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Update on my dad and the idea of him moving in here


DawnM
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I am reading online that for a wheelchair to be utilized and the person to get around with it in the bathroom, you need a min. of a 10x5 space.   the space between the kitchen and the stairs is only 7'.   I wonder if putting a door in the center and having a toilet on one side and a shower on the other, with the door and open space in the middle would work?   maybe a small sink straight ahead that would not be a vanity, but a free standing sink that could be used with a wheelchair if needed?

dh and I were talking last night and we don't know where our property line ends or what the restrictions are for building and how far from the property line our construction needs to end, we may not have space for adding a side extension.   we may have to add either forward or inside the space already there.

The space is on a concrete slab, the rest of the house is on a crawlspace.   

another crazy thought I had was that maybe they could gut the laundry room and lower it and make that an accessible bathroom for that room.   that space is about 10x8 and just behind that wall that is between the stairs and the kitchen.   

Edited by DawnM
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44 minutes ago, DawnM said:

how wonderful!  I would do that in a heartbeat if it were available.   Although it looks. like there are income/asset restrictions and you must be receiving public assistance? 

I would too.  If we had the land and had this option available.

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This is not as crazy an idea as you might think~~  Would this just mean that you would have five steps to get to the laundry and it could be shared by you & your Dad?  I can't remember if you said this was your laundry room or an unused room.

another crazy thought I had was that maybe they could gut the laundry room and lower it and make that an accessible bathroom for that room.   that space is about 10x8 and just behind that wall that is between the stairs and the kitchen.   

 

I can’t help with your question of what would be cheaper, but I can toss out some brainstorming ideas.

I'd opt for a wheelchair access bath — pedestal sink, roll-in shower, comfort-height toilet.

Go with one large living area/studio. The bed can be separated from living area with a room divider screen, if desired. 
 
How about a standing stair lift?
 
I wouldn’t worry about a large closet. Maybe a free-standing armoire or two would suffice along with a platform bed with drawers underneath? (if you go with a bed, that is)
 
A stackable/condo washing machine & dryer would be sufficient. 
 
I think selling the house with a MIL suite would be a big bonus and you should get back your money.
 
I would also imagine that re-configuring the existing space would be much cheaper than adding on.
 
Maybe you can google studio apartment layouts to help get ideas? Also, one bedroom or studio beach-front condos in FL are quite space-efficient so you might get ideas looking at some of those, as well.  I have seen one such place where the W&D was in the kitchen off to the side hidden behind a bi-fold closet door. Another idea is a Murphy Bed, but I’m not sure how feasible that is for an elderly person to use (I’ve never used one but they are popular in studios).
 
As for paying for this, I would definitely check on the rules in your state, but maybe, as @Ottakee said, you can pay for it and your dad can pay you some rent so that the end result is he is paying for at least a portion of it (as he wishes), if that makes sense, but the ‘money trail’ is clean down the line when he either passes, moves to a care facility, or you sell the home. Surely, paying a family member market rent is allowed under the look-back rules?
 
If you did go with an extension, would you *have* to brick it? I’ve seen some nice additions with siding, and some with a knee-high area of brick with  siding on the rest. If you were to, say, put the addition on the other side of those windows, would the exterior wall not be more windows, or the same windows simply pushed out? That would decrease the amount of brick/siding needed.  Or is that where the property line is and you can't push out that way?
 
 
 
 
 
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16 minutes ago, Wildcat said:

This is not as crazy an idea as you might think~~  Would this just mean that you would have five steps to get to the laundry and it could be shared by you & your Dad?  I can't remember if you said this was your laundry room or an unused room.

another crazy thought I had was that maybe they could gut the laundry room and lower it and make that an accessible bathroom for that room.   that space is about 10x8 and just behind that wall that is between the stairs and the kitchen.   

 

 

no, it would mean the laundry room would be gutted and turned into a bathroom for him.   we would need a new place for the laundry room.

16 minutes ago, Wildcat said:

 

I can’t help with your question of what would be cheaper, but I can toss out some brainstorming ideas.
 

I'd opt for a wheelchair access bath — pedestal sink, roll-in shower, comfort-height toilet.

Go with one large living area/studio. The bed can be separated from living area with a room divider screen, if desired. 
 
yeah, I think we will have to do that type of bathroom.   as for the main area, he says he doesn't want a separate bedroom, but we will revisit that idea.....which would probably be more of a divider than a wall.
 
 
How about a standing stair lift?
 
we looked at lifts and may end up with one, but it won't work as well if he needs a wheelchair eventually, a ramp would prob work better, and if he only needs it to come up into our part of the house, we can just help with that.
 
