Making platforms to raise toilets to ADA height

[zannej]

This ties in to my thread on the guest bathroom/laundry room renovation and the one on my Ensuite renovation.

We've already replaced the toilet in Mom's bathroom to be ADA height. It wasn't cheap. We still have 2 standard height toilets (re-using the one from her bathroom & have another unboxed one). I've gotten accustomed to the taller toilet & rather than try to buy new toilets, I wanted to build platforms to raise them up a few inches.

I've been trying to think of the best way to do this. I was initially thinking 2x4s but I saw that pressure treated 3x4 landscaping timbers are under $5 and would provide more support.

I would have them so they are 4" wide and 3" tall (they are supposedly exact height). I can use the table saw and someone said they saw band saws in my workshop that I could use to trim things up if need be. I also have multiple sanders.

I was thinking of making a sort of rectangle, leaving the back squared off, and having the front rounded to the contour of the toilet. There can be a little lip sticking out from under the toilet to make sure it doesn't ever slip off.

I would secure the frame to the floor somehow and make sure it is level. The toilet flange would then be installed in the frame (possibly recessed). I would have parts notched for the flange/drain to fit.

Dimensions along with my sketch of the frame (which is not to scale)

I need to do a better drawing, but I know the widest point of the toilet is 9-1/4". The boards would be 4" wide. If I spaced them so they were 9-1/2" wide on the sides, I would basically have to notch out in the middle for the flange.

I'm debating whether or not to have luan or thin plywood over the top and let the flange recess into it-- but I will want to have a notch for the toilet bolts and have something under them so the don't fall out of reach. Granted, they will be secured with nuts.

This is my rough sketch of base framing before cuts:

Obviously, I will have to compensate for the curved edges of the timbers. I can put the toilet base on some large poster paper and trace out the shape for a template to cut & sand it to the right size/shape. I will mark where the bolt holes are to make sure I get the flange right. It might not be so easy to drill in to the self-leveling flooring stuff I put down, but I might find some masonry bits that will do the trick. The other bathroom won't have that problem. I can level the platforms independently of the floor if need be so the toilet will be level even if the rest of the floor isn't. I will paint the platform and seal it up well.

Has anyone tried something like this? Any better ideas? does this seem feasible?

 

[Supervisor42]

This ties in to my thread on the guest bathroom/laundry room renovation and the one on my Ensuite renovation.

We've already replaced the toilet in Mom's bathroom to be ADA height. It wasn't cheap. We still have 2 standard height toilets (re-using the one from her bathroom & have another unboxed one). I've gotten accustomed to the taller toilet & rather than try to buy new toilets, I wanted to build platforms to raise them up a few inches.

I've been trying to think of the best way to do this. I was initially thinking 2x4s but I saw that pressure treated 3x4 landscaping timbers are under $5 and would provide more support.

I would have them so they are 4" wide and 3" tall (they are supposedly exact height). I can use the table saw and someone said they saw band saws in my workshop that I could use to trim things up if need be. I also have multiple sanders.

I was thinking of making a sort of rectangle, leaving the back squared off, and having the front rounded to the contour of the toilet. There can be a little lip sticking out from under the toilet to make sure it doesn't ever slip off.

I would secure the frame to the floor somehow and make sure it is level. The toilet flange would then be installed in the frame (possibly recessed). I would have parts notched for the flange/drain to fit.

Dimensions along with my sketch of the frame (which is not to scale)
View attachment 75812

I need to do a better drawing, but I know the widest point of the toilet is 9-1/4". The boards would be 4" wide. If I spaced them so they were 9-1/2" wide on the sides, I would basically have to notch out in the middle for the flange.

I'm debating whether or not to have luan or thin plywood over the top and let the flange recess into it-- but I will want to have a notch for the toilet bolts and have something under them so the don't fall out of reach. Granted, they will be secured with nuts.

This is my rough sketch of base framing before cuts:
View attachment 75819

Obviously, I will have to compensate for the curved edges of the timbers. I can put the toilet base on some large poster paper and trace out the shape for a template to cut & sand it to the right size/shape. I will mark where the bolt holes are to make sure I get the flange right. It might not be so easy to drill in to the self-leveling flooring stuff I put down, but I might find some masonry bits that will do the trick. The other bathroom won't have that problem. I can level the platforms independently of the floor if need be so the toilet will be level even if the rest of the floor isn't. I will paint the platform and seal it up well.

Has anyone tried something like this? Any better ideas? does this seem feasible?

The ones that I saw that were most commonplace simply raised the level of the seat to the correct height instead of the whole toilet.
I like the idea of the handrails.
There are numerous different designs to choose from.

 

[zannej]

Yeah, those seat things are awful. Also, the bars aren't wide enough to fit around some of the people in my household. I'd rather have a base at the bottom. But I appreciate the suggestion.

I'm trying to figure out how much of the landscaping timbers would have to be cut off to get rid of the rounded part and have it be flat. I may even consider only raising the seat 2" for at least one of the toilets. Sadly, the plastic things to raise the toilet are all either too short, too long, wrong shape, and too expensive. I saw one that was over $700.

