For everyone considering an ADA zero threshhold shower, the recommendation is to use a smaller, thicker tile with a non-slippery surface. This is the tile I've selected. Each square is 2x2 and is about 3/8" thick. This will run through the entire wet-room style bath. It looks like cement, but I believe it is a porcelain by Crossville. The flooring contractor helped me select a tile that would best suit our needs, but also be beautiful. I wish you could touch the surface of this product, but on this forum a photograph will have to do!

@CreativeTile thanks for the info. Yes. We are making sure the grab bars and rails are appropriately spaced. Unfortunately, the CAPS contractors I’ve spoken with have their checklists of the fundamentals (the things taught in the classes), but have not had the detailed level of understanding and advice that one would hope for.

@berlinrl - I picked out almost the identical faucet. Different manufacturer. I think I ordered it in chrome. I really like your sconce and floor selections too!

@arcy - thanks for the suggestions. We will have a back up generator and safety phone in the elevator (the latter required by code). I sure hope no one gets stuck! We can turn the 1st floor study into a BR - it also has an adjoining bathroom with roll-in shower. In our area, a postage stamp lot is so expensive, it is economically necessary to build 2 stories to preserve resale value. This also gives us room for guests (if that’s ever feasible again) and sleep-over home health aides (if necessary in the future). All our interior doorways are 36” wide and most are pocket doors to maximize the drive-through width. We designed the MBR closets as drive-throughs too — drive in one end, come out the other, no U-turn necessary. 😁 Really cool. I dug into as many books, blogs, manuals etc as I could find, paid an architect, joined the county ADA group, and talked to lots of people living the wheelchair life —— and am STILL discovering new things! This Houzz forum has been wonderfully helpful — both with ideas and knowing I’m not in this alone. ...especially in this time of social distancing,

@mtpo are you doing anything special in your kitchen to better enable functionality in a wheelchair?

I thought long and hard about whether to use a wheelchair accessible sink and decided not to do so. The sink cabinet is 39” wide so we can correct this if we find we made a mistake. We got the Elkay crosstown farmhouse sink — DH can reach the faucet when in the chair and can still stand sometimes now. We have a wide ”track” around the island — over 5’ on the refrigerator side—- and it is the correct height (Fortunately - counter height works) and has enough overhang. The island is still about 48” wide, which I think is plenty. We used a column fridge and freezer. DH practiced opeNing the doors in the showroom. That way, we can put things he uses a lot on shelves within easy reach. The other things he uses a lot (breakfast and lunch stuff, paper plates etc.) are also in easy reach. We got a separate oven and speed oven so we could put the speed oven on the bottom (DH will probably only ever use the microwave function, so that is in easy reach). Turned out that buying them separately was cheaper than buying the double (which has speed on top) and if one goes bad, we don’t have to replace both! We did NOT get a gas cooktop — but got induction instead. I was scared of an accident with the gas. We can get an outdoor gas grill. (Got the hookup on the raised stone patio). (PS — the graphic of the range hood and countertop is what the computer generated — it better look better in real life! The pantry door is not a pocket door — didn’t work there — but I think is 36” wide. If DH goes in, he’ll have to back up to get out — but he shouldn’t really have to go in.))

I am driving myself a little crazy about what to get for the countertop material. I wanted stainless steel - either on the perimeter or the island but the builder’s fabricator does not supply it. I am afraid of quartz chipping, sinterEd stone cracking, marble or light granite staining, and Corian solid surface looking blah. Now I’m thinking about wood for the island.— with a marine finish. Maybe. You’d think if scientists can get people to the moon they could design a better countertop material.

I've gone through circles thinking this through also. I ultimately found a granite I loved and I know I'm taking a bit of risk with staining, I'll have it sealed and deal with the consequences. I liked the speed oven also, so I went with the GE two unit with the Advantium on the top. My husband is successfully using the microwave at this height currently, so that's what we decided to do. I feel like I need a second oven a few times a year and look forward to using the Advantium for just the two of us regularly. I roast veggies a lot so I'm probably wasting a lot of energy now in my full-size oven. We are doing regular height counters also since DH currently is able to manage with the setup. My splurge in the kitchen is I'm going with the Wolf gas cooktop. We use our Dacor constantly so I wanted a fine piece of equipment that I'll enjoy using. Although in a wheelchair, my husband has still been doing some of the clean-up after dinner. Of course my fridge and moulding is dinged up from the chair. I know this is going to be hard for me in a new home. I'm doing a gray island and white cabinets on the perimeter. This is thunder granite that I'll use for all counter tops and a big slab over fireplace in the living area. I can't believe how much I love this stone.

