mare
Senior member
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2008
- Messages
- 771
- Reason
- Lost a loved one
- Country
- US
- State
- PA
- City
- Lafayette Hill
I've noticed there have been a few threads/posts asking about renovations, as well as quite a few new members who are new to this as well.
I thought it might be helpful to see the spaces as they relate to each other (particularly PWC & doorways!); I know I tend to be a "visual" person, and as they say, "...a picture is worth a thousand words..."
In a perfect world, we could all either move to a fully handicap-designed home with all the luxury amenities, or add an addition to our homes to accommodate these things.
But it's not, so we do what is "perfect" for us- work with what we have space wise and budget wise to create the perfect space for our PALS.
And try as we may to prepare for whatever is down the road, there will be some "tweaking" as you move forward. (at least, in my experience)
The one thing I would say to those of you who are starting this daunting process is to think outside of the box. Do you have a bedroom that is not being used because the "kids" are grown & moved out? Do you have a guest room that doesn't get much use? Consider that space in your planning- after all, do you really even want houseguests these days?:wink: A bathroom renovation doesn't have to be the master bathroom- maybe another bath has easier access or better layout, and therefore less work & less cost.
I have pictures in albums to show our bathroom renovation. If I had been doing an addition, yes I would have made it bigger. (can a bathroom ever be too big?:lol
The space does work but I would not want it any smaller. (it is 8'3" wide x 11" long; configuration of the fixtures does need to be considered though) Pictures show how our shower w/c moves through the space, which is important to consider. Also, you'll see when the shower chair is in place there is plenty of room; a shower w/c however fills the space more. And when trunk weakness sets in, you will need the chair to recline (takes up more space) to prevent falls. (my husband fell out of his shower w/c; trunk weakness snuck up on us! :shock
Before we installed a ceiling lift, we had a loaner "hoyer-type" lift. While I was able to use it in the space (when he fell), it does take-up much floor space to turn, as well as a few pivots. (remember, it does not have the turning radius of a PWC; more like the flat-bed carts at a big box home improvement store!
How wide is wide enough? Each person is different, so hopefully seeing some of the pictures will determine that for you. If you say to yourself, "I could fit through the door way if the door wasn't there", off-set hinges are a great way to do that. Careful driving will get you through; a few "dings" are gonna' happen- don't sweat the small stuff!:smile
I thought it might be helpful to see the spaces as they relate to each other (particularly PWC & doorways!); I know I tend to be a "visual" person, and as they say, "...a picture is worth a thousand words..."
In a perfect world, we could all either move to a fully handicap-designed home with all the luxury amenities, or add an addition to our homes to accommodate these things.
But it's not, so we do what is "perfect" for us- work with what we have space wise and budget wise to create the perfect space for our PALS.
And try as we may to prepare for whatever is down the road, there will be some "tweaking" as you move forward. (at least, in my experience)
The one thing I would say to those of you who are starting this daunting process is to think outside of the box. Do you have a bedroom that is not being used because the "kids" are grown & moved out? Do you have a guest room that doesn't get much use? Consider that space in your planning- after all, do you really even want houseguests these days?:wink: A bathroom renovation doesn't have to be the master bathroom- maybe another bath has easier access or better layout, and therefore less work & less cost.
I have pictures in albums to show our bathroom renovation. If I had been doing an addition, yes I would have made it bigger. (can a bathroom ever be too big?:lol
The space does work but I would not want it any smaller. (it is 8'3" wide x 11" long; configuration of the fixtures does need to be considered though) Pictures show how our shower w/c moves through the space, which is important to consider. Also, you'll see when the shower chair is in place there is plenty of room; a shower w/c however fills the space more. And when trunk weakness sets in, you will need the chair to recline (takes up more space) to prevent falls. (my husband fell out of his shower w/c; trunk weakness snuck up on us! :shock
Before we installed a ceiling lift, we had a loaner "hoyer-type" lift. While I was able to use it in the space (when he fell), it does take-up much floor space to turn, as well as a few pivots. (remember, it does not have the turning radius of a PWC; more like the flat-bed carts at a big box home improvement store!
How wide is wide enough? Each person is different, so hopefully seeing some of the pictures will determine that for you. If you say to yourself, "I could fit through the door way if the door wasn't there", off-set hinges are a great way to do that. Careful driving will get you through; a few "dings" are gonna' happen- don't sweat the small stuff!:smile