ACCESSIBLE HOME DESIGN

The Right Space is a unique, easy-to-understand resource for designing and remodeling an accessible home.

Over 300 3-D drawings with details illustrate:

• Zero-Step Entry
• Turning Spaces
• Ramps and Ramp Landings
• Doorways, Landings and Hallway Width
• Inaccessible Bathrooms Explained
• Accessible Bathroom Designs
• Accessible Kitchen Designs

Whether your needs are immediate or you are planning for the future, The Right Space will help you create a valuable asset for yourself and for others, an accessible home.

View Sample Drawings
View Contents
An Expensive Fix
A Letter From: A Bridge To Independent Living

CONTENTS

GLOSSARY AND NOTES - page 8

• BASIC DEFINITIONS
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Readers become familiar with basic definitions such as accessible, approach direction, clear floor space, cross slope, finished floor and more.

PRIMARY FLOOR SURFACES - page 11

• WIDTH, DEPTH, AND SLOPE
• WHEELCHAIR CLEAR FLOOR SPACE
• RUNNING SLOPE
• CROSS SLOPE
• VERTICAL CHANGE IN LEVEL
• BEVELED CHANGE IN LEVEL
• FLOOR TILE, CARPET, DECK AND GRATE SPACING
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Width, depth, and slope of various floor spaces.

TURNING - page 29

• TURNING SPACES
• 90 DEGREE TURN - Through a Doorway
• ASSOCIATED 90 DEGREE TURNS - Turn One and Turn Two
• CIRCULAR TURNING SPACE
• T - SHAPED TURNING SPACE
• ELLIPTICAL TURNING SPACE
• TURNING NOTES
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Minimum widths, depths, and diameters of floor spaces that allow you to travel from room to room, from fixture to fixture.

DOORS AND PASSAGEWAYS - page 41

• HINGED DOOR - Typical Guidelines
• DOUBLE DOORS
• POCKET DOOR AND FOLDING DOOR
• PASSAGEWAY WIDTH
• DOORWAY AND PASSAGEWAY NOTES
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Minimum width between door and doorstop when a hinged door is open 90 degrees. Double doors, pocket doors, passageways and what makes a hallway accessible.

ENTRANCE LANDINGS - page 49

• ACCESSIBLE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
• FRONT APPROACH - PUSH SIDE LANDING
• FRONT APPROACH - PULL SIDE LANDING
• LATCH APPROACH - PUSH SIDE LANDING
• LATCH APPROACH - PULL SIDE LANDING
• HINGE APPROACH - PUSH SIDE LANDING
• HINGE APPROACH - PULL SIDE LANDINGS
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Each accessible entry doorway has a landing on each side of it. Each entry landing has a specific width and depth based on approach direction and hardware location. Each entry landing allows you open a hinged door, let it swing by, and let you pass through.

LANDINGS AND RAMPS - page 59

• LANDING - RAMP - LANDING
• LANDING - Typical Guidelines, Where Ramps Change Direction
• RAMP IN NEW CONSTRUCTION - Typical Guidelines, Running Slope, Cross Slope, Maximum Rise, Accessible Design Considerations
• RAMP IN EXISTING CONSTRUCTION - Exception One, Design Considerations
• RAMP IN EXISTING CONSTRUCTION - Exception Two, Design Considerations
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Where landing and ramps are located - there is a landing on each side of every ramp - as well as their widths, depths, and slopes.

REACH, APPROACH, AND EGRESS - page 73

• REACH AND APPROACH DIRECTION
• REACH AND OBSTRUCTIONS
• FORWARD APPROACH - Unobstructed High Forward Reach, Low Forward Reach
• FORWARD APPROACH - Obstructed High Forward Reach
• PARALLEL APPROACH - Unobstructed Parallel Reach, High Parallel Reach, Low Parallel Reach, Obstructed High Parallel Reach
• HIGH AND LOW REACH AND VIEW
• EGRESS
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: High and low reach have an approach direction. High and low reach have minimum and maximum heights at walls, beside a fixture and over a fixture.