Kitchen · More Info

Wow! It’s beautiful.

We thought about purchasing a generator but it was very expensive working through the builder. We will probably shop for one after we've moved in. Certainly this is less than ideal. Do you have any tips regarding generators? I think it was going to be about 10K.

RE: Stainless steel tubing-did you check out W.W.Grainger?

It sounds like you’re positive a two-story is the way to go? There's no way out in a fire if you have to use an elevator.

My new-build home is mostly ADA, but not 100%. I did not use any kind of specialist, since they don’t know anything more than I do, and there’s a lot of common sense involved.

I have an ADA bathroom with full 5’ turning radius. It is not large, but has space in the middle. I don't like drafty bathrooms, and I’m very happy with this one. It has an extra wide door frame with barn door. I LOVE the barn door. There’s no door swing to get in the way and maneuver around. The door glides very easily. I don’t bother to close it half the time, because there’s plenty of privacy.

Other features:

-wall-mount sink, no vanity

-blocking on all bathroom walls to add bars later

-extra wall space next to the toilet

-roll-in shower

-all faucets have levers, not taps

-all doors have levers, not taps

-all windows are large and nearly all (not kitchen and bathroom) can see the garden from seated position

-all door handles are levers

-all doors are wider

-light switches are lowered

-light switches are rockers

-outlets are higher up the wall

-upper kitchen cabinets are 3’ lower than standard

-microwave is on the counter top, not over the stove

-stove knobs are in front, not back

-spare room for a caregiver

-ADA fridge

-multiple egress from home in case of fire

Hope this helps. I’m sure there are other ADA things I threw in.

Tangerine, this is very helpful! I think I am going to have my builder raise the outlet level after reading your list.

@Rachel You can look online to get the optimal ADA height for sockets.

On the generator thing..... I would look at a different paradigm. Consider a battery that gets power off the grid. It would turn on seamlessly at power failure. There might be incentives in your state for backup batteries? If you were on community solar you could get power offsets for it? At any rate, there are sometimes clusters of programs that interact in the energy sector to help you get what you want to happen. A community solar farm would likely know.

Thank you tangerine, my hubby and I were talking about this last night. Our new build is a townhome with an HOA. I don't know what our options will be be for solar but I will definitely check this out.

"Community solar" doesn't involve panels on your home, nor in your subdivision. You pay into a setup where they have rows of solar panels out in the boondocks, e.g. on an old dump. You might have seen those while driving around? People who can't have solar panels do this to offset electric costs and not use fossil fuels.

The solar energy generated in these community solar fields gets put on the grid. Electricity comes to your home via the grid, just like for any home. You want a battery backup? The battery gets charged from the grid.

@berlinrl, our builder is laying a pad but told us it would be cheaper for us if we put the generator in after we settle so he doesn’t add his profit. I haven’t done any research yet.

@tangerinedoor, I never heard of such a solar program. I’ll look into it.

People use community solar when they can’t have panels on their property, e.g. if it’s too shady.

If you want to do anything solar, investigate every kind of tax break, rebate, credit, or, best yet, $$ incentives which help you buy.

And factor in your utility savings. I have solar, and I used exactly $6 of grid electricity for March, in northern New England. Hundred of dollars in savings each month.

Tangerine, thank you for the tips! My husband started looking into this yesterday, and we found out we do not have community solar in our state, PA. I don't know why not, but we are usually behind the times. It looks like there is a lot of savings to be had. I'm assuming you don't have electric heat.

It looks like my state is still not up to speed with community solar either.

@Rachel I'm assuming you don't have electric heat.

Oh ye of little faith! My $6 electric grid usage for March included electric heat. And I keep it at a comfortable temperature. The house is brand new, so I didn't use accrued credits, either.

Electric runs my heat/cooling via heat pump, hot water heater, all appliances including W/D, a CERV (the massive air exchanger).

for a stainless steel countertop, check for an 'industrial' type (metal) fabrication shop.

