Special-Needs Bathroom Needs Special Shower

    Q: I am disabled and have been using the standard tub that came with our house for my shower. Even though we have a sturdy shower chair in the tub, it's still a chore getting me into the tub because of the high tub wall.

    My husband wants to remove the tub and make a special-needs shower for me, but we don't know how we can do this. We would like as little curb as possible or even a flat floor so we can roll my wheelchair right in. How is this done? - Bob and Kathy, Florida

    A: Your letter is a good reminder of the day-to-day struggles disabled families go through to accomplish things that many of us take for granted, such as getting into a tub.

    As you know, a standard bathtub side wall can be a very large obstacle to overcome if you are in a wheelchair. Fortunately, builders and manufacturers have realized this, and today there are some very good options for special-needs shower bases.

    Most bathtubs take up about a 5-foot area and you can get a shower base that will fit perfectly into a standard tub footprint once the bathtub is removed.

    More good news is that usually the drains and water lines will line up with these shower bases. In most cases, though, new surround walls will have to be installed so everything will match up. Because you're just installing a shower base, this will give you different options for your wall materials, such as tile or fiberglass.

    After you open up the walls, install backing support boards so that grab bars and rails can be added to the shower stall. Special floor-mounted shower doors finish off the package, giving a very large and safe special-needs shower stall.

    The only bad news is that usually there is a small lip or curb at the edge of the base to contain water. If you absolutely need a shower stall with no lip, there are some custom options that a contractor can do for you, but they will cost more and be more invasive to your bathroom.

    One way is by making a custom shower pan that blends into the bathroom floor on a sloping angle. The bathroom floor and shower are then tiled in as one unit, with hanging shower doors.

    Another way (and you need a very large bathroom for this) is to build a large U-shape shower surround with a divider in the middle. This is called a doorless shower because the outer walls and dividing wall will contain the water with no door needed.

    In most cases, these high end special-needs shower setups are not a practical option and, in my opinion, you will get a lot of bang for your buck by just installing the standard shower pan in place of your tub.

    Master plumber Ed Del Grande is the author of Ed Del Grande's House Call and the host of TV shows on Scripps Networks and HGTVPro.com. Visit eddelgrande.com or write eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.

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