Bathroom Remodels

Walk-In Bathtubs Offer a Safer Bathing Experience for Disabled Individuals

When someone is dealing with a certain level of physical disability, the idea of ever being able to safely use the home's standalone bathtub again seems like an impossible dream. The person may have trouble stepping over the ledge, which is especially worrisome when inside the tub and standing on a slippery wet surface. The risk of slipping and falling is significant and scary. Trying to get up from a sitting position in this tub also is not an easy task. Contractors who offer bathroom remodels have a solution to this problem: the walk-in bathtub.

These bathtubs bring back the luxury of lingering in warm, relaxing water to people who haven't been able to safely enjoy this activity. The walk-in tubs allow someone to open a door along the side to enter. There is still a ledge to step over, but it can be as low as a few inches. The door seals fully when closed so that no water can get out. If the person needs to sit on a booster seat in the tub, remodeling contractors can provide a tub with this feature. The faucets are easy to reach from a sitting position. After bathing, the person drains the water away and gets back up, using the sturdy grab rails on each side.

The tubs are available in a variety of sizes, and the homeowner must consider whether a space-saving model is better or if a larger one is appealing. Since filling a standard-sized bathtub can easily drain all the water in a water heater, that must be taken into consideration as well when thinking about upgrading to a bigger model.

Some models have doors that swing open while others have doors that swing to the inside. Doors that swing outward are typically more convenient for the person bathing, but the bathroom needs the right amount of space for this feature. The inward swinging door also requires a larger tub.

A homeowner who is interested in having a bathroom remodeled to include a walk-in tub may contact a contractor such as Re-Bath of Southern Idaho. More details on available features and pricing can be obtained through this organization.