A bathroom that still works as you get older
An accessible bathroom for staying in your Simi Valley home or for a parent moving in: step-free showers, grab bar blocking, seats, wider doors and lighting.
An accessible bathroom is built around how one particular person moves: someone using a walker, a parent who is moving in, or you, planning to stay in your Simi Valley home for the next twenty years. The goal is a room that is safe without looking like a hospital.
Most of the work is ordinary remodeling done with different priorities: no step into the shower, a place to sit, something solid to hold, enough room to turn, and light where you need it. Some of it, like widening a door in a bearing wall, changes the permit path, so it helps to know early.
Start with how the person moves
A bathroom for someone who uses a cane is different from one for a wheelchair. Before drawing anything we ask who will use the room, what is hard today, and whether a doctor or occupational therapist has made recommendations. Their notes are the best brief a contractor can get.
If nobody needs help yet and you are planning ahead, the smart approach is to build in what is hard to add later, like blocking and a step-free shower, and leave the visible equipment for when it is needed.
Features and what each one solves
None of these are required by code in a private home. The federal ADA standards are written for public buildings, so in your own house you choose the features that fit the person.
| Feature | What it solves | Best time to add |
|---|---|---|
| Curbless or low-curb shower | Stepping over a tub wall or curb | During the remodel; hard to retrofit |
| Wood blocking in the walls | Grab bars anchored where hands actually reach | While the walls are open |
| Bench or fold-down seat | Standing for a full shower | Bench during framing; seat any time |
| Handheld shower on a slide bar | Washing while seated, help from a caregiver | With the valve |
| Comfort-height toilet | Sitting down and standing up | At fixture install |
| Lever handles, brighter lighting | Grip strength and night visits | At trim and electrical |
Doorways, clear floor space and the permit path
Hall bath doors in older tract homes are often narrow, and a walker or wheelchair needs more room to pass and turn. Widening an opening in a non-bearing wall is routine. Widening one in a bearing wall adds a header and becomes structural work, which moves the project out of the City's one-week remodel review and into full plan check.
We tell you at the estimate which walls are which, so you can decide whether the wider door is worth the extra review time or whether a pocket door or offset hinges get you most of the way.
Questions homeowners ask
Does my home bathroom have to meet ADA rules?
No. The ADA standards apply to public accommodations, not to a private single-family home. You can use them as a guide for clearances, but you are free to fit the room to the actual person instead.
Can grab bars be added later?
Yes, if there is something solid behind the wall. That is why we put wood blocking in every likely spot while the walls are open. It costs little during a remodel and lets you add bars years later without opening tile.
Can you make a bathroom accessible without a full remodel?
Sometimes. A tub-to-shower conversion with a low curb, a seat, a handheld shower and grab bars covers the most common risks. The full remodel is needed when the door, the toilet location or the floor space are the problem.
Are there extra protections if I am 65 or older?
Yes. California gives homeowners 65 and older five business days, instead of three, to cancel a home improvement contract after signing. The contract rules box on this page lists it with the other protections.
Sources
Facts on this page last verified: .
- City of Simi Valley Building and Safety, Online Permit Submittal Instructions: https://www.simivalley.org/departments/environmental-services/building-safety-division/online-permit-submittal-instructions (2026-10-05)
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