Tips for Choosing a Location for Your Walk-in Tub

If you are thinking about installing a walk-in tub for your home because you or another loved one that is living with you needs it in order to take baths or showers safely, then you are likely contemplating the installation challenges for this project. Many people have very small bathrooms that might not be able to physically accommodate a walk-in bathtub without removing the toilet or the sink. Other bathrooms might have other problems. Here are some questions that you should ask yourself in order to make sure that you are installing the tub in the most advantageous area possible.

1. Can your house support the tub's weight?

If you are thinking about putting your tub on the second floor of your home, you will need to take the additional weight of the tub into consideration. Some houses will not have the support structures needed to keep the structural integrity of the house with the additional weight of a walk-in tub. This could result in your house being permanently damaged and partially collapsing if you try to install it. Before you install your walk-in tub on any floor, have a contractor come out and tell you whether or not that particular area of the house will be able to support it. 

2. Can your loved one reach the tub easily?

If your loved one is having mobility problems to the point where he or she needs a walk-in tub, there is a good chance that he or she is also going to have problems walking up the stairs to access the bathroom at all. Talk to your loved one or assess yourself and see if you are going to be able to continue getting up the stairs to the walk-in tub or if it would make more sense financially to put it on the ground floor so that you wouldn't have to install additional supports that would allow you or your loved one to navigate the steps more safely.

3. Will your pipes access the area?

Finally, have a plumbing contractor come out to your home and see if the pipes access the area of the house that you have chosen for the location of the walk-in tub. This is only important if you are not choosing an area that already has water running to it, such as another bathroom or the kitchen.

For more information, check out http://www.twincitystairlifts.com and talk to a company that specializes in walk-in tubs.

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