If you are planning on moving or remodeling

[Bucky]

GG - good luck as you go to look at the cabin.  It sounds like it would be a little vacation cabin!   

It's a good thing your brother is going with you - that will be a big help to have two heads to think things through.  Just don't rush into things - weigh all the pro's and con's and then think on it over the weekend (if you were thinking of making a decision right away). 

Will it be OK to have your pets there?  Does the creek rise out of it's banks when a hard rain comes?  Will you be in bear country??  I wouldn't want to wake up to a grizzly peering in my window!   

Good Luck!

Bucky

[ashewoman]

Oh Bucky-- it was a disaster.  LOL  Apparently that creek has risen before.  Beautiful outside.  Amazing if it had been a campsite.  But the cabin smelled like mildew and had water damage.  Plus it was teeny and dark.  And as if that wasn't enough, it has oil heat, not even propane.  I've heard horror stories about how expensive and inefficient that kind of heat system is so I can imagine going thru around $300 or 400 filling the oil tank every month and still being cold right there at the foothills of that mountain.  I've had friends who've done it.  It's better to pay more to get a furnace. 

It was more like a fishing camp style flop house than I had hoped.  LOL  I'm going to look at a house tomorrow, I think.  Wish me luck.  I'm afraid of what I'll see when I get there as it is less expensive and larger than the cabin, but I think the land lord is less greedy for that.  So the search continues.... GG

[xANTHONYx]

I am only 24 and reasonably able bodied, but I actually live in a handicap apartment because it was the last unit available when I moved closer to college. It has it's advantages and disadvantages. If I were to build a house, I would likely want it to be able to be easily converted into a handicap accessible place if need be. What I mean is somethings are harder to change than others like door widths for instance. My grandmother was confined to a wheelchair and she could go through any door in my parents house except for the bathroom! For some reason the bathroom door was two inches smaller than the rest which required a larger door be installed at great expense.



In my two years of living in this handicap unit I have noticed a few things I dislike.

The lower counters require me to hunch over when using them. It's mainly a problem when cooking as it is impractical to sit while preparing food.

There is no storage under the sinks. This also means that the drain, disposal, and water lines are all exposed.

There is also no storage or counter space at all in the bathroom. This is because there is no vanity in place and there are grab rails all around the toilet that have so far made it impossible for me to find a storage solution that fits in between them.

No bathtub, just a shower stall. It also lacks any sort of ridge to keep the bathroom floor from filling with water when I shower.



There are also some things I like.

The controls for the oven are in the front so I need not reach over hot pots and pans to adjust them.

The closets are long and shallow with doors that open all the way along the length of them. This means everything in the entire closet is on display when I open the doors.

The handicap toilet is quite a bit taller than a conventional residential unit and it's just better in every way. I personally would install one in any house I owned if I had the room for it. I will say that one of my not so bashful classmates complained that she lost her sandals and undies while taking care of business because her feet would swing as she couldn't touch the ground...lol

And my favorite feature, it is on the ground level. I have a bad heart and I very much hate stairs. I despise carrying garbage bags, groceries, etc up and down the stairs. Especially when you would meet someone on the way and one of you would need to retreat until the other passed.


With all things considered I personally would prefer to live in a non handicap unit but in a college town it's so hard to find a place I have decided to stay here. I will say if there is any sort of chance you might need that type of facility, go for it. I have got by just fine in mine.

[Bucky]

GG - any luck on the housing front?  I'm glad you decided against the cabin by the creek.

xANTHONYx - I find that our sink in our bathroom (and it's a "regular" bathroom) is kinda low and when my sciatica acts up, it can be pretty tough to bend down to wash my face or "sit" on a low toilet - I like the higher toilets too.   

It seems there are quite a bit of variations in heights if most homes are "standard" heights.

I noticed the same problem with walk-in shower at my brother's house - hard to keep the floor from getting wet when you open the door and all the water goes all over the floor.     Seems like a poor design to me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This past week I was visiting family in another state and got to see the house my brother and SIL will be moving into in July.  In my opinion, (not that it matters), they are making a huge mistake getting this house with all the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs (there is a toilet only bathroom on the main floor).

There have been back & knee issues through the years (back is still on-going) - I would really reconsider this endeavor if I were them . . but, it's their decision.  Both my husband and I agreed we would never EVEN consider this house due to all the stairs.  To each, his own. 

Bucky

[ashewoman]

Bucky-- I've decided to stay where I am.  It sounds like once they were given an ultimatum to make repairs they are going to.  Thank goodness I couldn't face the effort in finding another place much less packing up and moving into it.  GG

[Cricket]

Bucky

Just read the title and first thing that popped into my head was "don't I wish!". And I am not picky either one would be great.