My retirement home ideas

[Michelle K linnane]

Hi guys
For those of you that do not know me I am NOT a stranger to projects

Here is the thread when I built my place
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/208933-project-started-2004-end-who.html


Part of plan is to sell and get enough money for some of my retirement money. But this post
is not about that but my or your retirement home! I think I have thought about a lot of issues
but this should be an interting thread on some ideas for a retirement home.


I have radiant heat in my kennel 3740 sq feet finshed and I used about 600 gallons of propane
a year to heat that floor space. My retirement will be on slab with radaint heat with a big
kitchen, family room, and living room. The BIG ROOM will have a wood stove. I will make everything
on one level and no basement with a 10 by 20 ultility room and a wood storage off that so I do
not have to go outide to get wood. I would also have an attached heated barn to the house.

I will always have dogs some kennesl will be in the mix.


But the one thing that is one my mind today about retire home is maybe building a root cellar off
the barn to keep vegetables. The root cellar will keep from having to freeze vegetables. But as this
is my retirement home I want as a few as steps as possible. This post will have many threads but
I want to do is develope my list of requirements, which is what I would everyone to reveiw first and
seem if they wish to add to.

Living space all on on level
Walk out to barn without going out side or steps
Maybe a root cellar off barn to store food stuff in
Radiant heat in barn and house
Wood stove in big common area kitchen, living room, dining room.

I would like to gather reguirements first and the build solutions will come later!!!
Think about it before you post Eddie I would be extremely interested in your ideas?

 

[tcreeley]

Sounds fun - Good luck! - re connected wood storage - carpenter ants- hard to avoid burning wood- good place for cement or tin.

 

[deerseeker001]

Sounds like you have thought this through.Enjoy the Built.

 

[SPIKER]

Michelle I wish ya luck, lots of work for sure. reading your old post on the problems sure glad I live in area without codes and neighbors who understand living there without them is worth the risk of it...

M

 

[bajabum]

Reinforcements in the walls for safety rails in the bathrooms.
Mud room, with a deep sink.
Extra room for visitors to stay.
Space for a ramp at the front door. (you just never know)

These are the things I forgot when I had my retirement house built, now I have to add on...

 

[GPintheMitten]

I would try to set up outside wood storage near a door. I would try to have a door near the wood burner. Then just store an arm load in the house.

If you can locate in a place that has natural gas If possible.

Regarding a root cellar, I've heard of some that are built into a hill with a door. Then it would be able to have fewer steps down.

 

[TCJatko]

Three-foot doors everywhere for handicapped access, if necessary. Maybe wheelchair-height, and otherwise accessible, counters and sinks throughout. Obviously, you need one of those outside wood boilers. I'd put in the safety rails now. Maybe a separate live-in apartment for a full time caretaker (adult child or reliable friend)?

 

[newbury]

Make the primary entry/exit paths with outside double doors and a 4'W hall to allow easy movement with pallets or maybe a BX1500.
Two levels could be doable if you do it in split level mode with only a few steps and wide halls between floors.

Oh - and you misspelled "mispelled"

Last edited by Michelle K linnane; Today at 03:08 PM. Reason: mispelled something

 

[GPintheMitten]

Another thought. With energy prices going higher I would max out insulation, including the slab.

 

[300UGUY]

I would try to set up outside wood storage near a door. I would try to have a door near the wood burner. Then just store an arm load in the house.

If you can locate in a place that has natural gas If possible.

Regarding a root cellar, I've heard of some that are built into a hill with a door. Then it would be able to have fewer steps down.

My grandparents had a cellar, built in the 20's or 30's, that was built by building a structure, and then mounding dirt around it. The entrance was a tunnel, you could see the cement blocks going in. The whole thing was cement, all do on site, with a little cement mixer. Then they put earth around it, it was done with a wheelbarrow. That area, western Wayne county, had a water table about 2 feet below the surface, that's why they didn't dig down for a cellar.