INTERIOR LANDINGS - page 87

• ACCESSIBLE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
• FRONT APPROACH - PUSH SIDE LANDING
• FRONT APPROACH - PULL SIDE LANDING
• LATCH APPROACH - PUSH SIDE LANDING
• LATCH APPROACH - PULL SIDE LANDING
• HINGE APPROACH - PUSH SIDE LANDING
• HINGE APPROACH - PULL SIDE LANDINGS
• OVERLAPPING LANDINGS - Where Doors Swing Away From Each Other, Where Doors Swing in the Same Direction
• PASSAGEWAY LANDINGS - Forward Approach and Parallel Approach
• POCKET DOOR LANDINGS - Front Approach, Latch Approach, Pocket Approach
• HALLWAYS
• LANDING NOTES
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Interior doorways and passageways have a landing on each side that allows a disabled person to pass through. How wide and how deep is each doorway landing? There are 7 possibilities. Each depends on the approach direction and where the door hardware is located.

RESIDENTIAL BATHROOMS - page 105

• TYPICAL BATHROOM - Access Problems
• BATHROOM ONE - Fixing Access Problems
• BATHROOM TWO - Roll-in Shower without Seat, Lavatory, and Water Closet, Rough-in Dimension
• BATHROOM THREE - Roll-in Shower with Seat, Lavatory, and Water Closet, General Rule
• BATHROOM FOUR - Alternate Shower with Seat, Lavatory, and Water Closet
• BATHROOM NOTES
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: An overview of accessible bathroom design with a variety of different size bathrooms with different types of bathing fixtures.

WATER CLOSET - page 117

• WATER CLOSET - Accessible Design Considerations, Typical Guidelines, Rough-in Considerations
• LAVATORY NEXT TO A WATER CLOSET - Minimum Distance
• FIXTURE NEXT TO A WATER CLOSET
• WATER CLOSET HARD EDGES - Front Edge, Seat Side Edge
• OVERLAPPING SPACES
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Water closet clear floor space, turning space, grab bars, and toilet paper dispenser location. The relationship between fixtures and floor spaces near a water closet.

LAVATORY - page 129

• LAVATORY - Accessible Design Considerations, Typical Guidelines
• KNEE AND TOE SPACE - Typical Guidelines
• LAVATORY IN AN ALCOVE
• LAVATORY NEXT TO A WATER CLOSET - Minimum Distance
• FIXTURE NEXT TO A WATER CLOSET
• LAVATORY NEXT TO A BATHING FIXTURE - Bathtub, Roll-in Shower without Seat, Bathing Fixture with Seat, Transfer Shower, Alternate Shower with Seat
• MANEUVERING IN AND MANEUVERING OUT
• OVERLAPPING SPACES
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Lavatory clear floor space and turning space. The relationship between the lavatory and a water closet, a bathtub, a roll-in shower, a transfer shower, an alternate shower, and the turning spaces near a lavatory.

BATHROOM CABINET, COUNTERTOP AND SINK - page 143

• BATHROOM SINK WITH FORWARD APPROACH - Typical Guidelines
• BATHROOM SIZE
• WATER CLOSET HARD EDGES - Front Edge and Seat Side Edge
• FIXTURE NEXT TO A WATER CLOSET
• CABINET, COUNTERTOP, AND TURNING SPACE
• CABINET AND COUNTERTOP NEXT TO A BATHING FIXTURE - Bathtub, Roll-in Shower without Seat, Bathing Fixture with Seat, Transfer Shower, Alternate Shower with Seat
• CABINET, COUNTERTOP, AND OVERALL BATHROOM SIZE
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The relationship between cabinet-countertop-sink and a water closet, a bathtub, a roll-in shower, a transfer shower, an alternate shower, and the turning spaces near a cabinet and countertop.

