Accessible Bathrooms
Can an existing bathrooms be enlarged?

by Leon A. Frechette

One of the most frequently asked questions is "Can I make my bathroom bigger?" As you probably know from experience, enlargement of the room usually is not an option, but still it is worth considering. Many factors come into play when determining whether room enlargement is possible, and you need to ask the following questions when evaluating a job:

1. Is the bathroom in question on the main floor?

2. What kinds of rooms surround the bathroom?

3. Is there living space above or below the bathroom?

4. How many people live in the home?

5. How many bedrooms are there?

6. If you were to use space from a nearby room to enlarge the bathroom, would it detract from the resale value of the home?

7. Would it cost too much to enlarge the existing bathroom?

8. Is the customer planning to build an addition in the future?

9. Can you plan a bathroom in the new addition?

10. How large is the laundry room?

11. Would it be possible to add bathroom facilities to the laundry room?

12. If there is more than one bathroom, would it be easier to remodel or enlarge one of them?

13. Does the master bedroom have a bathroom?

14. Is there room in the master bedroom for a new bathroom?

Finding additional floor space required for easy access by a person using a walker or wheelchair requires creativity. Sometimes extra space can be found within the existing structure. Perhaps removing an adjacent closet (or two) will permit a larger shower, including a bench and a hand-held shower. Sometimes an existing swinging door can be replaced with a larger pocket door to take further advantage of available floor space.

Copyright © 1995, 1998, 2006, & 2011 LAF/C.R.S., Inc. All rights reserved. The previous article,
in whole or in part, appeared in the August 1995 issue of Building & Remodeling News.

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