Appreciate your vendor recommendation for a 48″ Shower Door providing full access. Seems the only styles seen have only by-pass access via folding door, etc.
New construction with 2 of these showers installed so as to allow handi-capped access if needed in future. Only to learn we are unable to identify vendor who makes a full access door.
If you are aware of any company making such, please share this information.
THANKS!
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Replies
48" is a very wide door to swing. Can you use a 36" door and a 12" fixed panel?
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Never seen such thing as a 48" shower door. It would be very awkward for a handicapped person to use. Not to mention the swing radius!
We sometimes do doorless showers, like the bathrooms at the airport. You walk/wheel around the corner so the shower cannot spray out of the enclosure. Much easier for a handicapped person.
DG/Builder
Are you talking about ADA shower stalls with teh zero clearance step in? Or are these custom showers?
"Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh? Oh, it looks good on you though."
Custom showers. All-tile, glass, stone, whatever you want. No step of any kind anywhere. In the size needed to have maneuvering room for a wheelchair, scratch-built this way is very competitive with anything ready-made. At least for us it is.
DG/Builder
And of course the result is much nicer w/ custom built. Reason I asked is that some of the manufacturers of the ada surrounds also make doors to match. Mostly what I found was accordian style however. not really what you are looking for"Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh? Oh, it looks good on you though."
Sadie, I don't believe a single 48" wide shower door exists, nor would you want one. The door would be either very vulnerable or built like a tank because of the huge leverage. It would take up a huge amount of room because of the swing radius. It would be awkward to operate by a normal person, let alone someone in a wheelchair.
My shower custom fabricator can easily whip one up, but I wouldn't have anything to do with it. I don't know where you got this idea of a 48" shower door for handicapped access, but frankly it's a goofy idea.
DG/Builder
Edited 3/3/2006 5:45 pm ET by dgbldr
May be the type of shower door we had in the house (circa 1957) we purchased 10 years ago. Bi-fold type, aluminum framed, piano hinged center & side, opened in. wonderful door, corrosion eventually did in the hinges. Had the mnfrs. nameplate on it, did a Google search to try to find a replacement....... Only in Australia. Seems that if you collapsed in the shower against the door, nobody could get in to assist/rescue you. Limited space on the outside due to placement of the toilet, so no outswing door. So, it's now a curtain.
Pity,
Paul
I'd try to do without a door. In fact, I did. It isn't 48" (the whole room is only 62" wide) but I like it without a door.
There are a couple of pictures floating around BT if you search.
Also, my understanding is that 36" or at most 42" is sufficient for wheelchair access.
Truly appreciate thoughts shared by each of you. Never considered a 48" door might be heavy (leverage needed). Having wall space for 48" swing, this size door seemed practical & would provide easy access along with greater ease in cleaning by not having to clean between multiple panels. Suppose we will seek door having lesser swing as running out of time.
Note: Showers are not custom; just Aqua Glass with single seat for one to rest in event of need like broken leg, etc. or even to wash the dog.
Again, thanks!
Like others said, I think most real ADA barmier free showers end up getting just a curtain.
For the work I do, most custom homes get custom made shower enclosures. Check with a glass company, or builder's speciality company - they can make them for not much more than what you can buy a premade and you will have more options.
I don't see why you could not make up one with Two 2ft doors. It might be hard in the frameless styles.But with the metall framed one what is the fixed stop is mounted "backwards" on one of the doors.Or how about this. Frameless using self closing and centering hings (don't know if they have those for glass or not, Then have a additional strip of glass, maybe 4" wide that is glued to one side to act is the stop/seal.
Bifold doors are available. Here is one, looks like a max of 32", but there might be some from others. Not too common, but they are out their.http://www.sterlingplumbing.com/onlinecatalog/pdf/1022515_4.pdfBut here is a company that appears to specialize in this market and has both bifolds and dual outswing doors like I described.http://www.holcam.com/Bifold_barrierfree.html