BATHTUB - page 159

• BATHTUB - Accessible Design Considerations, Typical Guidelines, Bathing Fixture Width, Rough-in Considerations, Bathing Fixture Depth, Rough-in Considerations
• BATHTUB WITH PERMANENT SEAT - Accessible Design Considerations, Typical Guidelines, Bathroom Size, Rough-in Considerations
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Clear floor space and turning space location. Grab bars, grab bar backing, shower spray unit, and controls location. Bathtub seat location. Typical carpentry and more.

ROLL-IN SHOWER - page 175

• ROLL-IN SHOWER WITHOUT SEAT - Accessible Design Considerations, Typical Guidelines, Bathroom Size, Rough-in Considerations
• ROLL-IN SHOWER WITH SEAT - Accessible Design Considerations, Typical Guidelines, Bathroom Size, Rough-in Considerations
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Clear floor space and turning space location. Grab bars, grab bar backing, shower spray unit, and controls location. Notes on a folding shower seat. Typical carpentry and sub-floor.

TRANSFER SHOWER and ALTERNATE SHOWER - page 189

• TRANSFER SHOWER - Accessible Design Considerations, Typical Guidelines, Bathroom Size, Rough-in Considerations
• ALTERNATE SHOWER WITH SEAT (end wall controls) - Accessible Design Considerations, Typical Guidelines, Fixture Location, Rough-in Considerations
• ALTERNATE SHOWER WITH SEAT (back wall controls) - Accessible Design Considerations, Typical Guidelines, Fixture Location, Rough-in Considerations
• SEAT WALL - Entry Side and Adjacent Side Setbacks
• ADA COMPLIANT BATHING SEAT - Planning and Availability
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Clear floor space and turning space location. Grab bars, grab bar backing, shower spray unit, and controls location. Notes on a folding shower seat. Typical carpentry and sub-floor.

KITCHEN - page 211

• KITCHEN - Accessible Design Considerations
• CABINET STRUCTURE - Toe Kick Height, Cabinet and Countertop Height, Work Surface and Sink Fixtures
• APPROACH CLEAR FLOOR SPACE
• HIGH AND LOW REACH
• U - SHAPED KITCHEN
• PASS THROUGH KITCHEN
• APPROACH EXAMPLES - Refrigerator-Freezer and Cooktop, Dishwasher, Sink, Work Surface, Range, Built-in Oven
• FIXTURE HEIGHT AND LOCATION
• MANEUVERING INSIDE A KITCHEN
• BRIEF DESCRIPTION: An overview of accessible kitchen design. Detailed illustrations an efficient kitchen and the relationship between clear floor space and turning space at a refrigerator, a cooktop, a dishwasher, a sink, a work surface, a range, and a built-in oven.

An Expensive Fix (San Diego Union Article)

Wheelchair Access News (Wheelchair Access News)

A Letter From: A Bridge To Independent Living (ABIL.org)

July 19, 2005

Dear Mr. Ayala

On behalf of Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL) I am pleased to endorse your book “The Right Space: A wheelchair Accessibility Guide for Single-Family Homes” as a wonderful resource for both consumers and professionals in the housing industry.

I have worked in the disability field for nearly twenty years and have never seen a guide such as this. Your book has been needed for a very long time, especially now that people are living longer and are enjoying fuller lives, the need for home modifications for accessibility has become greater than ever in order to stay in their homes and prevent being relegated to nursing homes or costly institutions.

“The Right Space” walks readers through the process of implementing inclusive design concepts in easy-to-understand language with three-dimensional illustrations. The U.S. Access Board’s residential guidelines were made clear as readers learn about the dimensions and modifications needed for accessibility in the home.

“The Right Space” is a must for the new home builder, remodeling contractor or the layperson interested in making home modifications for a safer, more convenient home for the entire family, with or without a disability.

Sincerely,

Darrel J. Christenson M.S.
Director of Community Integration
Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL)