ADA House - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

mtm · 08-31-2008, 08:01 AM

Long time no post. Back in March my son was hit by a car while crossing the street. He will most likely be leaving the hospital/rehab sometime in November. He is able to stand on his own, but has some serious deficiencies on his left side. Left side neglect for those of you familiar with TBI injuries.

I finally got home last week, (I live in Tennessee he is in another state) and am starting to go through the house and trying to decide what needs to be changed or whether I should just buy another house somewhere else. I need some help in figuring out what else needs to be changed, that may not be obvious to me. Needless to say I haven't been completely with it the past few months.

Bathroom - Have that covered
Transitions between rooms isn't a problem
Chair lift for staircase. Honestly havent even looked at them yet. Could use any info you may have on them.
Lowered the thermostat for him
Light switches are low enough for him to turn on and off if hes in a chair.
Ramp for front door have this covered.
Kitchen - clueless but I see some problems with the appliances.

What am I forgetting, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

mdshunk · 08-31-2008, 08:26 AM

The ADA guidelines are a free download.

http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm

Jason W · 08-31-2008, 08:37 AM

It's always best to have a first floor bedroom and bath but most importantly the bedroom with a direct exit to the outside in case of a fire.

Sorry to here about your son, good luck.

rustyjames · 08-31-2008, 08:55 AM

Sorry about your son. I've been a wheelchair user for about 8 years now and can tell you the best approach at this point is basic access (which you seem to have covered) and then taking it from there, making adaptations as you go. I personally would not invest a lot of money in a house with stairs for a wheelchair user, elevators and lifts are expensive and take up a lot of room.

Complete Pro · 08-31-2008, 05:48 PM

Height of your outlets should be at 24 inches...

Toilet should flush on a side that is W/Chair accessible...etc.etc.

Last one I did for a nursing home had a whole bunch of guidelines. Take mdshunk's advice and download the specs. It will surprise you what comes up, and start you thinking about what needs to be done. Have you thought about how a kitchen needs to be laid out yet??

Agolk2 · 08-31-2008, 05:52 PM

I'm sorry man, that really sucks. If you need permit plans for any of the work you're doing, just email me, I'll do them free of charge. I can only imagine how you feel.

rustyjames · 09-01-2008, 09:04 AM

Regarding fixture elevations (toilet, sinks, stoves, etc.): wheelchairs come in various seat to floor heights, so what might work well for someone in a powerchair won't work so well in a manual. That's why in my previous post I suggested taking it slow and fitting out the house to the needs of your son. ADA specs are basically "boiler-plate" and not necessarily accommodating to the needs of the individual. Often, it's typical to want to hurry up and get the house fitted out but you can waste a lot of time and money and not have the optimally desired outcome.