House for my Parents

[EddieWalker]

Two very opositie views. Thanks!!!!

My thought on aging and designing the house was to keep it on one level, make it easy to get around wiht a walker or in a chair, and give them enough space to function. The toilets will be ADA. The shower is ADA. All the doors are 3ft wide and the halls are 3 1/2 feet wide. I understand and can see where building counters for wheelchairs would be cheaper to do now, but remodeling is what I do for a living and if it becomes something that they need, I'll replace the cabinets and do a remodel for them at that time. Nobody in either of their families ever had to use any sort of assistance in getting around. I don't know if it's a gentic thing or not. Sadly, they all had some form of alzheimers or dementia, which is what I'm expecting more then anything else.

Eddie

 

[EE_Bota]

I think what Eddie has already decided is about right. He has most of it from the get-go and is stopping short of modifying cabinets and surfaces at this time. I think that is an excellent approach, and it is very close to what we did for my Mom. We did buy her new cabinets because she said she wanted them, and I suppose we could have did the accessible route at that time...but there seemed to be far less interest in those mods by all involved, including her.

 

[EddieWalker]

We finished off all the prep work. All sewer and drain lines are in, the water lines to the island and from the main are in and the power lines to the island and to the house are in. I built three boxes to keep concrete away from my tub and shower drains, and we've smoothed and gone over eveything. It's time for rebar and the termite guy to spray the dirt.

Concrete took a step back. The guy I was going to use lost his mind. He's done work for two other people that I recomded him to, and he was very affordable with excellent results. He just told me he wanted $1,800 to smooth the concrete. Half a days work for his crew of five and himself. He said he has to pay his guys $180 each, which leaves $900 for him. I'm not going to say what a guy should earn, but I'm not going to pay him that. Not even close!!!!!

I'm waiting on calls from other guys right now. I should have something figured out in a few days.

 

[dave1949]

On the preparing for aging issue, there is a difference between having a physical disability and being old and infirm. They require different approaches in my mind.

My Mom is 86, still drives locally, goes to the pool for supervised exercise (and socializing), does her own shopping, etc. She doesn't have much interest in cooking for one person. So even if she were in a wheelchair, I don't see her making much use of an ADA-compliant kitchen for example.

She has single-level living except for two steps down into the garage, grab bars at that door and in the bathroom are appreciated, and add to her safety and confidence.

That is different from a younger person who is wheel chair bound but has upper body strength, a good grip, good coordination, strong bones and is able to quickly learn new tasks with wider ranging interests. Getting older usually isn't just loosing physical abilities.

Outlooks and interests change too. A younger physically disabled person generally wants to be as independent as possible, anything in their home that promotes that is good. Elderly people reach a point when they know they need to rely on others for help, usually after breaking something.

All in all, I think Eddie has it about right.

 

[Pixguy]

It sounds like Eddie has already thought of it with 3'6" hallways and 3' doors. I'm sure he'll block the areas that would need handrails and take photos of the walls for future need.

I will also be following your build. Lucky you that you're able to build it custom and enjoy them as they get older.

 

[wlamarparmer]

I agree, it appears Eddie has it about right. Didn't mean to start an argument on disability aids. Bird I don't disagree with You, all the inside features, i.e., wider doors, hallways, one floor, grab rails, ADA bathrooms are all good safety features as we all get older. A lot of these would have really helped me last Nov.-Dec, just have a problem with ramps and wheelchair accessible kitchens and counters until necessary. I have a quadriplegic niece, so have some idea of needs for total handicapped. In watching Eddie's projects, he always seems to put in a lot of thought in anything he builds. The pictures/threads that involve parents seems they appear to still be active and healthy. If I over reacted, I apologize. My first post and start a firestorm. Looking forward to following this thread to its completion, and try to keep my mouth shut.
Lamar

 

[CurlyDave]

I think I can partially understand your feelings, but I'm a year older than you and also the eldest son, and disagree with you completely. My Mother died 6 years ago at the age of 85 and buried my youngest sister 3 years before that. Maybe you don't want to hear what's going to happen to you, but whether you hear it or not, it's gonna happen to all of us someday, and I'd much rather prepare well in advance than get caught needing something I don't have. I think most, if not all, handicap friendly things such as ramps instead of steps, wide doors instead of narrow, handrails in bathrooms, taller toilets, seats in showers, etc. are actually quite nice even if you're a 30 year old athlete.:laughing:

So while I don't need that handicap stuff right now, I wish my whole house had been designed and built with it.

I think Bird is right.

In fact a lot of the handicap-friendly stuff is really unobtrusive, like 36 inch doors, and doesn't look out of place at all. A ramp from the garage to the house is also useful for furniture moving. Even our dogs use the ramp instead of the adjacent stairs.

Eddie: Since your concrete pour is on hold, there is one more handicap feature you might want to consider: at least one shower and one toilet should be spacious enough for both a resident and an attendant. This can keep someone at home, instead of in a nursing facility, for years.

No one likes to think about this, but my dad was able to stay in his own home until the very end of his life because of this type of a design. In many places, in-home nursing care is available and preferred.

 

[EddieWalker]

I didn't think about help on the toilet. The master toilet is in a room that is 3ft 6in wide and 5ft 9 in long. That might be big enough for help. The hall bath toilet is more open, so that should work better for assistance. The shower is 3ft 6in wide and almost 7 feet long. That should be big enough for quite a few people!!!! LOL

Everything is on one level. The front and back porches will have a very mild slope away from the house, but no steps. The side door to the garage will have a step, but the garage doors next to it wont. I think that is the only step.

I like levers over handles, but they will decide on that since they will be living there. Its an eas change down the road if I have to do that. There really isn't anything that I can't change if I have to, but things like blocking the walls for handles in the shower and toilet walls are all part of the plan and great advice.

The pad will be sprayed for termites tomorrow. The owner of the company is a friend on facebook and is giving me a great discount. .12 cents a square foot, or $336 for 2800 sq ft is a BARGAIN!!!!

Eddie

 

[Bird]

I like levers over handles

Me, too, and fortunately, that's what we have throughout the house.

I would not have thought about the taller toilets if I hadn't had a knee replaced 2 years ago and was told in advance to get one of the extenders to make one of ours taller.

 

[jinman]

Eddie, just remember that door handles are a lot easier for small children to operate than doorknobs. Your folks aren't planning on having any more children, are they?:laughing: