What makes a bathroom work for aging in place? A curbless or low threshold shower, solid blocking in the walls for grab bars, slip resistant flooring, a comfort height toilet, lever handles and good lighting. Most of these cost little extra when they’re planned into a remodel from the start, and much more when they’re added later. If you plan to stay in your Lehigh Valley home for the long haul, the bathroom is the room to plan with that in mind.
Why the bathroom matters most
The bathroom is where wet floors, tight spaces and stepping over a tub edge come together. It’s also the room people use every day no matter what. A bathroom that’s easy to use at 45 is not always easy to use at 75, or after a knee replacement, or when a parent moves in. Planning for that now does not mean the room has to look clinical. Done well, most of these features just read as a clean, well designed bathroom.
Start with the shower
The tub shower combination is still the most common setup we see in older homes across Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown. Stepping over a tub wall is the single biggest hazard in many bathrooms. Replacing it with a walk in shower that has a low threshold, or no threshold at all, makes the room safer for everyone. We covered the tradeoffs of giving up the tub in our post on walk in showers versus tub shower combos.
A curbless shower takes more planning than a standard one. The floor has to slope to the drain properly, and in many homes that means recessing the subfloor or adjusting the framing. That work is practical to do during a full remodel and difficult to do afterward. A built in bench, a handheld shower head on a slide bar and controls placed near the entry, so you can turn the water on without stepping under it, round out a shower that works long term.
Put blocking in the walls now
Grab bars need something solid behind them. Drywall anchors are not enough. During a remodel, with the walls open, solid wood blocking can go in around the toilet, inside the shower and next to the tub or entry, wherever bars might be wanted someday. It costs very little in material and time. Even if you don’t want grab bars today, the blocking means they can be added later in an afternoon without opening the walls again. This is one of the most useful things a remodel can quietly include.
Floors, fixtures and lighting
Flooring. Choose tile with a slip resistant finish, especially in and near the shower. Smaller tiles with more grout lines generally give better footing on a shower floor than large polished tiles. Our guide to bathroom tile options covers the choices in more detail.
Toilet height. A comfort height toilet sits a few inches higher than a standard model and is easier to use for most adults.
Handles. Lever handles on faucets and doors are easier on hands than round knobs.
Lighting. Bright, even lighting with switches at the door, plus a low night light, helps prevent falls at night.
Storage and reach
Storage is easy to overlook in an aging in place plan. A vanity at a comfortable counter height, drawers instead of deep low cabinets, and a medicine cabinet or shelving that can be reached without stretching all make the room easier to use every day. In the shower, a recessed niche set at a sensible height keeps soap and shampoo off the floor and within reach from the bench. Some homeowners also choose a vanity with open space underneath so it can be used from a seated position later. None of this has to look different from a standard bathroom. These are practical details that are simple to build in while the room is being designed.
Doorways and older homes
Many Lehigh Valley twins and older single homes have narrow bathroom doors and tight layouts. Widening a doorway or switching to a pocket door can make a real difference for anyone using a walker or wheelchair, but it often involves framing and sometimes plumbing or electrical in the wall. That is easier to evaluate in person. If your house dates back a few generations, our post on renovating older Lehigh Valley homes explains what we typically find once the walls are opened.
Plan it once
The best time to plan for the long term is when the bathroom is already being remodeled. The National Association of Home Builders has background on aging in place design and the professionals who specialize in it.
Black Forest Home Improvements has served homeowners in Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown since 2007, and bathrooms are a core part of our work. If you’d like to talk through what makes sense for your bathroom, take a look at our bathroom remodeling services or contact us to set up a visit.