Hey there! We have a wheelchair user and he is a poorly coordinated and overly enthusiastic child, so finishes are high on our list of things to be even more durable than normal. honestly we are embracing the high paneling look, craftsman style, for the hallways and main living spaces, along with VERY substantial baseboard. That prevents a lot of the dings cause by the footboard, transit tiedowns, and wheel rails right there. We are also using poured and polished concrete floors (the home is going to be ICF with poured ultra high performance concrete slab floors anyway) to prevent the worst of the wheel scuffs and marks, and we may consider adding a wood or vinyl plank floor in the bedrooms, instead of just using low profile area rugs there, but I’m not sure. Still though, high durability and ease for wheeling on are our main considerations. We currently have five other kids too, and they’re murder on our home as well, so the increased durability at chair and floor height just seems prudent.

Like many here we are using wider than code doors and halls ways, lowered counter sections and appliances and accessible bathroom design, too. Lots of push button pocket doors, which get frowned on my some architects but his muscle weakness and hand dexterity issues mean that a swing door or one he has to manually slide just won’t work. We are also installing a larger capacity elevator because I find many residential elevator choices to be too narrow to be useful with loads of clothes or him trying to turn himself around in there. more space isn’t significantly more expensive in terms of the different models or the cost of the shaft.

anyway, that’s just some of what we are doing. I’m definitely interested to see the ideas in this thread!

It's heartwarming to see the sharing and the ways that people are making their homes safe and comfortable for the ENTIRE family.

Much needed kindness.

Thanks all.

dsnine, you know your child's needs better than anyone so I applaud your efforts even when architects/builders are negating your ideas. Good for you!

I have seen many beautiful finishes on concrete and I'm sure this will help with your child's mobility in the wheelchair.

just_janni your post brought tears to my eyes. It is so challenging living with a disabled person, especially when you have the added stress of making design decisions on their behalf to make their lives easier. I feel blessed to have the resources to build something that better suits our needs. I am moved by your kind post.

Stainless steel countertops - perhaps a commercial kitchen supplier? For long grab bars in hallways, how about a hospital supply company?

I thought I'd mention that my shower came with grab bars pre-installed. It's roll-in. It's very ordinary, but budget-friendly. I'm not disabled, but wanted to minimize my risk of an accident in the bathroom.

You might even be able to use a round stairway rail in lieu of metal grab bars? The walls would have to be heavily reinforced.

I would NOT put drywall in the elevator; wood paneling, Hardi board, stainless steel sheet

"Diamond" stainless steel sheets -- like firehouse stainless steel sounds like a good idea. I don't think it's terribly expensive, and it's indestructible. Alternately, how about kitchen cabinet laminate? It's tough and easy to clean.

but the longest I’ve found in grab bars is 42”.

This will be used day-in, day out -- it should be a "get it right at any cost" item. I'd look into having one custom made.

I’ve seen/heard conflicting advice about using large format tiles. There are blogs that advise using small tile (they don’t specify size) rather than large, as the large might crack.

First, small tiles are more forgiving on surfaces that aren't 100% flat, and if you're talking about a shower, you need the floor to slope towards the drain, and that slope is easier to achieve with small tile. Second, you're less likely to slip on small tiles (the grout /edges allow for more "grip").

I‘ve been told it helps to have an “outdoor” wheelchair and an “indoor“ wheelchair
to help preserve the floor finish. We’ve dedicated a space for the wheelchair transfer.

My grandmother did this with her walker. She had an indoor walker and an outdoor walker. It was definitely easier for her, especially when she was alone. Flooring/door width and bathroom configuration were our largest
hurdles!!

Again, thinking of my grandmother -- walker, not wheelchair, but I strongly suspect the concept is interchangeable: Her #1 problem was thresholds between rooms and changes in flooring. Those things threw her constantly.

here are my selections for my powder room.

Remember that he doesn't necessarily have to have access to every bathroom in the house -- he just needs ONE that's convenient and works well for him.

It sounds like you’re positive a two-story is the way to go? There's no way out in a fire if you have to use an elevator.

I was thinking the same thing. Between the elevator, generator, and the general trouble -- why not just go with a one-story? It seems easier all around.

-all windows are large and nearly all (not kitchen and bathroom) can see the garden from seated position

My RN-daughter worked home health during her college summers, and she says that ALL her clients wanted a place where they can sit /look outside. I saw this with my own grandmother.

tangerine, does your shower have a lip upon entry or is it completely flush?

@Rachel My shower doesn't have a threshold. Maybe it has what you're calling a "lip": a very shallow bump to keep the water in. The "bump" is a VERY flat bump. It would be described as curbless.

My builder said the whole thing—shower, pre-installed grab bars and curtain rod, and shower head—was approx $800. I wasn't happy that my budget couldn't get something fancier and cuter, but ya know, it's just fine.

