Shower Seat and Transfer Bench Height
Seventeen to nineteen inches, the same as a comfort-height toilet, so transfers happen level.
Category: Measurements
The exact numbers: mounting heights, ramp slopes, clear widths. Private homes are not bound by the ADA, but these are the tested-safe figures builders and OTs work to.
Threshold Height: When a Door Sill Becomes a Trip Hazard
Half an inch, and bevelled. Anything taller needs a ramp, and the number decides which kind.
Water Heater Temperature Setting
Set it to 120°F. Older skin burns at temperatures that feel merely hot to you, and it burns faster.
How Much Weight Must a Grab Bar Hold?
250 pounds of force, in the worst direction. That number is about the anchor, not about the person.
Stair Handrail Height
Thirty-four to thirty-eight inches above the stair nosing, on both sides, with grip you can actually close a hand around.
Turning Space for a Wheelchair
Sixty inches for a full circle, or a 60-by-60 T-turn. Most existing bathrooms have neither, and here is what to do about that.
Toilet Height for Seniors
Seventeen to nineteen inches to the top of the seat. Standard toilets are 15, which is where knees and hips give out.
Clear Doorway Width for a Wheelchair
Thirty-two inches of clear width, measured with the door open. The frame measurement everyone uses is the wrong one.
How Long a Ramp Do You Need? Start With the Rise
One inch of rise needs one foot of ramp. Three steps usually means a 21-foot ramp, which surprises everyone. Here are the numbers and the landing rule.
Grab Bar Height: The Numbers That Actually Matter
33 to 36 inches from the finished floor to the top of the bar. Here is where that number comes from, and the three cases where it is the wrong answer.