Adventures in building a forever home (Move in date 12/2024)
- Thread starter Sniggle
- Start date
levindb
Recycles dryer sheets
Our current "forever home" has 3 living levels and a garage...but it has an elevator that the stairs wrap around. While we are mobile, the stairs help us exercise our legs, and when the time comes that we need a walker/wheelchair, we will still have access from the garage to the main floor, the guest floor, and the master floor. We did not design it, but it was certainly a factor when we were looking for our "forever home" 3 years ago...
We tested everything following DW's knee replacement and again following foot surgery when she had a knee scooter for a few weeks.
We have seen a number of homes in Florida that have exterior elevators added for those who were not ready to move into assisted living environment.
We tested everything following DW's knee replacement and again following foot surgery when she had a knee scooter for a few weeks.
We have seen a number of homes in Florida that have exterior elevators added for those who were not ready to move into assisted living environment.
skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
congrats on moving forward sniggle.
I emailed the city about our plan review and they said some news on it by the end of next week, so our jobs will be going on more or less at the same time. I will self perform as much as possible.
I emailed the city about our plan review and they said some news on it by the end of next week, so our jobs will be going on more or less at the same time. I will self perform as much as possible.
Kings over Queens
Recycles dryer sheets
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2023
- Messages
- 431
Newerish member here and just seeing this thread for the first time. We will likely do something like this at some point. I did an extensive renovation/addition to our current house in 2005. Took an old 1,200 sq ft cape into a 2,800 sq ft colonial. Might was well have just knocked the original down and built new. Anyway.
I too did a cash out refi to buy a commercial piece, and while I pained me, like you I was a very close to the finish line, it made sense and was the best move.
Looking forward to future updates.
I too did a cash out refi to buy a commercial piece, and while I pained me, like you I was a very close to the finish line, it made sense and was the best move.
Looking forward to future updates.
pb4uski
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
IMO it is crazy that one would have to hire a structural engineer for a residence unless there are some unusual circumstances.
If the stairs are a straight shot and wide enough then when the time comes you might be able to install a stair master rather than an elevator unless you are bound to a wheelchair. If that is a possibility add an electrical box in the right position during construction... easier now than later.
Our main entrance is about 3 steps and we have room for a ramp when the time comes. We have stairs to a walkout basement and they are wide and straight so adding a stair master would be easy. We even have a corner where we could add an elevator but it would probably be so prohibitively expensive that we would just sell and move.
If the stairs are a straight shot and wide enough then when the time comes you might be able to install a stair master rather than an elevator unless you are bound to a wheelchair. If that is a possibility add an electrical box in the right position during construction... easier now than later.
Our main entrance is about 3 steps and we have room for a ramp when the time comes. We have stairs to a walkout basement and they are wide and straight so adding a stair master would be easy. We even have a corner where we could add an elevator but it would probably be so prohibitively expensive that we would just sell and move.
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Wait till you bleed money for a lot of house (and property) to show for but it still not enough! We are still building after moving to our acreage 3 years later! But in all seriousness, it is fun and we love it. You will love it too. Congratulations on your big milestone. If you have 1% doubts on your plans then this is the last stop to get off the train. And one more thing, double your planned budget because that is what it will cost you after everything is said and done.
We planned and had built a vacation home on a lake while in our mid 40's. Had no plans to live there full time. Now we are retired, living in it full time and it probably is our forever home. We were smart enough to make sure all the doors were ADA width but that's about it. We can live on the main floor but it has a full walk out basement with bedrooms, bar, den, etc., where we spend a lot of our time. In hindsight, I wish we had had been smart enough to have stacked closest spaces that wod allow us to convert that vertical interior space to an elevator in the future if needed.
wmc1000
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
We were planning to build our forever home just over 3 years ago. We were already in a ranch with full basement but wanted more property than the standard subdivision. While negotiating on a piece of land in an estate type subdivision, (lots range from 1 acre to 25 acres), the finances for building from scratch didn't make sense given our overall financial plan.
The neighborhood with the land happened to have an existing 5 year old home available that met probably 75% of our needs and was on 2.5 acres. We ended up making what we thought was a low offer, about 25% less than the original listing price and it was accepted. In the past 3 years we have made the changes and additions that it didn't already have such as removing the master tub and shower to make room for an oversize roll in doorless shower.
