A family member got injured and we started looking for another house. We were searching for something on one level such as a ranch style home design plan for someone that is suddenly less mobile. Another factor that we had hoped to find was something more accessible with wider doors and safer bathrooms. However, we found this task to be daunting!
First, homes today that are ready built are hard to find that are accessible. We then looked at adapting our current home. We would just spend thousands and it may not really work anyway so we then shifted to just building one to our specs. The ideal style in my opinion was the ranch style home design plan that is on one level. But when searching online viewing numerous companies offering those type of houses, we discovered that they aren’t what traditional ranch houses once were in my opinion. I see dormers in the roof, complex roof lines, crazy angles for the floor plan and the structure taking odd turn here and there.
I wanted a simple plan that would be easy for someone in a wheelchair or walker to get around easily instead of what I have been finding. Some plans call themselves “Farmhouse” plans and when you do searches this type comes up a lot. But many farmhouse plans have second floors. Others I notice in this category may occasionally allow you to eliminate the second floor. Ranches should be just one level in my opinion they should ramble on one level giving easy access to someone with mobility issues without worrying about a lot of steps inside the plan as well as to the entrance. I don’t think I can get around a basement since I live in the North and really don’t want to move South.
Another thing that is irritating is those stupid looking water closet cubby holes with a door on it for the toilets. This must be a really popular design feature. I have a handy family member who’s tall and he hates to try to crawl into those types of spaces when trying to fix a toilet. For example, the float valve for the toilet broke and you have to crawl under the toilet to unscrew it and put in the new one. It was a royal pain for him to squeeze in there. Cleaning around the toilet was also much harder too, being it’s essentially in a closet. And if you can’t move that well that’s just dangerous trying to get in there to do your business, let alone get up and leave when you are done. Grab bars in one of these closet toilet installations would just grow the closet anyway so why put it in a closet?
I may have to buy something close to a ranch house, even if the plan calls itself a ranch, and get it adapted to make it a real ranch. Who know maybe I will get lucky and find an accessible home that’s already built.
