shower in place of the tub, with a linear drain so the floor slopes one way.
• Grab bars anchored into blocking or studs, not drywall anchors. Ask for blocking in every wall around the shower and toilet even if the bars go in later.
• A shower seat, built in or fold-down, and a handheld shower on a slide bar that a seated person can reach.
• A comfort-height toilet, a few inches taller than a standard one.
• A wider door or a pocket door, if a walker or wheelchair needs the room.
• Slip-resistant floor tile and good lighting, including a night light on the path from the bed.
• A lever faucet and an anti-scald shower valve.

What it costs

National published ranges from Fixr, not a San Antonio average and not a quote. Grab bars, a seat and a taller toilet add to these.

Planning tips

• Ask whoever will use the bathroom to walk the remodeler through how they use it now.
• If a therapist has made recommendations, share them with the remodeler before the layout is set.
• On a slab, a curbless shower may need the floor cut and lowered. Ask how that is done and priced.
• If the house is from before 1978, ask about lead-safe work. Under EPA's lead renovation rule (RRP), anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in a home built before 1978 must be certified. That includes plumbers and electricians. Minor work that disturbs 6 square feet or less of paint per room inside is not covered.