What accessibility upgrades can a bathroom remodel add?

A bathroom remodel can add a curbless roll-in shower base, a low step-in threshold, a walk-in tub with a built-in seat and sealed door, grab bars anchored into reinforced backing, a hand shower on a slide bar or shower column, and comfort options such as a heated seat and easy-touch controls. Which of these belong in your bathroom depends on whether the bather walks in, uses a walker, or transfers from a wheelchair, as Are Ella walk-in tubs ADA compliant? Accessibility and wheelchair answers explains. This page gathers the upgrades Ella's Bubbles builds into its tubs and showers so you can match them to the person who will use the room.

The Upgrades at a Glance

Read the table as a decision path rather than a shopping list. A person who stays in a wheelchair or shower chair needs the curbless base, because the entry has no lip to lift a wheel over. A person who can step through a door and sit is usually best served by a seated walk-in tub, where the threshold and seat height are the figures that matter. Grab bars, the hand shower and the comfort options are added to either choice, and none of them changes the compliance status of the room, which is covered at the end of this page.

Curbless Entry: The Roll-In Shower Base

The defining feature of a roll-in shower is the floor. Ella's roll-in base is a curb-less pan, so a wheelchair rolls straight into the stall and a walker or a foot has no lip to catch on. Because there is no curb, the stall keeps water in with a collapsible rubber dam, a self-adhesive strip that runs across the open entry, flattens under the wheels of a wheelchair or walker and springs back once they pass. The three standard sizes are 30 x 60, 32 x 60 and 36 x 60 inches, with the drain position chosen when you order to match your existing drain line, and custom sizes can be made for commercial projects. Ella also offers a three-inch step-in threshold for customers who prefer a slightly raised entry and the Accessible Caregiver Shower Base with a low 3/4-inch threshold built for home care; neither is a roll-in shower in the strict sense, because ADA standards generally limit a roll-in threshold to 1/2 inch. What is a roll-in shower and who is it designed for? explains who each threshold suits and shows the dam being installed.

Walk-In Tubs: Low Threshold, Seat and Door

For a bather who walks in, the upgrade is a tub built so that entering means stepping through a door and sitting rather than climbing over a wall and lowering to the floor. Every Ella walk-in model has a low step-in threshold and a textured, slip-resistant floor, and the Capri's 3.5 inch threshold is an example of how far below a standard tub wall that entry sits. Most models have a 17 inch seat height, similar to a standard chair, so sitting and standing use the same motion as rising from a dining chair. The watertight door closes on an integrated gasket with a multi-latch gear and shaft mechanism. The two videos on this page show these features on real tubs: the S-Class video walks through its easy-entry S-shaped door, low threshold, textured floor, sidewall and deck grab bars, five-piece fast fill faucet with an extendable hand shower, oversized 2-inch drain with an emergency pull chain, and the optional heated seat, and the LayDown video shows a low-threshold tempered glass door, a waterfall faucet with a hand shower that adjusts up and down on a shower column, and a bi-fold glass shower door that lets the tub double as a shower. For a wheelchair user who transfers to the seat, the Transfer family with its wide L-shape door is built for seated transfers. Which accessible bathtub options work best for elderly users? compares the tub options against a roll-in base.

Grab Bars and Where They Anchor

Grab bars are the most common accessibility upgrade, and the useful question is where they attach. On Ella walk-in tubs the bars are deck and wall-mounted and placed for entry and exit; most seated tubs include one or two deck-mount bars, and more can be added to the surrounding walls. On Ella showers the grab bars supplied with the stall must be fastened into the reinforced backing built into the wall panels with the correct screws so that they are secure. A remodel is the right time to plan those wall positions, because the backing has to be there before the wall is finished.

Hand Showers, Controls and Comfort

Ella's 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucets include a pull-out hand shower, and the 2-piece cartridge is certified with an ADA lever. On models that accept them, a 24 inch hand shower slide bar and an optional shower column with a 10 inch rain head allow seated or standing showers, and a 10 by 7.5 inch head pillow adds support. Comfort options include a heated seat and backrest and easy-touch or digital controls, all of which matter when the bather is seated for the whole bath.

What ADA Compliance Means, and Who Pays

There is no ADA certification for any tub or shower, because the U.S. Access Board does not evaluate or certify products, and private homes are not covered by the ADA unless part of the home is open to the public. Ella tubs are residential tubs with many ADA-compatible elements, and Ella states plainly that its shower stalls are not ADA compliant as complete units, which matters for a commercial or inspected project; see Are Ella Shower Stalls ADA Compliant? before ordering for such a project. On payment, Original Medicare and Walk-In Tubs explains that a walk-in tub is not classed as durable medical equipment, that grab bars, raised toilet seats and shower chairs do not appear on Medicare's published covered list, and that bathroom remodeling is a home modification rather than equipment, so these upgrades are generally not covered by Original Medicare. A commode chair is the notable bathroom item that does appear on the covered list. Ella does not bill Medicare. Whatever you choose, a licensed local plumber or electrician does the installation, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm which base, tub and accessories fit your room.

Watch: The 3060 Walk-In Laydown Tub: A Solution for Cool & Stylish Accessibility | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How do I choose a wheelchair accessible walk-in tub?
• What Is the Difference Between a Roll-In Shower and a Walk-In Shower?
• Grab Bar Length, Diameter, Weight Rating and Wall Spacing

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