Wheelchair Accessible Haven in House Plan Designs

When one gets older it is almost inevitable that they will end up needing a wheelchair at some point or another.  Once in a wheelchair, they realize how hard it is to get around the house with a couple extra inches of chair on both sides.  It is times like these that you wish you had planned ahead and had a more user-friendly floor plan.

Designers are incorporating wheelchair accessibility more and more into their house plans.  The great thing about wheelchair accessibility is that it really doesn’t stick out.  You can have a wheelchair accessible home that looks just like any other home but it will give you a lot fewer headaches if there is ever a need to be in a wheelchair.  A little long term planning right now will pay off when you do encounter a wheelchair situation.

The Catalina house plan (#108-1423) is a good plan to use to learn exactly what you would need in a wheelchair accessible home.  One of the first things you see about this house plan is that there are no stairs.  Stairs in a floor plan mean having to lift the chair up them and carry it down them.  It is really just a lot of unnecessary effort.  Not even the front porch is raised on this plan.  There is zero vertical movement required in this home design.  This floor plan also has open space and wider doors.  It has been said that a wheelchair will need at least 36″ wide doors so you can maneuver through the opening.  With a quick modification of the doorway you can make this house plan work for you.  One idea to help you have a more wheelchair friendly doorway is to have a pocket door installed like the door to the walk in closet in the master suite.

The height difference is also something to take into account when designing a wheelchair accessible house. Counter heights and sink accessibility are two things that are affected by the height of a person sitting in a wheelchair.  There can be other factors so be sure to figure it all out before you start constructing.  The most important thing in wheelchair accessible home design is planning.  Plan ahead and find the house plan that works the best for your situation.