My shower is 5x3, same space as a standard tub/shower.

My BIL is in a wheelchair (paraplegic). They had an addition put on their house and my sister said they ordered a lot of items from here. https://kofflersales.com/chair-rail.asp

They have “stylish” options.

All, I just love this discussion thread — all the wonderful sharing! I’m off to bed now so I can meet the landscaper for a social distancing walk around early tomorrow morning. Too late for a one story house for us (as some of you have suggested) — but we do have a first floor BR suite with bath/ roll-in shower. There are a couple steps to the front door but the garage is extra large to accommodate a lift or a ramp. The garage is very tall in case we ever want a “pop top” van. We’re in the Washington DC area — so we have a tiny lot compared to the lots I usually see on Houzz. Thanks for all the terrific suggestions — I will follow up! Good night. 😴

IIRC folks with wheelchairs and/or walkers run into issues with pedestal sinks, so they aren't usually recommended. They're either too tall, or are knee-smackers. IMO consider a wall-mount sink and then mount it at whatever level you like.

Faucets can be difficult to reach. However, they can be mounted at the SIDE of the sink instead of at the back. Some bathroom sinks come this way.

I have a wall-mount sink and just skipped the vanity. I thought it would be a nightmare to have none, but it made me downsize what I thought was necessary as far as bathroom supplies. I have a few things in a linen closet... I just got used to the no vanity AND I got to avoid all those pesky decisions about how to make a vanity accessible and not an obstacle.

I've been enjoying the minimalist look in my bathroom. It was quite by accident, but I like it!

@mtpo yes it is enormously frustrating to not be able to park my van in a standard garage, a taller and deeper one is absolutely on the design docket, along with extra side clearance for transfers and the ramp.

@mtpo how is your new build coming along? Have you moved in yet?

I just wanted to add that when you need to add a ramp to an existing house, try to match the style to the house. I see so many that are functional, but flimsy looking and ugly!

We just bought a house and added one since both of us right now need it!

The area from the ramp to the ground will be covered with mosaic panels.

Friends and I built this while my SO was in the hospital. (The blue of the rail will be the blue of the trim when we paint the house white.)It is ADA compliant 12/1 slope (about 5% grade)

That is quite a ramp! I look forward to you posting pictures once the mosaic panels are up. It sounds like it will be a piece of art.

It will take a while to complete them all. But I will for sure post pictures when it's done!

Yeah the ramps can be long and ugly if not integrated. It’s important though, for sure!

Best of wishes to you, Rachel & hubs, on these decisions. Surrounding yourself with other wheelchair/power chair users will help immensely. My daughter is a walker/power chair user and we built a custom home with her needs in mind. Wider hallways, bathroom and bedroom with pocket doors, hardwood floors throughout, grab bars where she would need them, extra powerful toilet (sorry, but lack of mobility does not lend itself to normal peristalsis, creating probs with BM), wider hallways, and a custom sloped, poured concrete walkway. I did not design the kitchen around her, but placed an Advantium under counter for her, as well as dish drawers for those times when she would do cleanup (she could pull herself to a stand and lean into the counter) and a plate rack under the counter. I also used wall ovens (but the swing of the door and fear of getting burned scared her) but would recommend the French door ovens Cafe has now (and prob some other brands too). A grab bar in the kitchen and any Rev-a-shelf units that would aid in accessing upper cabs would be great considerations if I were to do it all over again. But she is safely on her own and we just sold this home a couple of months ago to downsize.

Thanks sdionnemoore for your comments. We are getting closer to our move! Hopefully the new place will work better for us.

Has anyone used a wheelchair lift? Now that our house is almost done, we’re running into issues getting up the 4 step height from garage floor to mud room door. Even though the whole house was supposed to be wheelchair accessible, we are now finding out that the builder’s architect did not design this entrance for a ramp or for both wheelchair Lift AND steps for pedestrian access (without using the lift). 😱😤😫 ( Throughout the process, the builder told us he could build a ramp. There’s not enough space in the garage for a ramp!! )

As a ramp is now not an option, to get the result we want (Lift and steps), we will have to move the door from the garage to the mud room over about a foot, move the electrical panel and completely change the landing. Aside from the astronomical cost of the lift, the architectural changes will cost us a small fortune.

If we forego the steps and landing altogether, the builder says we can use a wheelchair lift that goes directly to the current location of the mud room door. That means anyone using that entrance/exit will have to use the lift. How much of a nuisance will that be?

