bethben Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Has anyone moved with a physically handicapped older child? We are considering a move to be closer to family and to give Dh more opportunities for work. He's been underemployed for a year now and there's been one serious interview. The logistics of moving are making us wonder if we even can. We built an accessible home specifically for ds's needs. It's a ranch style home with no stairs to get into the house, 3 ft doorways, and a large roll in shower. I know houses can be ramped to get into the doors, but the whole bathroom/room situation really is distressing us. We would be moving to a location were there are no lots for sale. Dh doesn't want to leave me here trying to sell a home while he is working in the new location. He is also very concerned about the shower/bathroom/room on the ground floor situation. We really really need a roll in shower and a good sized bathroom on the ground floor. A bedroom on the ground floor would also be a must otherwise we're having to install a chair lift. What if our house sells right away and we need to rent for a while? How can we possible rent anything? We have 3 other children beside our child with handicaps so a simple apartment is out. So, has anyone done this successfully? How? Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I would stay put unitl I found the right home unless Dh could live with relatives so you only had to maintain one home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Talk with a realtor in the area and tell them what you need. Maybe by some mercy you'll find a house with the accommodations already made or something you could modify. My house has a lot of the features you're describing. (all 3' doors, no stairs to enter, walk-in shower that could modify to roll-in, etc.) Many people are building homes to last into retirement, so they're building those features in. You just have to start the search and see what you can find. I've never tried to look for houses online, but surely accessibility is in the search engine features for realtor websites... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geodob Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Their could possibly be a CP support group in the area that you want to move to? Whom you could contact and ask if any of their members are selling their 'fitted out' house? Also let them know that you will be selling your house. It occurs to me that a dedicated national registry of 'fitted out' houses for sale, would be most helpful. So that people could simply go to a website, to see what's available, or to add a listing. This would also be useful for real estate agents as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 My eldest sibling was born severely handicapped and never lived in a fitted up home until she was 33yo. I agree with OhE. Call a realtor. Some two story homes have the master suite on the 1st floor. Many newer homes are built with a separate shower and bath in the master suite. You may discover that finding an appropriate home isn't as difficult as you think. Don't limit the search to newer homes. I've seen some 1960's rambler style homes with interesting walk in shower configurations too. I think door widths will be more of a challenge than bathrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Our doors were european imports we got from a friend. We have more in the barn, so if you were near us we could help you do the mods. :) Around here I see houses all the time that have ramps added, etc. This is a very common issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 24, 2013 Author Share Posted October 24, 2013 Our doors were european imports we got from a friend. We have more in the barn, so if you were near us we could help you do the mods. :) Around here I see houses all the time that have ramps added, etc. This is a very common issue. Somehow the word barn and a fairly large metro area tells me you are probably not close to where we are thinking of moving. Doors at this point are the least of our concern. It's all about the bathrooms. It's even gotten to a point were we are unable to stay with any family members because of the bathroom situation. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 You say that an apartment is out, but have you looked yet? I am totally guessing, but I would think that recently built apartments would have to have some units that are accessible with roll in showers. An apartment might be more crowded than you'd like, but it might give you the opportunity to move and work on modifying a house. Another idea, in the small town where I live, the public housing (which includes accessible units) is open to everyone because there are not enough low income families to keep it filled. Rents are based on income. This is extremely dependent on where you are living though. Here the public housing is no worse, and sometimes, better than regular rental homes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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