The barrier-free bathroom

A barrier-free bathroom offers numerous advantages – for example, more comfort and safety. Viterma builds your accessible bathroom in the shortest possible time.

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If you are planning to build your own home or buy an apartment, make sure you plan the premises intelligently and with an eye to the future. It is important to focus on your individual requirements, but also to plan for possible changes in your life situation – especially the topic of accessibility should be considered in this context.

Especially in the bathroom, a barrier-free design is very important, because experience shows that most accidents happen here in the home environment. Especially for handicapped persons as well as elderly persons with limited mobility, stumbling hazards pose a great risk.

For your accessible bathroom, adaptability and flexibility are important. Therefore, the space should be thoughtfully designed to adapt it to your changing needs later on. A few examples: if there is a bathtub now, a shower may be required later on. If there are two separate rooms for bathroom and toilet now, a large, wheelchair-accessible room may be needed later on.

Good planning makes your barrier-free bathroom easy to implement

Bath tubs that can be lowered with a lift, with supportive grab bars in the right places, should be provided for optimal accessibility. Also, threshold-free showers and walk-under vanities, non-slip flooring, touchless faucets with thermostat technology so you can't scald yourself, support and grab bars, etc. Must be taken into account when planning the barrier-free bathroom. Often grab bars are only needed temporarily at certain points. Stable walls are an important prerequisite to install them safely.

Handles provide support in the accessible bathroom

As banal as it may sound, handles are an essential component of your accessible bathroom. Horizontal handles make it easy for you to change from the wheelchair to the shower seat or toilet. Vertical handles are important so that you can pull yourself up from a sitting position.

When planning, also think about additional electricity and water connections so that you can also install washing facilities at the toilet afterwards. With empty tubes, the subsequent installation of a door drive, emergency call system or an electric flush release is also possible.

The accessible bathroom from viterma

Your local viterma bathroom consultant will be happy to provide you with advice and assistance in designing your barrier-free oasis of well-being. Planning and renovation are carried out individually according to your needs from a single source.

Forget about switching to another bathroom
the bathroom renovation is carried out in a short time – it is therefore not necessary to spend weeks in another bathroom.
Enjoy the highest level of safety and hygiene
floor-level installation of the anti-slip shower tray ensures safe access and grip. The material used offers high standards of hygiene.
Relax during the renovation
the well-rehearsed installation teams work largely noise and dirt-free. Sit back and relax during the bathroom renovation process.

Viterma produces the individual products according to your needs, guaranteeing the best possible use of space. The floor-level design of your new bathroom also makes it easy to use with a wheelchair.

Table of contents

1. Barrier-free bathroom – what does it mean?

Before we go into the exact characteristics of an accessible bathroom, we should first clarify what this term actually means. Accessible bathroom means that the use of the bathroom is equally possible for all people without problems – regardless of their needs and individual abilities.

Often circulating alongside barrier-free are the terms senior-friendly, wheelchair-accessible and handicapped-accessible, all of which mean different things. In a bathroom suitable for senior citizens, it may be sufficient for the shower to be at ground level and provide enough space for a shower stool. The installation of grab rails also makes sense here.

Wheelchair accessible means that the bathroom provides enough surface area for the person in the wheelchair to move around easily. In addition, care must be taken to ensure that the washbasin can be moved underneath and that the shower area can be accessed at ground level and is of an appropriate size.

When we talk about a handicapped-accessible bathroom, we are talking about individual facilities for the bathroom that are precisely tailored to the respective requirements. This can range from grab bars to height-adjustable toilets.

For more information on viterma's level access showers, click here.

2. The most important dimensions according to DIN 18040-2

The DIN standard 18040-2 specifies the basic principles for barrier-free planning and equipment in apartments. It should be noted that these are only guideline values that are not mandatory. Viterma's bathroom experts are here to help you find the perfect solution for you. For example, the accessible vanity should be customized to your height and the positioning of grab bars will also depend on your individual situation.

