Dora Posted December 10, 2005 Share Posted December 10, 2005 I am beginning to build a new house. I am planning on it being completly handicapped accesiable. Does anyone have any reccomendations on the newest in technology as far as handicapped accesability? I am planning on this being my last move and want it to be ready for the possability of any future needs I may have. Any sugestions would be great! Thanks. Dora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyllis4732 Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Dora, First start by being sure you have ramps by door and ones that aren't too steep. Of course grab bares, and perhaps bars that go along the walls in every room. They can be quite decorative and well as functional (we know a young woman who had a serious auto accident and who had a lot of brain damage from her head going through the windshield. She is living with her parents and they put them on walls everywhere. You really don't notice them. Then be sure you get a walk-in shower, kitchen appliances at the right height and with knobs in the right place, and enough kitchen cabinets on the base. You may not at some time be able to reach the top level. Well, just a few suggestions which may jog someone else mind. Phyllis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PERRYS Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 36" doors instead of 32" doors and wider than normal halls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sktlwsk Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 By handicap accessable I am assuming wheelchair. I redid our shower into all tile, with a good size drain. My wife can spray all over the room with no problems. She's got a power chair, and took out some of the walls, so I removed the 3" baseboards, and made my own out of 1x10 that absorb the accidents. Countertops were replaced with rounded corners. Lever doorknobs and faucets. I raised the electric outlets, and lowered the light switches. 36 inch doors are a MUST! One area that takes a beating is the transition from tile to carpet. I put on wood transition strips to keep the carpet from getting torn up. One thing I'm going to add is one of those sinks that they use in hair salons for shampooing. Talk to an occupational therapist. They have ideas, and usually leads to contractors that can build what you need. I make changes to the house by watching my wife and adjusting accordingly. It would be a lot easier to have it built to specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lwisman Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Dora, PM Jean (jriva). She is the only one I know of on this board (my apologizes if I missed someone) who built a new house with disabilities in mind. We bought a house with my particular disabilities in mind and is not really handicapped accessible. We are looking into building onto it and adding handicapped accessible features. I have found that it really makes a difference what your particular handicaps are. Here is the URL for the article Jean wrote for the newsletter in July 2004: http://www.strokenetwork.org/newsletter/ar...s/accesshse.htm I commend you for building. It will be quite an accomplishment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom71 Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Dora, I'll have to echo everyone else, Grab bars, wider doors, walk in showers, single story house, ramps wherever there may be a step, alarm system with remote ctrls that can be set to summon medical & police help(I know adt offer these)by the way are you staying here in Indiana? God Bless You, Your friend, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstockman Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Pull out shelves in the base cupboards. and a lazy susan. Maybe windows that open with a crank handle, they don't take two hands to try to pull down those clips and push up to open. Wide doorways. Definately a walk in shower, with a hand held shower. Lots of grab bars. Best of luck, Bonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jriva Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Dora, Wooden ramps that say "handicapped house" are not necessary if you pick your lot and builder carefully. Zero-step entryways can be achieved in the cement work of your front sidewalk, driveway and garage floor leaving them with a very gentle slope that anyone can do in a manual wheelchair. On the back side of our house, three doors open up to an accessible deck that wraps two sides of the house. For frills for the unlimited budget you can add remote control lighting, fans, windows, and drapery openers in your house. You can also have doors that open with a touch of a finger like the stores have plus elevators or stairway incliners. (Our house was built to have an incliner to the basement someday--- just have a foot wider staircase than normal, double studded walls and electric near-by in case we, or someone in the future, wants that area wheelchair accessible, too.)If you plan to live alone, you might want to consider having the electrical box upstairs instead of the standard in the basement location. We have that and it's really nice. There are tons of kitchen choices from pull-out shelving to higher kick spaces to cabinets, sinks and stoves that move up and down for different cooks. Ovens with doors that open from side to side instead up top to bottom makes wheelchair baking a lot easier and are available in niche markets. For closets there are lots of choices for shelve configurations and also devices that can bring rods down to sitting level when needed or spin them around like in dry cleaners, if you got big bucks. Research Universal Design on the internet and don't short change yourself on this step of the process before you start building. The more you know, the more you can keep the architect and builder on track. Don't expect them to know it all. For example, there is a different standard for a toilet-from-wall ratio if you ever expect to use a rolling shower chair over a