For one of your prime goals, you could use a ramp

I don't know how many other things you might have to change in your house to accommodate a wheelchair, but you don't have a 100% chance of being confined to a wheelchair late in life. Meaning I don't think you need to prepare yourself or your home for something that is possible but not probable - unless you already have a health condition that you know will take you there eventually. If you did get to that point you might want to move to assisted living anyway. But James' advice to move is not necessarily bad advice - it is easier to move when you're a younger senior. But you already have single floor living, so you're ahead of a lot of people already.

If you need to remodel your bathroom in any case, get the threshold of the shower as low as is practical within the constraints of your foundation and install grab bars in the shower and next to the toilet which is another place people sometimes end up needing them. Add a bench in the shower or be able to fit in a stool to be added later. Make the entrance into the shower as large as possible and include at least one handheld spray.

Thanks to all who have responded. You are right, the roll-in shower is NOT close to being the only thing needed. However I would have to move pretty far away to find a decent piece of land not owned by a current builder. I have talked to any number of them and none will accommodate building a roll in shower.

Moving elsewhere would add other complications, but I don't see any other option at this point. I'm just not sure where I could go.

How about adding a bathroom?

Yes, I have considered that. As one of the other posters noted, the bathroom is only one item and the most difficult to work out so far. I'd still have to change outlets, remodel the kitchen, put a ramp in front of the front, back, and garage doors to the house, rewire outlets and more.

I guess an addition is my next consideration, assuming that the easements give me room to do so and the HOA approves the build. This project has so much involved in it. Not sure all of the remodeling would be worth it.

I'm the same age group as you. We redid our master bath a year ago. Unlike yours, ours is upstairs, so we would have to move if we needed a wheelchair.

With our contractor we discussed a wet room with no shower curb, which was possible in our case. He advised against it, saying a backup in the shower is when, not if. We went with a low curb, and like it.

Unless you're already disabled, consider going half way. Get a low curb shower, some kind of grab bar, a kitchen that works for you, handrails on steps, etc.

I knew when I hunted for this home that I wanted single story. Had a two-story once and once was enough. My older sister already needs some of these accommodations, I have to help her in and out of the car and to take the one step up from the driveway to the front door. She doesn't live with me, but I bring her for visits weekly.

My next move is to find a CAPS consultant to evaluate the house and changes needed to see if I can stay here or will have to move out of the area. That would cause an issue with me taking my sister places if I was too far away.

Do a search for "roll-in shower ramp". There are many products available for a slight ramp into an accessible shower.

Before you are in a wheelchair, you are likely to simply have mobility issues calling for, successively, being careful, handrails, cane, walker, rollator. My parents found that for quite some time, steps and shallow steps were much easier to use than ramps. When they built their house, the design did integrate a ramp along the back wall of the house, leading to the terrace and sliders with no step into the house. They did that for my grandmother who was in a wheelchair, and it did come in handy when my parents eventually needed transport chairs to go out. (also handy for moving furniture in and out!)

Check with your HOA about it. They are the ones that get to decide what you get to do with your house. Find out what kind of remodeling or additions they would allow you to have. They may have an inside on contractors you are allowed too.

Is this about you or your sister? If it's about her, then make the accommodations she needs or is likely to need. If it's about you, and you're fit and active, then you seem to be focused on something that could be far off, or may never happen.

I'll be 70 this year, and I'm still hopping on and off boats. My father had a heart attack and spinal fusion, and went back to building rock garden walls until he was 85. My Mom had some mini strokes, but taught water aerobics until she was 85.

Point being: it's important to live life to its fullest, and not focus on what ifs.

My MIL is in her early 80's with limited mobility and still lives in her 2-story home. They installed a chairlift a few years ago to take care of the stairs. There are a couple of single steps to get to some rooms in the house and she manages those. She will die in that house or move to a nursing home if she can't handle those few steps.

My parents are in their mid 80's with no mobility issues and moved to a small 1-story house a few years ago.

I am 76 and still have a bath every night in a regular tub . There are ways to do a no edge shower without digging into the concrete but that will aslo make your bathroom a wet room so be prepared and the fact is most bathrooms need to be completely redone to make thebefore strating this.m ADA compliant so whhat is your budget? Maybe better to find a new home that works for you That one posted look like there would be no space for a wheelchair to access the toilet. I am on the board for a housing complex that has 12 units all wheelchaire accessible and the units were built in the late 80S and now a lot of the rulles have changed for this type of housing so make sure you get good advice