ShareThisBy ED DEL GRANDE
HGTVPro.com
Monday, May 07, 2007
Q: Ed, we read you every week; you're like having a personal contractor for us. So I'd like to ask you a question. I am disabled and we 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 for me to sit on, 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. Is this possible and how is this done? Thank you, Ed! _ Bob & Kathy, Florida
A: Thank you, Kathy, for your letter; it's a good reminder to many people of the day-to-day struggles that disabled families go through to accomplish things around the house that many of us take for granted ... like getting into a tub.
I've worked on a lot of special needs bathrooms and I don't have to tell you that a standard bathtub side wall can be a very large obstacle to overcome if you are in a wheelchair. Fortunately, builders and manufacturers also have realized this and today there are some very good options for special needs shower bases. Most bathtubs take up about a five-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 as well! However, in most cases new surround walls will have to be installed so everything will match up.
Since you're just installing a shower base, this will give you different options for your wall materials, such as tile or fiberglass. Speaking of the walls, once opened up, make sure that backing support boards are installed so that grab bars and rails can be added to the shower stall. Finally, special floor-mounted shower doors finish off the package and you end up with a very large and safe special needs shower stall!
The only bad news is that usually there is a small lip our curb at the edge of the base to contain the water. If you absolutely need a shower stall with no lip, there are some custom options that a good 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 your bathroom floor on a sloping angle and then the bathroom floor and shower are tiled in as one unit with hanging shower doors. Another way (and you need a very large bathroom for this one) is to build a large U-shaped shower surround with a divider in the middle. This is called a "doorless shower" since the outer walls and dividing wall will contain the water with no door needed. In most cases, these high end special needs shower set ups 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. Good luck, Kathy, and God bless.
Q: Hey, Ed. I'm a contractor and I'm dealing with a crazy problem here in Idaho. I have a client with an attic that develops frost and ice on the inside 2-by-8 supports for the roof. It actually hangs down with icicles and looks like a cave! I added extra insulation and even another roof vent last year, but this year the same thing happened! What else could this be? _ Bill, Idaho
A: Bill, first off, the only way ice can form inside a house is if there is moisture present. So you were on the right track adding the roof vent. However, what you need to do is trace down the source of the moisture to solve this problem. Once you cut off the moisture to the attic and you stop the ice.
A common mistake that I have seen over the years is that many houses have the bathroom fans blowing moist air straight into the attic instead of being piped outside the house with a duct hose. Bathrooms are very moist places in the winter, especially after a hot shower has been run for a while. If all that moisture is being vented directly into the attic that may be your problem.
To solve this problem, simply trace the location of the present bathroom fan ducts and vent them to the outside of the house. Remember, this is just one guess of what could be a few issues going on. Like a good detective, it's up to you to trace out the moisture problem or problems and dry out that attic before the homeowner ends up with a sponge for a ceiling!
(Master Contractor/Plumber Ed Del Grande is known nationally as the author of the book "Ed Del Grande's House Call" and for hosting TV shows on Scripps Networks and HGTVPro.com. For information visit eddelgrande.com or write eddelgrande(at)hgtvpro.com. Always consult local contractors and codes.)
