An post on the secret benefits of accessibility

[conuly]

I remember having an argument with somebody about building houses accessible. I said that it only cost a few thousand dollars to build a new house with wide enough doors and a porch you can ramp for people in wheelchairs. It'd be hard to make something accessible to *everybody* at once (since two people may have complete opposite needs), but you can make the most obvious changes, right?

And he goes "Who'll pay for it?", like that's a big concern. I just didn't get it. I mean, once you're already spending a few hundred thousand for your new house, surely adding another ten thousand on to make it accessible doesn't break the bank, right? And it's got to be cheaper than renovating after the fact if something should happen.

Comments

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

IT's stupid because the greying of America means that a lot more builders are making homes accessible no matter what, building on one floor, building open floor plans, building wide doorways, having big open showers with no lip, and seats in them, grab bars. I can see not wanting to do counters though, that is expensive and makes the house unusable for the current owners. Anyways a home will have a good resale value if it is accessible, it is a good selling point.

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

My parents recently (September) completed a weekend house at our family farm. And while some stuff definately added to the overall cost (all the doorways are 4' wide, the hallways are 6' wide- so it DID increase the overall square footage) other things (like a walk-in shower without a lip on it and a slightly dipped floor), making the counters a bit lower than standard wouldn't be much more expensive than any other custom option- and when you're having your own house built, it's silly to think you'll want everything off the shelf anyway.

The people who really need working on are the large homebuilders. Custom homes aren't as much a problem as the less expensive housing like subdivision and tract homes, where designers seem to choose the least expensive solution for any given option- 24" doors for closets, the tiniest, least expensive showers and tubs available, grab bars which are yes, sunk into studs- but the studs are 2x4 instead of really being well-anchored (thye're something that may be supporting the weight of an adult human weighing more than a hundred pounds- not all disabled folks are skinny little old women!)

I'm hoping to take some photos of the new house soon, if you'd like them. It's a beautiful home and the accessibility is just a bonus- it adds to the airy, light feel of the house.

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

I don't know what it's like where you live, but in B.C. there is a government program that will give people tax rebates and special grants to help pay to make houses accessible.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

IT's stupid because the greying of America means that a lot more builders are making homes accessible no matter what, building on one floor, building open floor plans, building wide doorways, having big open showers with no lip, and seats in them, grab bars. I can see not wanting to do counters though, that is expensive and makes the house unusable for the current owners. Anyways a home will have a good resale value if it is accessible, it is a good selling point.

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

My parents recently (September) completed a weekend house at our family farm. And while some stuff definately added to the overall cost (all the doorways are 4' wide, the hallways are 6' wide- so it DID increase the overall square footage) other things (like a walk-in shower without a lip on it and a slightly dipped floor), making the counters a bit lower than standard wouldn't be much more expensive than any other custom option- and when you're having your own house built, it's silly to think you'll want everything off the shelf anyway.

The people who really need working on are the large homebuilders. Custom homes aren't as much a problem as the less expensive housing like subdivision and tract homes, where designers seem to choose the least expensive solution for any given option- 24" doors for closets, the tiniest, least expensive showers and tubs available, grab bars which are yes, sunk into studs- but the studs are 2x4 instead of really being well-anchored (thye're something that may be supporting the weight of an adult human weighing more than a hundred pounds- not all disabled folks are skinny little old women!)

I'm hoping to take some photos of the new house soon, if you'd like them. It's a beautiful home and the accessibility is just a bonus- it adds to the airy, light feel of the house.

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

I don't know what it's like where you live, but in B.C. there is a government program that will give people tax rebates and special grants to help pay to make houses accessible.