Anyone ever done an "adaptive" house?

[jmowreader]

I was coming back from lunch when one of the managers pulled me into the office.

"Jim, we're buying a house. We have about six candidates picked out and we'll be choosing one sometime this week. We are going to convert it into a place where guys who got seriously wounded in Iraq can live for occupational therapy, and then donate it to Womack (Army Community Hospital). And we want you to be lead carpenter on this."

The particular OT our house will provide is the "learn how to live at home if you're in a wheelchair, on crutches or on an artificial leg."

Although I've not seen any of the houses, going in I know this:

* All of the houses we're looking at are four-bedroom ranches. None of them have basements--the water table here is too high to do a basement anyway.

* All of the houses have carports with doors leading into them.

* They all have two largish bathrooms, good roofs and good HVAC systems.

* And I can do basically anything I want, so long as I meet ADA regs and the North Carolina Builders Code.

I know I want to do the following:

1. Build a wheelchair ramp for each door.
2. Make sure all of the doors are 36" wide and the hallways are at least 48" wide.
3. Install ADA-approved toilets, grab bars and so on in the bathrooms.
4. Remove the carpeting over most of the house and convert to hardwood and commercial vinyl flooring. I want the living room to have carpet so the troops can practice moving on carpet in the house, but the rest of the house I want hard surface flooring in.
5. Change all of the doorknobs to the lever type, and all of the light switches to the flat European style.
6. Remodel the kitchen so that part of the cabinetry is wheelchair height and part is standard height. Each cabinet height will have a double-bowl sink. We're counting on this house being used by multiple families at once, so we've already planned on installing two refrigerators. They've already ordered one bottom-freezer model and one side-by-side. I'm trying to get a drop-in range (which are shorter than freestanding ranges) that I can build in low, and I think I'm going to get it.
7. I want the whole house to be painted in colors that are not white (boring), green (the stereotypical hospital color) or anything even remotely resembling sand (for obvious reasons). I'd also like to use relaxing colors. This pretty much restricts me to blues, huh?
8. I am going to install 48-inch protective wainscoting and solid oak baseboard moulding so wheelchair novices don't tear the shit out of the house.
9. If there is a concrete patio at the house already, I will fix any cracks in it. If there's not, I'll build a deck. Sunshine and fresh air are probably good for convalescence.

Is there anything I missed?

[ncrainbowgrrl]

1. I don't know ANYTHING about adaptive housing...

But I wanted to give you a big :yourock: for what you're going to be doing.

I'm a little choked up right now... This is just a great patriotic project... best of luck. Let us know how it goes!

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Multiple switches for each light would be helpful

And the windows, if they are designed to open, should be sliders, not up-and-downers, with the window locks on the bottom.

And tubs that are large enough that a safety seat can be put in them, and also large enough that a tall/large person can take a bath and still be covered with water (I've had tubs that I can't bathe in because either all my torso, or my knees, are out of the water, and I hate it; and then, I was only bathing for the heat, not to clean myself).

Washers and dryers that front load.

And a little button that, every time they press it, shocks the shit out of our fake president.

[Ezlivin]

3. I've built two "universal design" houses

And after 24 years in a wheelchair, a few things come to mind.

Toilets: If you get an ADA toilet, check to see if your occupants will use a toilet chair and roll over the toilet or if they will transfer to a padded, raised seat. Some toilets are so damned tall that when you add a padded seat you can't sit without your legs dangling (and I'm 6'7" tall).

Showers: Some folks like to shower in a chair (shower chair, same as a toilet chair generally). This means you need a spacious, nearly-level shower. Others prefer to transfer to a shower chair/bench. This type of shower can be a bit more compact. Also pay attention to the type of shower head used and how it is mounted. You want to allow the shower head to be raised and lowered.

Showers, Part Deux: A thermostatically controlled faucet in the tub and/or shower is a real healthy choice! It will prevent unintentionally scalding and burning. Very important to those that are insensate.

Tables: These should have no underside obstructions so that a wheelchair user can roll underneath. Tall users will have difficulty with this, since the height of their knees can often exceed the clearance available. Sometimes you have to raise the table by placing risers underneath the table legs.

Mirrors: Try to make sure that these are either movable or fixed in a position that permits a seated person the ability to see him or herself.

Thermostats: Again, make sure these are at the right height for operation from a chair.

Floors: Carpet sucks all the energy out of a wheelchair push and will quickly "rut" in doorways and other traffic areas. Even high-quality carpet will quickly fail. (But I understand your desire for "carpet training.") My house has hardwood floors and Travertine tile and it is simply fantastic. Do be aware that hardwood, tile and vinyl all have a pretty good "slip" factor, so be careful.

