How to Make Your New Home Accessible… Part 1

Are you in a position to have your home built from the ground up? If so, congratulations! Being able to build your dream home can be especially exciting for people with disabilities.  

The new construction of a home for people with a disability will be safer, more comfortable, and much easier to get around. If you must renovate a home, it can get difficult, expensive, and you should plan to run into issues.

The biggest problem can often be space constraints. You might be able to take space from a closet to make your room wider, but once you run out of that space, you will need to take it from a corridor, and then you run into another set of problems.  

An accessible house plan considers your specific needs and wants throughout the design. These home layouts include fewer walls, more open space, and wider hallways to grant freedom and mobility throughout the home. Before the first nail is hammered, hammer out the details for your home design with your contractor.  

At Next Day Access, we understand the importance of meeting all your accessibility needs for the home. We put together a room-by-room list of products and recommendations to enhance your home’s accessibility features.  

Kitchen

When installing the sink, do not place any cabinetry underneath. Pipes should be tucked tight against the back wall or even built into the wall to allow you to get right up to the sink. Setting sinks and countertops at 30 inches rather than 36 inches also helps.

Keep this rule in mind for other spaces in your home. You may also want to look into a side-by-side refrigerator. This type of refrigerator offers equal access to both the fridge and freezer. A good rule of thumb is 50% of storage should be easily accessible. Items that get used every day should be placed in lower cabinets, and more decorative dishes or specialty spices kept higher. 

Bathroom

As mentioned for the kitchen, a wall-mounted sink for the bathroom allows easy access to the sink from your wheelchair. For the bathtub, consider choosing a walk-in bathtub or a roll-in shower. Next Day Access has a wide assortment of bathroom modification items that help with convenience and safety.

You should also make sure that the flooring going down in the bathroom is slip-resistant. Lastly, make sure that the walls are reinforced; solutions like grab bars need a large amount of support when installed. 

At Next Day Access, we are proud to offer many solutions to help build a home that allows you to continue living independently. It is our goal that your home is as safe and comfortable as much as possible.

With the Next Day Access advantage, we are with you from the first step of estimating your needs with a free in-home consultation following an installation. Every step of the way, you can count on us. If you are interested in learning more about all the accessibility and mobility products we offer, contact us today.

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