Overall, we have spent about $100K in addition to the purchase price, (close to $60K was for my 1800 sq. ft. post frame man cave/workshop,
and we ended up with 95%+ of our overall forever home features. While it is a 2 story with the master upstairs, we have a natural space on the main floor to add an elevator if necessary in the future that would end in an upstairs 4th bedroom with plenty of room.
My guess is we spent at least $100K less than what it would have cost to build new. For our financial comfort this was a win-win.
The neighborhood with the land happened to have an existing 5 year old home available that met probably 75% of our needs and was on 2.5 acres. We ended up making what we thought was a low offer, about 25% less than the original listing price and it was accepted. In the past 3 years we have made the changes and additions that it didn't already have such as removing the master tub and shower to make room for an oversize roll in doorless shower.
Overall, we have spent about $100K in addition to the purchase price, (close to $60K was for my 1800 sq. ft. post frame man cave/workshop,
and we ended up with 95%+ of our overall forever home features. While it is a 2 story with the master upstairs, we have a natural space on the main floor to add an elevator if necessary in the future that would end in an upstairs 4th bedroom with plenty of room. My guess is we spent at least $100K less than what it would have cost to build new. For our financial comfort this was a win-win.
skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I designed our house but had to get engineered drawings for the foundation, due to code requirements and our seismic classifications, zone D2.
It was not onerous IMO, about $3600.
OldShooter
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
We're moving in to our new lake home, which we designed with our living area to be without steps, including main entries and garage. In our case, the driveway was raised a bit and the house was lowered a bit to suit. Some observations:
1) There is both a basement and an over-the-garage guest suite. Both stairways are straight and 36" wide. This is somewhat wider than the minimum recommended for stairway chair lifts. I don't expect we will ever need them because all of our living needs are met on the main level but we are ready.
2) Attention to detail was important with the trades who installed carpet, tile, and hardwood floors. Each floor finish has a different thickness, so havng the floor level where they meet has to be planned very carefully. Our floor levels are not perfect but they are pretty good.
3) Exterior door thresholds were impossible to keep completely level. Our millwork supplier (Marvin) offers low-profile thresholds, so we started with those. Our builder, who is a lunatic level craftsman, then figured out how to sink the thresholds a bit so they are not serious tripping hazards. Again, attention to detail.
4) Ramps are easy to hypothesize as future workarounds but be very aware that an ADA ramp has a 1:12 maximum slope, so replacing just one step with a ramp requires around 7' of ramp. That takes a lot of space.
5) Motion activated lights are wonderful. We have them in the garage, the mud room, the main floor storage room, outside exterior garage doors and walkway, and in the laundry/closet room attached to our bedroom. In several cases I had them wired so that the "up" switch position turns the light on and the "down" position connects it to the motion detector.
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pb4uski
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
No seismic concerns in Vermont. No structural engineering needed either.
pb4uski
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
True, but ADA specifications are not required for a private residence.
I built ramps for each entrance of my Mom's house, lakeside and roadside. Neither are anywhere near ADA compliant but they don't need to be. They just are easier than stairs for 93yo DM. She is thrilled with them.
I built them wide enough to accomodate a wheelchair, but it would be more of a push than an ADA sloped ramp.
MC Rider
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
We were forced to get engineering calculations costing us $1450 for a pre fab steel garage.
ERD50
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
This got me curious, as we moved into a ranch home (with basement), but there are three steps up (~18") from the garage to the house, and 2 step at the front (sidewalk is a gentle slope up) and back doors.
I've seen that while 1:12 is ADA rule, they still rec no more than 3:12 for residential, with a 5' x 5' platform for any turns. That still takes up a lot of room in the garage, then I saw they make platform lifts. So just roll onto the platform, it rises 18" and roll off. Something like this:
-ERD50
skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Yes, you see switchbacked ramps in those cases. The concrete ramp I built for my DBIL here is about 1:10, but that was what I could fit in a straight line. When he was fit he could make that short push.
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A couple of things we did when building our ‘forever home’:
All under-counter cabinets are pull-out drawers instead of cabinet doors. This has already proven useful as it is far easier for me to retrieve items.
We have everything we need on the main floor. If needed, downstairs could be easily converted into its own apartment if we need live-in medical care.
Door handles are all easy to use, even those forr the pocket doors.
All roof penetrations are on the north side so the south side is unabstructed for solar. Roof (steel) should last 70 years (which is longer than I will last ;-)).
Siding is fiber-cement, very low maintenance, good durability.
