Thinking Bigger: Making the
Most of a Small House
By Jane Hampton, CID
Dear Jane,
I’m 47 and live by myself in a small, Cape Cod style home in
a Minneapolis suburb. I have only 750 square feet on the main level
(two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and living room) with a half story
above (where my guests stay) and a full unfinished basement below.
It’s small, but paid off. Since my accident a year-and-a-half
ago, I have used a power chair and am ready to make a change. Although
moving into a bigger house and facing a mortgage once again is my
knee-jerk reaction, I love my neighbors and community and the support
they give me, as well as no mortgage. I really don’t want to
move. What can I do that I haven’t already thought of?
David, St. Louis Park, MN
Dear David,
Small homes are a challenge for wheelchair use, but give us an opportunity
to think “outside the box.” Your home was probably
built between 1940 and 1955 during a time when there were fewer
belongings, and people lived “simpler” lives. Storage
and places for our stuff is often the biggest issue in conflict
with wheelchair clearances and reach ranges. My suggestion to you
is to think of your home in terms of “task stations” and
not as traditional rooms or areas. This will allow you to “multi-area” spaces …similar
to “multi-task,” but spatially. Assuming that entering
and exiting the home has already been made accessible; the following
ideas come to mind:
• Consider arranging doorways to reflect a more accessible traffic
pattern and avoid redundancies and hallways. Lack of visual privacy
may be a trade-off, but could be resolved with an alternative visual
barrier such as curtains over the passageway, etc.
• Consider removing all furniture that doesn’t have at least
two purposes (three, if you have the guts). Then, rearrange what is
leftover to meet your needs. Keep in mind that you bring your chair
with you and nice folding chairs and tables can be tucked away when
not in use by your guests. A living room with only one loveseat or
chair is okay.
• Use wall space with a great deal of thought. Items that “normally” would
be placed on a counter top or table may be able to be mounted on an
adjacent wall, freeing up valuable counter space (e.g.; phones, mail
files, clocks, lamps/lights, shelves for monitors, etc.).
• Allow areas for bookcases: the top can be a writing surface
and the shelves can store things within reach. A hook could be mounted
on the side of the bookcase to hang your backpack (or purse) for easy
access to its contents.
• Really get a handle on the clothes you wear. Most of us use
only one-fourth of the clothes we own. Eliminate those you don’t
(and won’t) use and make sure your storage for them “makes
sense.” Where do you get dressed? Where do you wash them? Where
do you soil them (and quickly need to change)? Placing the washer and
dryer and clothes storage in the bathroom can be a space saver as well
as make sense and enable you to be more efficient with your actions.
• Get realistic about your “culinary art” of cooking
and eating. Have you used the oven lately, or is the microwave your
style? Consider downsizing to a counter top or cabinet hung toaster
oven and microwave and remove the full-size oven from the equation
totally. Installing a cooktop can allow for knee space and better access
to items on the counter or cabinets above.
• Install pull-out cutting boards in the kitchen cabinets as well
as in other cabinets throughout the home to provide for more work surfaces
for placing and sorting contents.
• Consider removing the bathtub and making a roll-in shower so
the shower floor can be used as open floor space to position your wheelchair
for a safe transfer onto the toilet. If the bathroom is really small,
consider incorporating either the toilet or sink (not vanity) in the
shower area, but protect the toilet paper from water spray with a partial
wall or some other design feature.
• Remember that you may have the basement and upstairs that
is also paid for and waiting to be used…if you can get to
it. Vertical access provided via lifts, elevators, and stair glides
can sometimes double your usable square footage and quickly justify
their expense.
This list is just a
sample of the many access features and space “stretching” ideas
when remodeling a home for wheelchair use.
Do you have a question? Send
your question in and we will cover your questions in future issues
of Access Press. Please send them to access@accesspress.org or call
651-644-2133.
Accessibility Design
was founded in 1992 to enhance lives through design and project
management. They provide design, consultation, project management,
and product recommendation services specializing in home access
for individuals with disabilities at all stages of life.