I wouldn’t worry about a large closet. Maybe a free-standing armoire or two would suffice along with a platform bed with drawers underneath? (if you go with a bed, that is)
 
he prefers to sleep in a recliner, so for now, he wants to just keep that and no bed.   we may revisit that as he ages and his needs change.   
 
A stackable/condo washing machine & dryer would be sufficient. 
 
I think selling the house with a MIL suite would be a big bonus and you should get back your money.
 
I would also imagine that re-configuring the existing space would be much cheaper than adding on.
 
I am thinking that too.....and might allow us to have some money to extend the driveway area so that we can just drive up to his entry door.
 
Maybe you can google studio apartment layouts to help get ideas? Also, one bedroom or studio beach-front condos in FL are quite space-efficient so you might get ideas looking at some of those, as well.  I have seen one such place where the W&D was in the kitchen off to the side hidden behind a bi-fold closet door. Another idea is a Murphy Bed, but I’m not sure how feasible that is for an elderly person to use (I’ve never used one but they are popular in studios).
 
thanks.  I was looking at 400 sq. ft apartment ideas yesterday.   that fireplace is in the way of a lot of things, but we will have to work around it.   
 
As for paying for this, I would definitely check on the rules in your state, but maybe, as @Ottakee said, you can pay for it and your dad can pay you some rent so that the end result is he is paying for at least a portion of it (as he wishes), if that makes sense, but the ‘money trail’ is clean down the line when he either passes, moves to a care facility, or you sell the home. Surely, paying a family member market rent is allowed under the look-back rules?
 
yeah, honestly, I am not sure it matters.   he would still have to drain his savings first in a retirement place.   
 
If you did go with an extension, would you *have* to brick it? I’ve seen some nice additions with siding, and some with a knee-high area of brick with  siding on the rest. If you were to, say, put the addition on the other side of those windows, would the exterior wall not be more windows, or the same windows simply pushed out? That would decrease the amount of brick/siding needed.  Or is that where the property line is and you can't push out that way?
 
I am not sure, we currently live in a place with a rather strict hoa and it has to match the existing house, which is all brick.   there is some wiggle room for sunrooms being wood, but I don't think an addition would qualify for that.  our entryway has dark wood beams on the porch, so I thought of seeing if we could match that and having wood siding.
 
 
 
 
 

 

thanks for the suggestions and excuse the lower case writing, my shift button is stuck.

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One other thing to look into...  If your dad is a veteran and needs some home care assistance while still living independently in his own home/apartment (even if it's an apartment within your home), he might qualify for benefits that would help cover the cost of the home care.

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here is our general 1st floor floor plan.

please note that the area labeled family/entertainment and the bar in the back are the sunken in areas, they are roughly 3' lower than the rest of the house, including the laundry room listed.   that laundry room is what I was thinking may be able to be lowered to fit flush into the room itself.   I think it is 10 x 7.   I need to measure.

and I guess it is entirely possible that the closet under the stairs could be lowered as well to add even more room.   I think that closet is 3' wide.

Screen Shot 2021-01-18 at 9.32.22 AM.png

Edited by DawnM
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1 minute ago, J-rap said:

One other thing to look into...  If your dad is a veteran and needs some home care assistance while still living independently in his own home/apartment (even if it's an apartment within your home), he might qualify for benefits that would help cover the cost of the home care.

he is not, but thanks

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OK. The floorplan helps a lot.

Are your W&D on the shared wall with your Dad's room? If so, here is what I would consider doing:

 

Leave your laundry room as is.

In your Dad's room, I would put a stackable W&D on the other side of your laundry's wall butting up against where the five stairs are, or as close as possible to allow entry/chair lift. That way, the plumbing is right there, and maybe you can tap into the dryer vent, too (I have no idea if that's even possible, though). Then, to the right of the W&D closet (when looking at the plan), I would put a kitchenette. It would go w&d closet, fridge next to that, oven/stove next to that, and then a few feet of cupboards. That would essentially cut, oh, 3.5 feet off that part of the main room.

