ADA bathrooms matter in Commercial real estate.
- The handicap accessible bathroom must accommodate at least 60″ in diameter as turning space for a wheelchair.
- An ADA-compliant toilet must be at least 60 inches wide overall, with the flush lever on the open side.
- A 42-inch minimum length grab bar is required on the toilet side wall spaced a maximum of 12 inches from the back wall and extending a minimum of 54 inches from the back wall at a height of 33-36 inches.
- The sink should be mounted on the wall with no cabinet underneath.
- Sink must have a 34″ maximum rim height and a 27″ clearance for knees.
- Hands-free faucets with sensors or single-handle faucets make the sink more accessible.
- Install a lower-placed mirror, an extra-long mirror, or a tilt mirror.
Years ago, I worked with a crew to install an ADA bathroom in a commercial office space. The building was 100 years old with aging plumbing, aging everything. Our exterior brick wall abutted the adjacent building of the same age, and the only access for plumbing was through a century old creepy crawl space that hadn’t been crawled through in decades. Planning for the inevitable, we chose to panel the bathroom walls with 19 1/2x90 3/8 " IKEA Pax wardrobe doors securing them to the 2 x 4’s with industrial screws that could be easily removed should the plumbing need a repair down the line.
The surprising takeaway in this exercise was the space required for an ADA bathroom. In our case, it required a room 9’ x 11’ to allow for adequate turning space due to the location of the door.
Read more about ADA bathroom requirements here: https://www.access-board.gov/ada/guides/chapter-6-toilet-rooms/
