Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Universal what? Smarter showers, please.


I try not to slam other people working in this space, but sometimes I see things that are held up as proper when they are not.  Now, the home in the article has some good things--pocket doors, for example.  But look at this "Universal Design" bathroom as it was called in the article in the Glenn Falls NY Poststar.  What's wrong?  Well, in my mind three things:
    Aging-in-place
  1. The shower has a threshold.  Even if it is not to be used by someone in a wheelchair, it is an unnecessary tripping hazard. An integral shower pan, or even a no-threshold fiberglassunit like those from Best Bath, would have been a much better choice.
  2. The seat--small, irregular and slippery, and at the opposite end from the shower controls.  Those little built in seats are best used by young women propping up a leg to shave, not to sit on.
  3. Looks to me like the toilet is going to go right in front of the shower--further restricting access and potentially making the toilet slippery if it gets wet. 
We can learn from the mistakes of others as well as our own, so I'm posting the negative review of this work.  I hope there are not negative consequences for the homeowners here.


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