Return to the Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines Contents Page
Requirement
6. Reinforced walls for grab bars
Section 100.205(c)(3)(iii) requires that covered multifamily
dwellings with a building entrance on an accessible route shall be designed
and constructed in such a manner that all premises within covered multifamily
dwelling units contain reinforcements in bathroom walls to allow later
installation of grab bars around toilet, tub, shower stall and shower
seat, where such facilities are provided.
Guideline
Reinforced bathroom walls to allow later installation of grab bars around
the toilet, tub, shower stall and shower seat, where such facilities are
provided, would meet section 100.205(c)(3)(iii) if reinforced areas are
provided at least at those points where grab bars will be mounted. (For
example, see Figs. 3, 4 and 5.) Where the toilet is not placed adjacent
to a side wall, the bathroom would comply if provision was made for installation
of floor mounted, foldaway or similar alternative grab bars. Where the
powder room (a room with a toilet and sink) is the only toilet facility
located on an accessible level of a multistory dwelling unit, it must
comply with the requirement for reinforced walls for grab bars.
Note
Installation of bathtubs is not limited by the illustrative figures; a
tub may have shelves or benches at either end; or a tub may be installed
without surrounding walls, if there is provision for alternative mounting
of grab bars. For example, a sunken tub placed away from walls could have
reinforced areas for installation of floor-mounted grab bars. The same
principle applies to shower stalls -- e.g., glass-walled stalls could
be planned to allow floor-mounted grab bars to be installed later. Reinforcement
for grab bars may be provided in a variety of ways (for example, by plywood
or wood blocking) so long as the necessary reinforcement is placed so
as to permit later installation of appropriate grab bars.
Return to the Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines Contents Page
Return to Special Interest Home Page
The
IDEA Center
is the home of the RERC
on UD
at Buffalo 