Specifications
Every dimension we build to, written down
Nobody inspects grab-bar heights in a private home, which is exactly why it matters who builds it. These are our standards, drawn from the 2010 ADA Standards, ICC A117.1, ANSI A137.1 and ASSE 1016.
- Bar pull test
- 250 lbf
- Turning circle
- 60 in
- Shower floor DCOF
- 0.62
- Hot water cap
- 120 F
A note on what these numbers are
A private residence is not a public accommodation, so the ADA Standards do not legally apply to your bathroom. We build to them anyway, because they encode decades of research into what a human body can actually do. Where Florida Building Code or your local authority requires something different, code wins and we will say so on the drawing. Nothing here is medical or occupational-therapy advice.
Transfer space and turning radius
Type your room size and every clearance tells you whether it fits, or by how many inches it misses. It is a first sift, not a survey.
Wheelchair turning circle
Checking60 in diameter, clear floor
A full 180 degree turn without a three-point shuffle. Fixtures may overlap the circle by up to 6 in of knee space under a wall-hung vanity.
Needs a room at least 66 x 96 in
T-shaped turning space
Checking60 x 60 in with 36 in arms
The alternative when 60 in of clear circle will not fit. Costs one three-point turn but saves roughly 9 square feet of room.
Needs a room at least 60 x 84 in
Clear floor space at a fixture
Checking30 x 48 in
One stationary wheelchair position, parallel or forward approach. This is the smallest useful unit in the room.
Needs a room at least 54 x 60 in
Transfer-type shower
Checking36 x 36 in stall, 36 x 48 in clear space beside
For someone who transfers from a chair to a fixed seat. The 36 in stall is deliberate: walls stay within reach on both sides.
Needs a room at least 60 x 72 in
Roll-in shower
Checking30 x 60 in minimum, 36 x 60 in clear space
For a shower wheelchair that rolls straight in. Needs the curbless build-up in section 2 and a 36 in clear opening with no glass door swing.
Needs a room at least 66 x 90 in
Toilet centre line
Not size-gated16 to 18 in from the side wall
Sets how far the grab bar sits from the shoulder. Wider than 18 in and a seated hand cannot reach the bar without leaning.
Side transfer space at the toilet
Checking60 in wide x 56 in deep clear
Enough room to bring a chair alongside and swing across. The single biggest reason a guest bath cannot be made accessible without moving a wall.
Needs a room at least 60 x 66 in
Door clear width
Not size-gated32 in clear with the door open 90 degrees
A 32 in leaf gives about 30.5 in clear once the stop and hinge are counted. Swing-clear hinges buy 1.75 in without moving the frame; a pocket door buys the whole leaf.
Knee and toe clearance under a lavatory
Not size-gated27 in high x 30 in wide x 8 in deep, toe 9 in high x 6 in deep
Lets a chair pull in far enough to reach the faucet. Requires insulated or offset drain lines so a leg never rests against hot copper.
Placement heights and the blocking behind them
Bar lengths, mounting heights and the in-wall lumber for five real wall stations.
The bar people actually use to stand up. It has to start close enough to the front of the bowl that a hand reaches it while seated, and run past the front edge so the pull continues through the stand.
Often skipped in residential work. It gives the second hand somewhere to go during a lateral transfer from a wheelchair or rollator.
The wettest, most slippery moment in the room is reaching for the valve. The bar belongs where the hand already travels, not where the tile pattern is tidiest.
A folding seat is only as safe as the wall it is bolted to. We frame the seat wall before the plumber arrives, not after the tile is up.
For households keeping a tub, the bar layout changes: one bar for the step over the rim, one for the seated position at the bottom.
Zero-threshold entry, layer by layer
Six layers from the joists to the finished tile, with the depths we cut and pour.
A curbless shower is a floor problem before it is a tile problem. Here is the whole build-up, bottom to top, with the depths we actually cut and pour. Anyone quoting curbless without mentioning layer one is planning to give you a ramp.
- Layer 6
Tile and transition
Finished flush, 0 in rise
Shower tile and bathroom tile land in the same plane with a colour-matched grout joint between them. Where a small rise cannot be avoided against an existing hallway, we bevel it at 1:2 and keep it under 1/4 in, which a wheelchair caster and a walker foot both clear.
- Layer 5
Uncoupling and heat layer
5.5 mm
Optional but common here: an uncoupling mat that also carries floor-warming cable. Warm tile matters more than it sounds when someone sits for a full shower rather than standing for four minutes.
- Layer 4
Bonded waterproofing membrane
Sheet or two coats liquid, 40 mil
Carried 6 in up every wall, wrapped into the curbless opening and turned 12 in out onto the bathroom floor so a splash that leaves the shower still lands on waterproofing. Flood-tested for 24 hours before any tile is cut.
- Layer 3
Pre-sloped mortar bed
1/4 in per foot (a 2 percent fall)
Deck mud floated to a consistent fall from the far wall to the trough. At a 60 in run that is 1.25 in of total drop, all of it inside the shower and none of it at the door.
- Layer 2
Linear drain and trap
2 in ABS waste, 36 or 48 in trough
A single linear trough against the back or entry wall lets the whole pan fall one direction, which is the only way to keep a curbless floor flat enough to roll onto. A centre point drain forces a four-way slope and a visible hump at the opening.
- Layer 1
Joist-level recess
1.5 to 2 in of drop
On a raised wood floor we sister the joists with 2x10s and drop the sub-floor inside the shower footprint. On a Sarasota slab we saw-cut and chip the slab 1.5 in, then re-pour with fibre-reinforced mix once the drain body is set.