toilet. (If I remember correctly one is 16" and the other is 18" we have both standards in our house.) Most people can't afford a total Universal Design house but you can do a lot of the features for a few thousand dollars over the normal building costs. Research. Research. Research and pick what works for you but be sure to have the core things listed in the article Lin provided a link to. It's not a disability house without them. All the disabilities places say to build for what you might be 20 years down the road, not for what you are right now. The only time our house hints that it's Universal Design is in the bathroom because because we've got a roll-in shower with 6 grab bars in the area. That might sound like over-kill but it's me, as a caregiver, that uses them to help with transfers so that we don't both go down with a slip situation. And no matter what the builter says, get the deepest roll-in shower they make. Our sister-in-law built wheelchair accessible, too, and within a week of moving in they had to have the one roll-in shower taken out and replaced with the deeper style because it was impossible to keep water from going all over the floor. Wheelchairs are not all the same width and you often have to have room for a caregiver in there too. The REALLY high end Universal Design bathrooms are completely all ceramic tile with no prefab shower enclosures so it doesn't matter where water gets sprayed or if you're using a rolling shower chair or a lay-down gunery. Also consider when picking out light fixtures to go for the type without globes. If you can change the light bulbs with a long handled reacher instead on having to use a step ladder or calling someone, you'll be more independant. Front loading washers and dryers are better for using from a sitting position. Also make sure you garage door is tall enough for a pop-up van and longer/wider than traditional garages so that you can unload either from the side of back with a ramp if a wheelchair is ever to be in your future. Jean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOM HOLUB Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 High toilrets--Toto makes a good one.. Your handicapped and non=handicapped friends will thank you tom holub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasco Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Dora: Take lots of photos of the whole procedure -with some text you might sell the story & make enough to pay for a good portion of the building! I'd echo all of the above & add having the stove lower so I could reach the burners comfortably/safely. Good luck! Jasco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dora Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 All this information is great! Keep it coming! You have no idea how much help it is! I am going to do the Universal Design House like Mom (JRiva) recommended. The interesting part is that I'm building a log cabin! My property sits on a lake. And I have always wanted to live in a log cabin. (Thats what I live in now and I love it.) Yes Tom, I plan to stay in Indiana for now. I actually look out my window and can stare right across the lake and see my property where I am going to be breaking ground soon! But I hope to get a place in Chicago, so that when I go there for my treatments I can have a "home away from home" and not have to stay in hotels constantly every 8 weeks. I'm getting really tired of that same old boring, and lonely stay! I love Chicago and that cold weather, but here on this lake is my home. Nothing like watching the sun rise every morning (unless I'm in the hospital.) They think I had a stroke 2 weeks ago. But I seem to recovering very well. Just goes to show that you can have a stroke on blood thinners and 325 mg of asprin! WHEN'S IT ALL GONNA STOP???? It's not! I know that. This is my life now. So I need to make the best out of it! Thanks again for all of your help, and keep it coming! Dora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom71 Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Dora, I'll be praying for your health, besides the stroke we share alot of things, like my dream has also always been to live in a log cabin by a lake. God Bless you & keep in touch Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joy Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Hi, Dora, We, too, are building a handicapped accessible house for our home to fit into. When I mentioned to the builders I was talking to, that we needed it handicapped accessible, they all had really good ideas. We asked for no steps at all and none of the 2 inch "lips" that are at most outside doors. If the lot is graded properly with this in mind, this is do-able. We asked for all openings to be at least 36" and no carpet. Laminate floors have been recommended since they are hard to dent (due to things being dropped), easy to clean, easy to get around on in a wheel chair (both manual and power) and pretty. They are reasonably priced and the lighter wood tones are best because they show less dust. They will build a roll in shower with no step over lip on it. Also no shower door so the caregiver can assist with the shower. Covered patios were also recommended so my husband could be outside in any weather if he chose to be. He loves watching the neighbors and traffic so a covered large front porch was also included. Double garage - so I can get him in the house and out of the house and into and out of the van inside out of the weather. We have an open concept with the living room and kitchen. We also have made this house small enough that I can maintain it without too much trouble but large enough to meet his needs. We are planning on a small lot so there will be less yard work, too. I hope this helps some. There are lots of wonderful ideas out there. Just ask people who build and they are full of suggestions. Pick and choose what you need for your specific situation. Lots of luck, Joy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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