Oh my, I am so sorry you are going through this . . . especially after you planned so carefully. I would certainly expect the builder to share in this cost since their plan didn't pan out. Nevertheless I would definitely shop for the lifts. I know the contractor supplying our elevator also sells lifts. I also noticed that amount we are being charged is very high compared to similar installations in other developments and I wished I'd done a bit of research before hand. At the very least, I'd expect the builder to perform all of the modifications free of charge, and sell you the lift without mark-up.

you should definitely pursue the builder for these costs, if he cannot complete the agreed upon specs because of planning or space issues. Are these called out in signed plans? If not, and it was just verbal, that makes it harder but not impossible.

@mtpo Are you or any of the folks living in your home actually wheelchair-bound? There are different ways to do ramps!

If the loan for the ramp is being financed by, say, USDA, then it has to have a certain spec. But, otherwise, you can do what you like. You can have a mini ramp that makes it easy to get into the house without stairs.

I looked into this myself, because snow and ice accumulation makes steps slick. But my builder uses metal ones on his demo units that are custom-made by a marine gangway company.

Like this (note: yes, those wood steps are temporary; that gangway is what I'm calling your attention to):

@tangerinedoor. Thank you for your suggestion. Do you know if your amp will hold 650 pounds (electric wheelchair is about 440 plus DH). Do you know the slope of your ramp?

My DH is not totally wheelchair bound yet. There are periods of time when he can walk short distances, but when he walks he often loses his balance and falls. Sometimes he can’t walk at all. We are building this house with the expectation that he’ll be in a wheelchair pretty much all day in the future. In the future, he probably won’t have the upper body strength or mobility to get himself up the ramp in a manual wheelchair and due to my own back issues, I won’t be able to push him. In the future, I also think it will be difficult for him to transfer. So with our future needs in mind, we think we’ll need a wheelchair lift. We figured if we’ll have to have one in a year or two, we might as well get it now.

For the specs on ramps like those gangways, you'd have to check with someone that makes them. They are made for docks at a lake or river. The genius thing about them? They keep you from slip-sliding around. This is why I wanted one instead of steps.

The fellas that build these things can make them any way you want.... See how that one basically goes to 3 steps in height?

The same dock company built this one (note: it's also temporary); sorry I didn't get the whole ramp in the photo, but it's longer than the one above):

Ya know, you might just be able to attach a stair lift to something like this. The lift would go up on the diagonal, not vertical.

@mtpo

Have you considered attaching your ramp to the back door instead of the garage steps?

I empathize with this all. I have a fab little house with all budget-friendly concepts for being accessible, but the doors did end up quite a bit off the ground: like 4 steps worth. I would have had to cope with this if I had been able to afford an attached carport, so I know it's tricky to try and do it with steps, let alone a ramp.

In my case, though, the mistake was partly mine. The builder and I went out to my raw lot and decided where to put the house (imagine being able to do this!), a few feet here, a few feet there, a little more angled to the south, a little more privacy for my bedroom window, the most exposure for the solar panels on my roof..... The two of us forgot that the doors would be quite a bit above ground because of a slope in the lot. And then, I made it worse because after we measured everything and laid it out, I asked if he could please move the whole house over 2 feet.

I wouldn't have swapped that experience for the world, though. And out of the goodness of his heart, the builder himself made me a most magnificent set of front steps, wide and with sturdy rails. And when I said how much I appreciated him, he did the back stairs, too! At some point, I will get one of those nifty metal dock-ramps.

*******

Aha! This is the company that builds those metal ramps: https://www.highcountryaluminum.com

@mtpo As I read a thread that you wrote above, about whether you could just have a lift from the garage to the mudroom and no steps..... My top consideration would be safety. If you were, god forbid, caught in a fire, it might be very difficult to get out of the house. Either the lift might be at garage level or the electricity might not work. Local fire code might not even permit that arrangement. Just a thought.

@mtpo I agree with you about the CAPS folks. They have their little lists they got in certification school and some of them are not the least adaptive! IMO it's a sales racket: Better to consult with "friends" (old and new) that have experience with real-world solutions. Your builder can get the contractor discounts, no need for a specialist.

Your house is gorgeous, by the way.

@dsnine love your screen name.

Was wondering about your elevator--you mentioned it being larger than usual. Do you mind sharing what the shaft dimensions and cab interior dimensions were? Does this mean you installed a commercial elevator in your home? Did you run into any regulatory or code related hurdles?