# Wheelchair access homes



## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Read an article about common features of "universal design" for aging in place. Most of what I read was more about wheelchair access for new construction but it is something to keep in the back of your mind if looking to live "forever" where you want to live.....

The common features:
1. reinforce walls around tub/showers/toilets to accommodate grab bars.
2. have bathroom on main floor - prefer full bath.
3. hallways 42" wide.
4. doorways 32" min, 36" preferred.
5. outlets 2 ft and switches 4ft from floor level.
6. one entry into home with no steps.
7. thresholds no higher than 1/4" with sloped edge or non-existent. 

Me, hallways are 39", interior doors are 32" and 36", two exterior doors are 36", installed grab bars in one bathroom, ranch style home (1 floor), switches are only 44" high although outlets are only about
14" high, and no I don't really plan on changing anything after all these years of living here.... :thumb:


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## Jlynnp (Sep 9, 2014)

Our house is pretty much wheelchair accessible, we have a ramp at the back door and going down from the deck to the yard. My bathroom has a roll in shower which we installed about 2 yrs ago. The hallway is quite wide but I do not need to use it as you can enter my bedroom from the sewing room and the door is 36" wide. We did the ramps ourself and it was quite easy once we got the first one done.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Before we built this house we got the good, &#8220;Building for a Lifetime&#8221;. The people who wrote it experimented with how much space you will need sitting, sitting and eating, maneuvering with a wheelchair or walker, etc. All of our doorways are 36&#8221; or wider. The kitchen is wheelchair accessible as is the upstairs bath. The stairs are wide enough for a lift or chair and has an electric outlet for such. 

Handicap accessible is actually very nice for everyone. Wider hallways, more spacious bathrooms.


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## Solar Geek (Mar 14, 2014)

We built ADA compliant for wheel chair and walker access for elderly parents in 2012 even tho they still insist they "don't need that!". (They do)

Also wanted this to be *our *age in place home as long as possible.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

In the book mentioned above, the authors found that ADA complaint were often not suitable. ADA did not give enough room to sitting at a table, for instance.


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## Solar Geek (Mar 14, 2014)

Maura said:


> In the book mentioned above, the authors found that ADA complaint were often not suitable. ADA did not give enough room to sitting at a table, for instance.


 Good Point Maura!

Actually, we knew that (somewhatly - new word). But my MIL who is already handicapped, has tested out our house for 2 years and pronounces it perfect. We have everything on 1 level, wheelchair and walker accessible baths; walk in no step shower with seat. Whole open pathway perimeter of the room is 4.5' wide and dining table is 4' from any wall with 4' walk/roll around area. Entrances to the house have no steps - we even got the building permit for the garage entry to be level without a 4" step (generally required here).

My BIL who is basically blind said it is also great as there are NO rounded corners, edges to mess up in. Everything is a rectangle or square and the furniture is "floating" in the center of the great room. Floor plugs are covered with furniture so not a tripping hazard. All lights are switch operated and we put a switch in the MIL/FIL guest room that activates all the LR lights so she can see to get to the bathroom before she opens her bedroom door. 

When she comes we joke that she never has to walk anywhere but the bathroom. We bought 6 spa robes (all white) for guests as we live in the middle of nowhere so everyone who comes has to stay. She puts hers on, goes to the recliner and we wait on her hand and foot. We even bought big TV tray tables so she needn't get up to eat! Also no furniture legs to bang into; leather couches and chairs. She has a bad bad leg/knee and it is very painful if she bumps it. 

All hallways are 4'+ wide and the guest room they use has a slanted cornered off walk in closet suitably wide for her to roll a wheelchair or walker into it. Lower closet rack is only 2.5' off the floor so easily reachable. 
Also got a dresser/hutch that has a 5' long attached mirror that goes to just 6" above the floor so she can see her self when seated. 

We put a ton of thought and research into this house. Besides the stuff above, NO carpeting to trip over; tile that is NOT slippery when wet; step stools hidden everywhere for her to put her leg up without making a fuss. 1st floor laundry with front loader access, lots of light everywhere (ok that is for me, I am "light challenged" apparently). 

We hope to be here till we are very old and gray and wanted to not have to move due to an injury or old age. Hope that is what will happen!


