Millennials have seen the traditional starter homes fade from the market. Baby boomers are retiring and discovering that homes friendly to the elderly are in short supply as well. Renovating homes for wheelchair access and other accommodations is expensive. I've had my own brush with being handicapped, too.
What can be done about this situation? Not much. New construction is expensive, and government fiscal policy incentivizes bigger and bigger "family homes" with easy credit. I can, however, start drawing blueprints. I am a draftsman by training, after all.
I am hitting a few roadblocks as I sketch my preliminary designs, though. The starter homes my parents and grandparents remember do not meet modern building codes. They are also rarely accessible to wheelchairs and other mobility aids. Some building codes seem arbitrary, but accessibility minimums are set by physical reality, so let's go over a few basics without migraine-inducing legalese. These are also minimums for accessibility, so more space should be allowed where possible. Wheelchair access is my base metric because that's what dictates the most for a floor plan, but electric receptacle height, light switch location, countertop height, and more also affect accessibility for myriad situations.
I'll be relying on imperial units because that's what we use in the USA. For those unfamiliar with our quaint system and its notation, a single quote tick denotes feet, and a double tick denotes inches, so to write that one foot equals twelve inches, I would write the following: 1'=12". 1"=25.4mm exactly, but as a rule of thumb, 4"=10cm, 12"=30cm, and so on for quick-and-dirty conversions.
Enough beating around the bush. Time to list some basic design requirements.
Turning radius:
Allow at least a 60" unobstructed turning circle in a kitchen or restroom. If a full circle cannot be provided, a T- or L-shaped turning space can sometimes be allowed. Some obstructions with allowance for knee and toe space, i.e. restroom sinks, are allowed. Doors can open into this space as well.
Corridor width
36" minimum for a straight corridor, or 42" minimum to allow for turning. This also applies to the T- and L-shaped turning spaces above.
Doorways
32" minimum clear width when the door is opened to 90°. My recommendation is just round up to 36" since it is a common size for pre-hung door assemblies, and a little extra space is always welcome.
Maneuvering clearances and approach space at doorways
Varies by door configuration. Here's an official table of data and a diagram.
Ramps
We generally design interiors to be flat, but access from outside always involves some degree of elevation change. When I worked for an architectural firm, it always seemed like site grade and wheelchair ramps were the most difficult to ensure we kept in spec, whether remodeling an existing structure or building new on uneven terrain. @jerrytsuseer has mentioned his challenges getting a ramp designed for his home which meets both access standards and his needs. I have another official diagram explaining the code constraints for new and retrofit construction. If the elevation change from the start of the ramp to the end is more than 30", there must be a landing with all the turning space and approach standards mentioned above, too.
Just these basic wheelchair maneuvering requirements should hint at how much work it takes to design commercial and residential spaces which meet modern standards. Incorporating them into a space from the start of the design process is far easier than remodeling an existing structure, though, and this isn't just beneficial for the handicapped. Have you ever moved furniture down a narrow hallway, pushed a baby stroller through a public space, or moved an appliance on a dolly?
With that in mind, here are the general features I want to include from the start for a starter/retirement home, at least for the main floor plan.
Floor Plan Considerations
The main floor must include, at a minimum, the kitchen, bath, laundry, one bedroom, and a living room or parlor with full wheelchair access. This requires space, so the floor plan will necessarily be expanded from that of the postwar housing which inspired the plans I am drawing.
Private bedroom and bathroom spaces must be separated from the more public living space by a short hall to break line of sight and provide a barrier to sound, but this hall should be a minimum of 42" wide, and allow ample turning space at each doorway.
Kitchen and bath must include a clear turning circle, and ideally be designed from the start with accessible cabinets and sinks. More on that after I sort the floor plan and start drawing interior details, hopefully in an upcoming post.
One more thing: as someone who has always lived in states adjacent to Canada, snow is an annual concern. Therefore, not only should the front door include a porch and wheelchair ramp, it should be covered by a roof to keep the snow off. Handicapped or not, shoveling snow sucks, and too many mass-built tract homes dump snow right onto the front steps. This is dumb and I will not tolerate it in my own designs.
Unsolicited Tangential Opinions
Attached garages at the front of a house are ugly. They are also typically at grade below the floor level of the home, and offer little room for a suitable ramp, and can introduce exhaust fumes and other chemicals into the home. In my not-so-humble opinion, most homes are better served by a carport near the house and/or a detached garage.
Input Welcome
What do you like about older, smaller homes you may have had in the past? What little annoyances about your home should be designed away from the start? Have you had any experience with accessibility issues? What rules are used in the metric world for I'm still at the drawing stage, and would welcome suggestions. Hopefully I'll also find a good way to share PDF files for plans as I develop them.
Wheelchair image credit: Vicki Hamilton on Pixabay
All other images: U.S. Access Board ADA Accessibility Standards, public domain
I saw a lovely house on Grand Designs that was mobility accessible and very beautiful. Of course people don't plan a house for that contingency as they don't believe it'll happen to them. I'd have to move - my house is too small. My girlfriend is in a wheelchair but she's butfuck loaded and has acres of room to turn a wheelchair in and 'help' and just get uber eats.
This is such a detailed article. It must have taken you forever.
My Dad was a draftsmen. STructural steel for most of his life (as his business) and one of first businesses to use Autocad (self taught) meaning we were one of the first kids we knew to have a home computer. When he 'retired' he did building plans. He always wanted to be an architect in another life, or a PE teacher. HE had one more house in him, then he died.
I remember playing around with accessible design in my head universe and everything just ended up being gigantic and rampy (except for older smaller buildings which are not up to their code). And then again in my garden (not a problem currently but there's aging parents one of which has osteoporosis to consider minimising fall threats/damage for) which basically meant I have to work out actual wheel friendly slightly grippy paths not say cute little fairy tale stepping stone affairs.
the food garden currently has a very inaccessible and also not that barefoot friendly gravel path in progress because I had to do something with the old aquaponics gravel
I'm trying to picture attached garages at the front of a house, I don't think I have ever seen one here, even if they're set more forward they're usually still on the side O_O
I am still in an older smaller home XD While it has technically been doubled in size with some interesting renovations (as far as I can tell it used to be either a 1x1 or a 2x1 and a couple of extensions made it a 4x2 with a really stupid layout) it's still a LOT smaller than most other 4x2s. But it does have a wide corridor (we kind of narrowed it with a sideboard thing but you can still squeeze through probably x_x) and most of the doors are big enough to squeeze a wheelchair or walker through (as long as it's a "normal" walker and not one of the massive spider ones I've seen some kids using), there's only two doors which could cause problems (slightly narrower, think they are absolutel minimum standard width but I haven't checked). It's been a "good" size as in we can all live here with enough room to not annoy each other while still being small enough to be relatively easy to keep clean but doesn't support proper multigenerational living (partners and grandkids make things a lot squeezier, would need more extension or a granny flat).
Unlike you I have zero drafting experience but have been approaching from the other much more expensive end and trying to come up with designs for integrated multigenerational (3-4 generations) living.
!BBH