• Mounting height of the toilet: 46 to 48 cm
• Height of the accessible washbasin: 80 cm
• Movement area for wheelchair users: 150 x 150 cm
• Movement area in front of WC, bathtub and washbasin: 120 x 120 cm
• Area of the floor-level shower: 120 x 120 cm
• Shower area for wheelchair users: 150 x 150 cm
• Mirror above the washstand: mind. 100 cm high

3. Products for your bathroom

Viterma relies exclusively on quality products from well-known manufacturers for your accessible bathroom renovation. You can be sure that you will enjoy your new, barrier-free bathroom for a long time to come.

1. Washbasin

When planning your barrier-free bathroom, it is important to install a washbasin that is accessible from below. This means that a person with a wheelchair can easily drive under the washbasin for personal hygiene. The DIN standard 18040-2 states that the washbasin must be installed at a height of at least 80 cm – however, depending on body size, this must be varied in any case. Furthermore, according to DIN regulations, the movement area for people with a walker (rollator) must be 120 x 120 cm, for wheelchair users it should be 150 x 150 cm.

Viterma's goal is to help you stay in your own home for as long as possible. This also means that people with disabilities should be able to go to the toilet on their own if possible. It is important that the WC has the right height so that, for example, it is possible to sit on the WC from a wheelchair without any problems. According to the DIN standard, the correct height is given as 46 – 48 cm, but here too it ultimately depends on the individual body size. Grab rails for the toilet are also essential to make transferring easier. According to DIN-18040-2, their upper edge must be at least 28 cm above the toilet seat and protrude 15 cm above the front edge of the toilet. A flush button should also be installed there. For more comfort, a shower toilet can be installed, which makes the cumbersome handling of toilet paper obsolete.

Viterma not only offers a quick bathroom renovation but also specializes in the production of floor-level showers. Viterma manufactures the shower tray made to measure exactly for your bathroom. The special feature: the surface of the shower tray is anti-slip and thus provides more safety.

According to DIN standards, a barrier-free shower should offer a movement area of 150 x 150 centimeters for wheelchair users and 120 x 120 cm for all others. A shower seat makes daily personal hygiene much easier and grab rails increase safety. In handicapped-accessible showers, grab bars must be installed both horizontally and vertically – at a height of about 85 cm.

4. Bathroom furniture

When choosing bathroom furniture, viterma relies on quality manufacturers. These are selected according to your personal needs and installed in your home. For barrier-free design, it is important that the bathroom furniture can also be easily reached by a person in a wheelchair. If the washbasin is to be accessible from below, a vanity unit must be dispensed with, for example. Instead, alternative solutions such as wall cabinets next to the washbasin are conceivable.

5. Fittings

Accessible bathrooms require extensive planning down to the smallest detail. Fittings must also be adapted precisely to your needs in this case. So in any case should be used single-lever faucets and not faucets with two handles. In addition, the taps must be placed in such a way that they can also be reached from a wheelchair.

4. Further equipment

In addition to the sanitary equipment, there are other points to consider in your accessible bathroom. This includes, for example, the doors, the floor, as well as the lighting of the bathroom.

DIN regulation 18040-2 also specifies how wide the passageway to their accessible bathroom should be. In principle, the clear width here is at least 80 cm, for wheelchair users 90 cm are provided. It should also be noted that there is sufficient space on both sides of the door for a wheelchair to move around. Important: doors in your handicapped accessible bathroom should in any case be able to open outwards so that they are not blocked in the event of a fall and can be opened from the outside.

A wet floor can quickly become a slip hazard in the bathroom. Surely you have also slipped briefly yourself when getting out of the bathtub with wet feet. For this reason, the surface of the viterma shower is designed to be slip-resistant. Viterma also has flooring on offer, however, which is easy to install and comes in a wide variety of designs and textures. Our bathroom experts will be happy to advise you on the various solutions available.

Light plays a fundamentally important role in preventing accidents. Particularly for people with impaired vision, uneven lighting or a room that is too dark can encourage falls. Viterma offers its own solution here, which ensures perfect illumination of the bathroom – the viterma stretch ceiling with integrated LED spots.

You are looking for more bathroom ideas for your bathroom renovation and bathroom renovation?

5. Designing a small bathroom barrier-free

In the bathroom information section of our website, we already provide you with valuable tips on how to furnish your small bathroom. But what needs to be considered if your bathroom is to be made barrier-free in a small space? We explain.