Coefficient of friction, three ways
Wet DCOF, barefoot ramp class and R-value for every wet-area surface we carry.
DCOF AcuTest
Wet dynamic coefficient of friction, ANSI A137.1. Simulates a shod foot already moving. 0.42 is the published minimum for level interior tile walked on wet. We treat it as a floor.
DIN 51097
The barefoot ramp test, graded A, B or C on a wet soapy incline. The only test that describes a shower honestly, because nobody showers in shoes. We want class B or better.
DIN 51130 R-value
The shod ramp test, R9 to R13, common on imported datasheets. Useful as a cross-check when a DCOF figure is not published. R10 or better for a wet floor.
| Surface | Wet DCOF | DIN 51097 | R-value | Where we use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 x 2 in unglazed porcelain mosaic | 0.62 | Class C | R11 | Curbless shower floors. Our default |
| 1 x 1 in porcelain penny round | 0.58 | Class B | R10 | Shower floors where a tighter grout grid is wanted |
| Textured 12 x 24 in porcelain plank | 0.51 | Class B | R10 | Wet bathroom floors outside the shower |
| Honed marble, 12 x 12 in | 0.43 | Class A | R9 | Dry areas only. Never a shower floor |
| Flamed granite, 12 x 12 in | 0.67 | Class C | R11 | Shower floors and thresholds where stone is wanted |
| Polished porcelain, 24 x 24 in | 0.28 | Not rated | R9 | We do not install this in a bathroom |
| Cast acrylic shower pan, textured | 0.55 | Class B | R10 | Tub-to-shower conversions on a budget |
| Sealed sheet vinyl, safety grade | 0.60 | Class C | R10 | Whole-floor option when tile weight is a concern |
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Tile size does as much work as the surface. A 2 in mosaic puts a grout joint under the ball of your foot every two inches, and that joint is what a wet foot actually grips. A 24 in plank can carry a good face rating and still feel skittish, which is why our shower pans are always 2 in or smaller.
Fixture specifications
Seat heights, knee clearances, operating force and water temperature, each with the standard it comes from.
Every height, written down
A standard builder bathroom is set for a fit forty-year-old. Two inches on a toilet seat, seven inches of knee space under a sink and a cap on the hot water are the difference between a room that works and one that has to be supervised.
- Seat height
- 17 to 19 in
- Lavatory rim
- 34 in max
- Hot water cap
- 120 °F
- Light at the pan
- 50 to 75 fc
- ADA 604.4
Toilet seat height
17 to 19 in from floor to the top of the seat
Two inches higher than a standard 15 in bowl. It is the difference between rising and being hauled up. Elongated bowl, and a seat that will not shift under a sideways push.
- ADA 606.3
Lavatory rim height
34 in maximum to the rim or counter
Paired with the 27 in knee clearance in section 3. Wall-hung or a vanity with a removable centre panel so the cabinet can come out later without new tile.
- ADA 309.4
Faucet operation
Single lever or touchless, 5 lbf maximum to operate
No tight grasping, pinching or wrist twisting. Levers should be at least 4 in long so a forearm can work them.
- ASSE 1016 / ASSE 1070
Anti-scald mixing valve
Thermostatic or pressure-balancing, capped at 120 degrees F
Thinner older skin burns at lower temperatures and in less time. We set the stop at the valve, not just at the water heater, so a flushed toilet cannot spike the shower.
- ADA 607.5
Shower controls
38 to 48 in above the floor, on the wall nearest the entry
Reachable from outside the spray so water is warm before anyone steps in, and reachable from a seated position once inside.
- ADA 608.6
Handheld shower
59 in hose on a 24 to 30 in slide bar
The slide bar doubles as a vertical grab bar only if it is a rated bar with real blocking behind it. A hardware-store slide bar is not one.
- ADA 610.3
Shower seat
17 to 19 in high, 16 in deep, folding, 400 lb rated
Mounted on the wall opposite the controls in a transfer stall, or on the back wall in a roll-in.
- IES RP-28 (older adults)
Light level at the shower
50 to 75 footcandles, 3000K, CRI 90 or better
Roughly double a standard bathroom. Wet-rated recessed trim over the shower, no single ceiling fixture casting the user's own shadow onto the floor.
One-day refit against a full remodel
Both are honest work. They buy different things, and the difference is mostly in what the walls and floor are allowed to become.
| Factor | One to two day refit | Full remodel |
|---|---|---|
| Days in your home | 1 to 2 days | 9 to 15 working days |
| What actually changes | Tub out, acrylic or tiled shower in, same footprint | Layout, plumbing rough-in, floor level, door width, lighting |
| Curbless entry possible | Only with a 1/2 in bevelled ramp | Yes, true 0 in with the section-2 build-up |
| Grab-bar blocking added | Where the wall opens up, typically two walls | Every wall, framed before board |
| Door widened to 32 in clear | No | Yes, including a pocket door where the wall allows |
| Permit and inspection | Usually a plumbing permit only | Building, plumbing and electrical |
| Sample installed range | $7,200 to $13,500 | $18,000 to $38,000 |
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The last thing on this page
Ninety minutes, at your house, for nothing
Joaquin measures the room against every clearance, maps the studs so we know where blocking can go, and leaves a written report. If the honest answer is that your bathroom cannot do what you need, he will say so and the report is still yours.
- Call
- (941) 555-0213
- Office hours
- Monday to Friday: 7:30 am to 5:30 pmSaturday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pmSunday: Closed, messages answered Monday
- Workshop
- 2140 Cattlemen Road, Suite 4, Sarasota, FL 34232
We do bathrooms only. If you need a kitchen, an addition or whole-home work we will give you two names of people who do it properly.