How about a Random HOUSE thread
 

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Joanna, my wife and I will be moving soon due to her MS causing safety issues with our two story house.

I've been looking at houses that I could build with hidden ramps that can't be seen from the street. If I bought a decent home and added some Craftsman style to it I could hide the ramp in the front porch. I would slope it sideways to the driveway and it wouldn't be seen from the street.

Some Craftsman front doors are 40"-44" wide and that would help with getting a scooter or wheelchair in and out.


Anyways... Let's see some stylish houses.

Yep, but somebody was going to....http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1316749767.jpg

and a local favoritehttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1316750238.jpg

What? Oh, OK, that kind of random house...
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and the most random house I have ever been in

The Sarah Winchester Mystery House.

I was introduced to a gentlemen once who collected architecture. Had two or three Frank Loyd Wright houses, etc.....http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1316750515.gif

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I'll get this one out of the way.

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You beat me to it.

That's the first thing I thought of when I read the subject.

lookie what I found in my last purchasehttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1316753458.jpg

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Guys, Can we get this back on track? This is a serious thing for me. I'll be selling my home that I've raised 4 sons in.

Joanna and I will be downsizing due to health reasons.

Yes, I put the "House" pic in only due to I knew that it would make it in.

Sounds like my kind of dude! :cool:

I built a completely accessible home for my son who is confined to a wheelchair. Most things that you will want are hard to add to an existing home ie: extra wide halls and doorways. Modified height for light switches etc. A roll in out shower with a main drain in the floor will be handy plus any supports you may need to put in for a sling and track system later
We hid the need for actual ramps by designing all the hardscapes to facilitate access to all the entrances and exits of the house by a wheelchair.I actually lifted the garage floor three feet so there could be level access to the house. Let me think about posting a picture of my house on the internet to show you what I mean.
I would be happy to talk to you about what we did. It's good you are doing this and thinking about this up front.
Steve

Scott,

THANK YOU! We did think of raising the garage floor. I was looking at one house that the garage was 14' away. When I was a kid my Dad used 4 floor jacks and lifted the garage and moved it 50' and turned it 90*

Jim, I'm sure you can just look at this house and see how that entry way can be modified to have an obscured ramp and wider door.

http://www.freshomedesign.com/2009/10/leavenworth-cabin-%E2%80%93-house-design-with-a-single-shed-roof/

I have always loved shed roof designs with lots of glass.

This is a 1700 sq ft house. Very nice, low budget. Gently-sloping ramp from driveway to front door.
Craftsman-style fence in front of ramp. The fence blends in with the lines of the house, and the
style is perfect for greenery/ flowers:

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I guess my first question would be do you intend to retrofit an existing home or build your own pre-planned handicap accessible home? If you build your own it would be much easier to design the ramp into the home so it is not as prominent. I think most people think a handicap ramp must be a rigid structure of concrete or wood. But what about the idea of grading or regrading the lot in the event of a retrofit so it gently slopes to the entrance? If the grade is gentle enough and the topography the lot rises with the ramp/walk you could eliminate the railings to make it less imposing structures.

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