Assuming the stairs/doorway to your house is 3ft wide, the total length of that would be around 15 feet, depending on the widths of the doorway (I assumed 3 ft), a w&d closet (i chose 4 ft but a stackable unit wouldn't need that much), size of fridge, oven, and counter space. That would leave about four feet by what is now the kitchen.  For that, I would take out the bar and put a wall, coming out 3/5 feet to match the new "wall" with the w&d and kitchen and make the now-kitchen the bath. Extending the wall would give you a 7x 10.5 ft bath room. The door would be by the far wall (where the kitchenette entry is now) and it would be a pocket door since those don't take up any space. The shower would go alongside *your* laundry room with the spray head along the new, pushed out wall and entry to the shower alongside the wall with the stairs there in the back, and the toilet in the top right corner (when looking at your plan) and the sink right by the door, on either side, depending on 'fit'.  Doing it this way would leave a 19 x 15 living space.

If all of that is confusing ( Â đŸ˜… ) and you need a picture, I can draw it, but it won't be to scale. LOL.

Now, I have never needed to consider wheelchair access, so my idea of the bath might very well be off, but I just went off the measurements you found online.

Did I forget anything? W&D, fridge, cooking area, cupboards, walk-in in shower, toilet, sink.....  I guess the only other thing would be a closet. I'd go with an armoire or put one to the left of the fireplace, close to the bathrrom door if an armoire isn't palatable.

Oh, and I found a photo of a sink/counter that's wheelchair accessible but has some counter space.

https://americanbathind.com/blog/how-to-convert-your-bathroom-into-a-handicap-accessible-bathroom-layout/

Elderly Man in Wheelchair Shaving at Bathroom Sink

 

And I found this website for redesigning a small bathroom into an accessible one:

https://accessibleconstruction.com/pages/special-living2

It looks like your solution is "out there" and will take time to figure it out, but I'm sure it can be done and for less than you think. Bonus is if you can reuse some of the items in the wet bar, unless they are too small for what you need.

 

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5 minutes ago, Wildcat said:

OK. The floorplan helps a lot.

Are your W&D on the shared wall with your Dad's room? If so, here is what I would consider doing:

 

Leave your laundry room as is.

In your Dad's room, I would put a stackable W&D on the other side of your laundry's wall butting up against where the five stairs are, or as close as possible to allow entry/chair lift. That way, the plumbing is right there, and maybe you can tap into the dryer vent, too (I have no idea if that's even possible, though). Then, to the right of the W&D closet (when looking at the plan), I would put a kitchenette. It would go w&d closet, fridge next to that, oven/stove next to that, and then a few feet of cupboards. That would essentially cut, oh, 3.5 feet off that part of the main room.

Assuming the stairs/doorway to your house is 3ft wide, the total length of that would be around 15 feet, depending on the widths of the doorway (I assumed 3 ft), a w&d closet (i chose 4 ft but a stackable unit wouldn't need that much), size of fridge, oven, and counter space. That would leave about four feet by what is now the kitchen.  For that, I would take out the bar and put a wall, coming out 3/5 feet to match the new "wall" with the w&d and kitchen and make the now-kitchen the bath. Extending the wall would give you a 7x 10.5 ft bath room. The door would be by the far wall (where the kitchenette entry is now) and it would be a pocket door since those don't take up any space. The shower would go alongside *your* laundry room with the spray head along the new, pushed out wall and entry to the shower alongside the wall with the stairs there in the back, and the toilet in the top right corner (when looking at your plan) and the sink right by the door, on either side, depending on 'fit'.  Doing it this way would leave a 19 x 15 living space.

If all of that is confusing ( Â đŸ˜… ) and you need a picture, I can draw it, but it won't be to scale. LOL.

Now, I have never needed to consider wheelchair access, so my idea of the bath might very well be off, but I just went off the measurements you found online.

Did I forget anything? W&D, fridge, cooking area, cupboards, walk-in in shower, toilet, sink.....  I guess the only other thing would be a closet. I'd go with an armoire or put one to the left of the fireplace, close to the bathrrom door if an armoire isn't palatable.

Oh, and I found a photo of a sink/counter that's wheelchair accessible but has some counter space.

https://americanbathind.com/blog/how-to-convert-your-bathroom-into-a-handicap-accessible-bathroom-layout/

Elderly Man in Wheelchair Shaving at Bathroom Sink

 

And I found this website for redesigning a small bathroom into an accessible one:

https://accessibleconstruction.com/pages/special-living2

It looks like your solution is "out there" and will take time to figure it out, but I'm sure it can be done and for less than you think. Bonus is if you can reuse some of the items in the wet bar, unless they are too small for what you need.

 

I am not sure we want to tear out the kitchen and rebuild one, but I can ask.   the quote we got to tear out the kitchen and make it into a bathroom was $37,000 and that was without rebuilding a new kitchen.   we will see what the new guy quotes and suggests.