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## TxHorseMom (Feb 21, 2011)

We are just starting the process of building our forever/retirement home. My husband has had both of his hips replaced by the time he was 53. And while he is doing well, there could become a time when he will need a wheelchair, so we are trying to prepare now instead of having to redo something. So, it's a ranch style home, and of course the doorways are wider, there will be a door less, frameless shower with built in seat that is wide enough for a wheelchair. We are also adding a hand held shower spray to rinse off. We thought about getting that walk in bathtub they advertise but after we thought about it, we realized that that wasn't a good idea. You would have to sit in it while it was filling up, naked, getting cold, and then you have to sit in it until it drained getting even colder. Not my idea of fun. Another thing we are adding is taller toilets. Much easier to get on and off. Any other ideas that I haven't thought of?


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## Solar Geek (Mar 14, 2014)

TxHorseMom said:


> We are just starting the process of building our forever/retirement home. My husband has had both of his hips replaced by the time he was 53. And while he is doing well, there could become a time when he will need a wheelchair, so we are trying to prepare now instead of having to redo something. So, it's a ranch style home, and of course the doorways are wider, there will be a door less, frameless shower with built in seat that is wide enough for a wheelchair. We are also adding a hand held shower spray to rinse off. We thought about getting that walk in bathtub they advertise but after we thought about it, we realized that that wasn't a good idea. You would have to sit in it while it was filling up, naked, getting cold, and then you have to sit in it until it drained getting even colder. Not my idea of fun. Another thing we are adding is taller toilets. Much easier to get on and off. Any other ideas that I haven't thought of?


One thing to think of is cabinets and drawers in both kitchen and bathrooms is height. We are tall so most of our counters are raised up a few inches. That may cause us problems later but we could always have the cabinets set lower (we had them raised up with a false bottom.)

But when our kids were little, we learned to have the dishes in the lower cabinets (now we have slide outs) so that they could be self sufficient AND empty the dishwasher and set the table! We realized that would work for a wheel chair also.


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

Age and life have a way of altering the perspectives. I never thought a whole lot about steps... until at age 50, I busted a leg in a big way. I wasn't allowed to put ANY weight on it for four months. Even a single step was sometimes a challenge. I figured out that even with crutches, I had a hard time getting through some doorways, had to do the sideways shuffle with a walker, no way a wheelchair would have come close, and that in a pretty typical home setting.

Though I'm pretty much back to normal, the perspective has stuck. I really don't want a two story home anymore, a ranch style will be just fine. I wouldn't mind having a house with a daylight basement or a house where there are basically "guest rooms" upstairs and we can live on the main level. Those would be doable. But I am seriously paying attention to home spaces that would be a problem when (notice I didn't say "if") mobility again becomes an issue. We're on the back side of 50... and not getting any younger. YMMV


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## TxHorseMom (Feb 21, 2011)

Steps are the main reason we're moving/building. Our current home has a step up kitchen. You have to go up 2 steps. That may not sound like a lot, but it is with a wheelchair or walker.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Solar Geek said:


> Floor plugs are covered with furniture so not a tripping hazard.


I take it your outlets aren't in the wall but in the floor??? 
Dumb question :shrug: if you aren't referring to electrical outlets what are floor plugs?


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## Solar Geek (Mar 14, 2014)

Micheal said:


> I take it your outlets aren't in the wall but in the floor???
> Dumb question :shrug: if you aren't referring to electrical outlets what are floor plugs?


Micheal, we have both electric wall plugs (both low and higher) and electric floor plugs because we have "floating furniture" meaning it is not against any walls. That was so wheelchairs and walkers can move about the entire perimeter of rooms, even around the dining room table. But of course you need reading lamps on your living room area end tables, so we had electric floor plugs put in all over with covers so that they are equal to the tile floors. My DH laid out the LR area for both furniture and all tables before the tile was even in as we are on a part 6" slab and part basement (about 1/2 of the floor has a basement below). When you don't have a basement beneath a tile floor and furniture, it is almost impossible to add later

The cords to lamps and phones are underneath tables and behind couches with a couch buffet table over the cords. 

We had a dog that got behind some furniture in our 10th home (we have moved 16 times). At that time, we had not realized the hazard the lamp cord/wire caused and the dog tripped and could have been killed by a very heavy crystal lamp someone had given to us. We realized the danger and moved everything. Since that time, no more cords/wires exposed anywhere.


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## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

Make sure that whatever powers that be allow for floor electric. Had to get rid of mine here.

Mon


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