The bathroom walls are open now. Adding support for a future grab bar is a very different job once your favourite tile is covering them. You don't have to choose every visible fitting today, but this is a useful moment to plan where one could go.
Plan likely use, not a random timber offcut
Discuss the intended users, transfers, and likely support locations with the appropriate designer or accessibility professional. Reinforcement should be coordinated with the future hardware and the wall assembly.
Accessibility Standards Canada's accessible-ready housing guidance discusses wall reinforcement for future adaptations. It is a planning reference, not a statement that every provision is mandatory in an ordinary Ontario renovation.
Keep the waterproofing detail intact
Ask how future fasteners can be installed with suitable support and compatible waterproofing treatment. Backing does not remove the need to follow the selected grab bar's instructions or the shower system's requirements.
Leave a record someone can use
- Photographs with a scale or clear measured references.
- Backing dimensions and its relationship to finished surfaces.
- The wall and waterproofing assembly details.
- Any hardware or installation assumptions used in the design.
Take one overall photo that identifies the wall and a closer view with measured references. Record the backing edges relative to the finished floor or another permanent point, allowing for the tile and floor build-up. Save the images somewhere both owners can find them. A tightly cropped picture of timber may prove that backing exists, but it won't tell the next installer which side of the niche it was on.
Before the walls close, confirm that the reinforcement plan and its measurements are in your project folder. You can leave some hardware decisions for later while making the future installation easier to understand. The towel rail can then remain a towel rail.