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 In Lessons Learned, Multi-Family Housing

by Lisa Pilorz
Senior Access Planner

Costly problems are often encountered during construction when designs provide only the minimum required clearances.  Bathroom layouts can be particularly tricky.

architectural floor plan layout of bathroomWhen designing a bathroom layout, consider the graphic place holder used for fixtures. Confirm that the dimensions of the toilet graphic match the actual dimensions for the specified toilet.

The graphic image and photo, included here, illustrate the type of fixture placement issue that can occur during construction.  The architectural drawings show the bathroom layout with just enough clearance at the shower; a minimum 30” x 48” clearance adjacent and perpendicular to the shower control wall.

bathroom under construction toilet overlapping clear floor spaceHowever, during a recent construction site visit, I discovered that the location of the toilet will overlap the required clearance by 6”.

Since this condition was identified early in construction, the redesign of the bathroom may be less costly than if discovered in later phases of construction or at project completion.

Verifying specified toilet dimensions when designing and including early construction site walks in your planning are two ways to prevent costly construction fixes.