We spent more money now to minimize future costs. If things turn south on us, maintaining the house should still be within our means.
All under-counter cabinets are pull-out drawers instead of cabinet doors. This has already proven useful as it is far easier for me to retrieve items.
We have everything we need on the main floor. If needed, downstairs could be easily converted into its own apartment if we need live-in medical care.
Door handles are all easy to use, even those forr the pocket doors.
All roof penetrations are on the north side so the south side is unabstructed for solar. Roof (steel) should last 70 years (which is longer than I will last ;-)).
Siding is fiber-cement, very low maintenance, good durability.
We spent more money now to minimize future costs. If things turn south on us, maintaining the house should still be within our means.
OldShooter
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
As @pb4 pointed out, that slope is not mandatory. The point of my post was that ramps are not as good a workaround for steps as some casual comments in the thread seemed to imply. That's why we didn't even consider them and opted for a completely no-steps living level. But we were starting from bare dirt on a gentle hillside, a luxury most do not have.
skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
^ my DBIL had purchased a house with the bare minimum 6" of clearance below the siding while he was still on his legs. We did very little grading to get the walkway to cruise right in the doors.
He was in a wheelchair from 1975 until his death in 2021, which has given us all a unique perspective on the realities of access.
He was a very fit fireman and former Army Special Forces soldier before a building fell in on him. I made several ramps, modified his wheelchairs and built a pool lift for him.
The 1:12 ramp is what a relatively fit person can arm their way up without assistance.
Our new house design follows your criteria to a tee. it is on a bit of a knob but the carport, walkways and house are all cruiseable.
He was in a wheelchair from 1975 until his death in 2021, which has given us all a unique perspective on the realities of access.
He was a very fit fireman and former Army Special Forces soldier before a building fell in on him. I made several ramps, modified his wheelchairs and built a pool lift for him.
The 1:12 ramp is what a relatively fit person can arm their way up without assistance.
Our new house design follows your criteria to a tee. it is on a bit of a knob but the carport, walkways and house are all cruiseable.
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As a Paramedic for 36 years I got to move people in and out of many places, Some absolutely insane. So when we started our forever home rebuild, we planned on making it easy to access with not only a wheel chair but a stretcher to haul my dead body out in 40 years or so.... walk in shower in a large bathroom, all 36 inch doors. just 2 steps into the house front door and garage. metal roof, vinyl siding, composite decking.
But a motorcycle crash at 60 brought the wheelchair, walker into play already, and the house isn't even done yet!
skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Another paramedic related design change I adopted is no bathroom doors that open in. Everybody thinks that is the way, open them in so you can get in there.
They never had to break a door in to rescue somebody who has had an episode and is up against the door. it is very much a thing.
I have a couple of pockets, a barn door and a two door bathroom with one pocket door.
They never had to break a door in to rescue somebody who has had an episode and is up against the door. it is very much a thing.
I have a couple of pockets, a barn door and a two door bathroom with one pocket door.
Ronstar
Moderator Emeritus
As it turns out, the house we built in 1993 is starting to look like our forever home. DW doesnt want to move, and I can't find a place that she and I would both be happy with anyway.
So we are staying put in our 3800 sf 2 level home on 5 wooded acres. Lots of maintenance - mostly yard maintenance. And not very senior friendly. I go up and down stairs about 20 times a day.
But we are making our home more senior friendly. Making the landscape natural. Grab bars in bathrooms, etc.
I'm looking at making an elevator to move things to/from the attic. Probably going to re-remodel the master bath to get rid of the tub and put in a bigger walk in shower. Looking to make other changes as the needs arise.
So we are staying put in our 3800 sf 2 level home on 5 wooded acres. Lots of maintenance - mostly yard maintenance. And not very senior friendly. I go up and down stairs about 20 times a day.
But we are making our home more senior friendly. Making the landscape natural. Grab bars in bathrooms, etc.
I'm looking at making an elevator to move things to/from the attic. Probably going to re-remodel the master bath to get rid of the tub and put in a bigger walk in shower. Looking to make other changes as the needs arise.
I have had several of these type incidents. Twice I have take people out the window because of the layout. We have only 1 bathroom, 12x11. toilets shower on one side, vanity and closet on the other, straight shot thru to the master bedroom with 36 in doors. swing in on the kitchen, sliding barn on the bedroom.
skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
This is what we are putting in the elevator shaft. It is indeed affordable.
https://affordablelifts.com/#Customization