It has already been mentioned that a barrier-free bathroom must offer one thing above all else, namely sufficient space for wheelchair users to move around – namely 150 x 150 cm each in the floor-level shower and in front of the washbasin. In addition, a sufficiently wide door with adequate space for maneuvering is required. Compromises are therefore appropriate for small bathrooms.

Possibilities here would be, for example, to reduce the shower to 120 x 120 centimeters and to keep the travel area next to the toilet of at least 90 cm, in order to have enough space for moving around. However, a remedy can also be a fold-away shower partition, as offered by viterma. With an individual and noncommittal bath consultation with you at home make themselves our bath specialists an exact picture of your situation and present appropriate approaches to solution.

6. Bathroom renovation barrier-free – these subsidies are possible

If you would like to renovate your bathroom to make it barrier-free, there are various options for obtaining subsidies in switzerland, austria and germany. We have summarized them for you at this point and briefly explain the different options. As a general rule, our bathroom consultants will be happy to assist you with the application process.

1. Switzerland

In switzerland, financial support for handicapped-accessible conversions takes place at various levels. For example, through the disability insurance (IV), there is the possibility for eligible persons to receive subsidies for handicapped accessible renovations. In addition, there is also funding at the cantonal level. However, this is regulated on an individual basis, so a visit to the local advice center is definitely worthwhile.

2. Austria

In austria, there are also various options available to support the design of housing for the disabled. For example, the state offers assistance in the form of favorable loans, repayment reductions or one-time grants. In addition, the individual federal states have the possibility to provide individual support. Here it is worthwhile in any case an inquiry with the appropriate office of the respective federal state government. Possible places to start here are:

• Residential flooring
• Social ministry service
• AUVA
• Health and pension insurances
• Aid fund
• Employee assessment

3. Germany

House or apartment owners in germany also have the option of receiving subsidies for barrier-free bathroom renovations. Several agencies offer their support here.

For example, it is possible to obtain low-interest loans for barrier-free bathroom remodeling through the kfw bank. However, it is important to note that the DIN 18040-2 standard must be complied with in all cases and that the application must be submitted before the conversion and not afterwards. Both subsidies for barrier reduction (subsidy program 455-B) and low-interest loans for age-appropriate remodeling (subsidy program 159) are possible here.

Care insurance

Those who have a care level can also receive a subsidy from the care insurance fund. This amounts to up to 4.The grant is worth € 000 and applies, for example, to aids for getting into the bathtub, installing a barrier-free shower, height-adjustable wcs or washbasins, and anti-slip floor coverings.

Health insurance

The health insurance companies also cover costs in the course of a barrier-free bathroom renovation – namely for aids and appliances. If a shower chair, tub lift or grab bars are prescribed by a doctor, the health insurance company will pay for them. Important here is that the cost absorption is submitted to the health insurance company before the purchase is made.

States

The fourth way to receive funding for barrier-free bathroom conversion in germany is through the individual german states. At the federal ministry of labor and social affairs you can get information about the various aid programs of the states. Our bathing experts will be happy to assist you with the application process.

7. Design options for your barrier-free bathroom

In modern bathroom planning, people are opting for fewer and fewer tiles, but larger ones, because small tiles make rooms look smaller. With the large-area, joint-free viterma wall system, you can go one step further and omit the tiles altogether. Thanks to the wide range of colors and designs, the waterproof wall elements are a visual highlight in any bathroom and make even the smallest bathroom look bigger.

Viterma is committed to enabling older people to live at home for as long as possible. Viterma contributes to this on the one hand by offering bathrooms that simplify life at home and reduce the risk of accidents, for example due to floor-level showers and non-slip floors. On the other hand, viterma has established a foundation for this purpose, which supports corresponding projects.

At viterma, the craftsmen are specialists in bathroom renovations. Because – unlike 'normal' craftsmen – they do nothing but bathroom renovations 365 days a year and are also specially trained in renovation according to the viterma concept. This means that the viterma teams are always well coordinated, professionally competent and quick to create the best possible bathroom experience for the customer.

You are interested in a competent consultation appointment for bathroom renovation? Then contact viterma in your area now and get free and non-binding advice. Our experts will of course also be happy to assist you in filling out applications and support you from the planning stage to the completion of your new bathroom. We would also be happy to provide you with advice by telephone or online.