For maybe $10 in lumber plus screws and such I could probably build one or two platforms myself.

 

[randyt]

A regular seat is available with a 2 inch lift. For the most part it looks like a normal seat

 

[randyt]

You could get 5/4 decking and stack it. Would give you 2.5 inches. 1/2 inch maybe too much extra

 

[Cabin Fever]

Not sure if I would mess with raising an existing toilet using landscape timbers. You would also need a toilet flange extender to gap the space between your current flange and the new flange or use double or triple wax rings to gap the space.

Home Depot has four or five tall toilets for under 100 bucks (Glacier Bay brand). They also have a tall bowl foundation for a two-piece toilet for under $100 (Delta brand). If yours is a 2-piece toilet, perhaps your existing tank will fit on the taller Delta foundation.

 

[mosquitomountainman]

Our local VFW has items like toilet seat risers available for free for veterans. I don't know if that's the way it is where you are but you might check. When my first wife had cancer we had the seat riser and a separate frame with hand holds that had legs on it. It was wider than the one shown above. If anyone is one medicare or medicaid (and most insurance companies) then their doctor can prescribe seat extensions, etc. and it will be covered by those programs.

As has already been said, if you want to raise the whole toilet you'll need to also raise the flange height.

 

[zannej]

Thanks for the input.

No local VFW. All the ones who were here died. I can't convince the old lady to buy new toilet bowls when we already have two functional ones. One is used and the other is pristine. Both 14-5/8" high. My friend's chair height toilet is 16-1/4"H. Mom's toilet is 17-1/4". The pristine toilet bowl has a sanagloss (now called cefiontect) finish so its easier to clean.

Glacier Bay brand is absolute garbage. LOL.

I'm not sure what the Delta bowl foundation is. But the toilet base is 23-5/8" deep.

To clarify something on the flanges: The guest bathroom has not been plumbed yet. It will be getting brand new DWV (drain/waste/vent) so I will be able to rough-in the flange at whatever height I want. In that bathroom, I can have the riser be taller because my brother will be the main user and is ~6'3". I'm 5'5" so I want my toilet around chair height (I found my friend's toilet to be more comfortable than the one at home in terms of height). I already have seats for the toilets.

My bathroom is currently plumbed but its done horribly. No vents, they cut a section of joist out for a tub drain, sanitary tees where there should be wyes, etc. It's a cluster. So I will need to re-do the plumbing to vent it properly, get the right fittings, etc. So, it's a gut job for the DWV. That means I can rough-in for a flange at whatever height I want. I've seen pictures & videos of them having the pipe extend several inches above the floor during rough-in and then it gets cut to size for the flange. The seals I use work well with the flange either flush with the floor or sitting on top of the floor no more than 1/4"above. My current flange is only 11-7/8" or so from the wall instead of 12" so it probably needs to get bumped forward anyway so I can have baseboard behind. So, I may need a slight offset.

I'm still debating whether or not to put plywood of some sort over the top of the riser, water seal it, plasti-dip it, and maybe put a plastic sheet over it to seal the hell out of it so it won't get wet.

I admit, I kinda want to do this just to use more tools in my workshop.

 

[Spikedriver]

I hate to be a naysayer, but to me this project looks like something that will take a lot of time and money, and the end result will be y'all buying ADA toilets anyway. My dad put an ADA toilet in for my mom as her mobility decreased. It was a great move and helped her stay in the house several years longer.

 

[UrbanHunter]

We installed a plastic raised seat and some wall attached grab rails, it made a world of difference. Heck it was simple enough even I could install it... take off the old seat and install the plastic riser seat, the only down side was that the riser seat has no lid....

 

[zannej]

People in my family are too wide for the rail parts on the seats. LOL. Those things are not easy to clean.

Spike, I appreciate the feedback. I already have a bunch of scrap lumber to use and I can get some inexpensive stuff. I wish cementboard was strong enough to stack up under the toilet as a riser, but the edges would be super ugly.

I wouldn't even consider this if we weren't planning to renovate anyway. I don't currently have a toilet installed in my bathroom the floor is awful, the flange is cracked, & I'm going to have to re-do the drains and add vents so I figured I might as well add the riser while I'm doing this. Got a flooring installer friend on another forum helping me brainstorm. I'm thinking this can be like a little step that curves to the same contour as the front and sides of the toilet and won't interfere with feet, squatty potty, etc. I can at least try to make a template and worst case scenario I can scrap it if I'm not happy. Shouldn't be too expensive if I use the materials I want to use. Should be under $100 for both platforms. *Should* being the operative word.

I'm not in a hurry to do it either so I can wait for some prices to go down.

I already have paint and water seal stuff. I have some plywood. I have plenty of screws.

 

[mosquitomountainman]

Sounds like you have it all figured out so go for it.

 

[zannej]

I need to figure out the best way to join the pieces together. I think I can manage shaping them, but I will need to practice on some smaller scraps. Also need to figure out the exact materials for certain.