Phones: You should have hard-wired (land line) phones in the bathrooms. That will allow a person who's experienced problems to get help.

Light switches: I don't know if the flat, European style is better. A quad who has limited hand function could "catch" the flipper of a regular switch easier. I suppose this is a judgment issue, however.

Lighting: This is tricky. Perhaps the best solution is to have ample task lighting. Those of us who are "gimped" out can't always maneuver into the best position and the lighting can suffer. Adjustable task lighting can help with this.

Trigger: It would be of great therapeutic value to install a switch that allows folks to send an electric shock straight to Bush's balls when it is felt necessary. This can greatly cheer up those of us waiting for religion to get out of the way of science.

Hope this helps.

[jmowreader]

8. Quick question about showers

Can I expect the clientele who will use this house--it's just soldiers who got their asses shot off in an illegal war, not geriatric patients--to be insensate?

I know I'll need to apply a low-gloss coating to the flooring, which is why I'm staying away from laminate flooring. (Well, that and the fact that I hate laminate flooring...)

I always do phone lines into the bathroom. You're on the can, the phone rings, what do you do? With the phone next to the toilet, you just pick it up. Very convenient.

I really like the trigger system.

[Ezlivin]

11. More than their asses are affected :)

A para/quad will be insensitive to temperature extremes over large areas of his/her body. While each individual reacts differently to injury, you can generally expect a person with a spinal cord injury (SCI) to be insensate from the injury level downward. Hence a T-4 complete is a paraplegic who is paralyzed from the fourth vertebrae of the thoracic spine downward (from the "tits to the toes" as my rehab therapist used to say).

[NMDemDist2]

12. Bush has balls? that's news

if there are indeed gonads present I'll bet they are "insensate"

[Deb]

4. A few more things -

appliances with front knobs

washer/dryer that opens from the front

bottom freezer fridge

kitchen counter space with base opening so a chair can be wheeled under it

shower stall with a built in seat or a stall that allows wheel chair access

some lower cabinets with pullout pantry shelves

lower dead bolts/chains

sliding closet doors

pinkish colors are also relaxing

shelves on the bottom of window sills for plants

lower mailbox

single handle faucet knobs

What a wonderful thing you are doing!!!

[jmowreader]

9. No, we can't do pink

These are hardened warriors made no less hard by their ordeals, and most of them are Repugs. Painting the house "faggit pink"--you know one of these guys is going to call it that--won't go over so well.

Nice deep colors--deep reds, perhaps; I'll fiddle with the color wheel--wouldn't be bad.

Lower deadbolts? Not a bad idea; I'd have to use the wood doors we keep in the store because they're not prebored, but I have a good router and a good drill, so this isn't a problem. You got a height on that?

One thing I am going to do before finalizing anything is to go to the hospital, borrow a wheelchair from the occupational therapy department and wheel around in it for a while just to make sure everything seems real comfortable. I'm 5'9", which is about average, so if a cabinet feels about right to me it will probably feel about right to the end users. The OT department at the hospital has one of these houses, and I know enough people at the hospital that I should be able to get in there with a tape measure.

[kayleybeth]

5. That sounds great

You might also want to think about sliding pocket doors for the interior of the house. They are much easier to maneuver than doors that open in/out. And in the bathrooms... waterproof floors and baseboards... the roll-in showers are wonderful for shower chairs but water tends to get splashed everywhere. Wooden baseboards will end up rotting and some types of flooring will buckle or peel up from the substrate.

For those unable to get in and out of bed/wheelchair, etc without assistance... a ceiling track/sling system would be a big help for the aides/family members. I wish we had had one put in for our daughter when we had the adaptive wing of our house built for her, but she was so little at the time we didn't think about it.

Whirlpool baths are also great if you can install at least one-- they help circulation and help prevent pressure wounds. Waterproof floors and baseboards should be used in this case too.

Sounds like you have the rest of it covered! Good luck, this sounds like a wonderful project!

[trof]

7. You made me think of this:

I'm not handicapped, but I'd really like a tiled bathroom floor with a center drain so I could just hose the thing down. That would help with splashes too.

[Spinzonner]

6. Some resources

and idea sources (builders, vendors)

http://www.family-friendly-fun.com/files/accessibleadaptivehomes.html

http://www.adaptiveaccess.com/index.php

http://www.adaparch.com

[auntAgonist]

10. What an AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME

priviledge to do for someone else!!

The kindness and heartwarming love it will give to someone is just ......

AWESOME .. I'm lost for words.. and yes. I have a few tears too.

[Billy Ruffian]

13. Contact the News & Observer in Raleigh

In the Saturday Real Estate section, the lead article was on universal design.

Also, NC State has a Center for Universal Design.

http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/

Good Luck!

[morningglory]

14. The toilet is a little lower than standard.