 

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Building and remodeling is expensive right now.  Get additional quotes for gutting the bar area and installing a 7x9 or 7x10 foot accessible bathroom in that area.  You can also get quotes for removing the laundry room, but lowering a floor is a structural change.  It is likely to be much more expensive than working within the existing space.  

Consider a pre-fab kitchenette unit.    You could include an apartment-sized stacking washer and dryer in the kitchenette design.  

 

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 I think there are 2 big factors in choosing a home reno over finding a facility with different levels of care. Considering a reno for him to live with you until he needs a facility, you have to ask if the funds are better spent in getting him in a facility he can stay in permanently with full time skilled care as he needs it or renovating a home he'll live in temporarily before he's forced to  transition to a facility an unknown period of time later because he needs full time skilled care. When the situation doesn't have a live in family member volunteering caretaking as an option, it's almost always  just a matter of time before a facility is involved.

1. Is he adamant that he would rather live a shorter amount of time, forgoing medical interventions,  and be at home for the sake of higher quality of life? 

2. Does he realistically have access (money to hire out adequate staffing services) to in home care (24/7) if he needs it?   If he loses certain self-care abilities like walking, toileting, and cognition, someone will need be with him full time, which is expensive if it's not an unemployed family member.

If the answer to one or both of those are no, then in the future there will likely be a time of dramatic, high stress transition of him going from your home to a facility. Remember, most elders are not going from being functional to dying of a catastrophic event that kills them suddenly, most go through a years long period of decline where they need more and more hands on care at each stage.  The current general advice on moving an elder into care, if a facility is an option,  is to do it as soon as you can while they're in a low stress state so they can transition better and they have more time for the new place to become familiar and to maybe even develop a few social ties. Doing it during a medical emergency is much more stressful for everyone, especially the elder.

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Can he do stairs now, with support?  How much help is he willing to accept?

I wonder if you could do an accessible powder room in the 7 X 5 space, so he has access as he needs it, and then add a shower in the laundry room space with the intention of adding a ramp when he needs it.

I think eventually you're going to want ramped access to the main part of your home, so he can join you for meals, or if he gets to the point where he needs more supervision, and if he wasn't using the ramp multiple times a day, or in the middle of the night, then the sound issue or the amount of time it would take would be less.  

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Can you build a floor up over the garage slab in the family room so that it is on level with the rest of the house? If you're already gutting the kitchen area, then that would be doable.  This would also give you flexibility in running plumbing in  mini-crawlspace

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Does your father need a private entrance and suite?

The most economical change would be to convert the study to a bed-sitting room and the laundry room (and if needed the adjacent closet) to a bathroom.  You could install a stacked washer-dryer unit in the closet across the hall from the laundry room .  If you do not want to share your father's laundry facilities, find a space upstairs for a second washer-dryer unit.   

If/when your father can no longer handle stairs, add a ramp to the front entrance and to the family room.  Install them in such a way that they can be removed when no longer needed.  

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8 minutes ago, Sherry in OH said:

Does your father need a private entrance and suite?

The most economical change would be to convert the study to a bed-sitting room and the laundry room (and if needed the adjacent closet) to a bathroom.  You could install a stacked washer-dryer unit in the closet across the hall from the laundry room .  If you do not want to share your father's laundry facilities, find a space upstairs for a second washer-dryer unit.   

If/when your father can no longer handle stairs, add a ramp to the front entrance and to the family room.  Install them in such a way that they can be removed when no longer needed.  

 

yes, he needs a private space.   my husband just put wall to wall built ins in that study as that is his office, it is where we have the cable running from, it is next to the front door, and it is very open on two sides, so several walls would need to be put in, the hallway is not wide enough for a wheelchair from there to the laundry room, etc.....

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37 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

Can you build a floor up over the garage slab in the family room so that it is on level with the rest of the house? If you're already gutting the kitchen area, then that would be doable.  This would also give you flexibility in running plumbing in  mini-crawlspace

we would very much like not to gut the current kitchen, it has very nice cabinets in there that are semi-high end, etc....

and that room is so wonderful, it would make me very sad to lose that height.....not to mention need new structure, new flooring, and how would my dad even get in there?   my entire house has 5 steps on every side to get into the doors.  so it does not eliminate the need for a ramp, chair lift, etc...

and that would change the noise level.   that room is directly under our room.  because of the thick concrete, I can't hear anyone walking in that room, raising it would cause a huge amount of noise as my dad is loud. he shuffles and walks very hard, he doesn't realize it, but it is like stomping and with the 3" shuffles it is loud for a long time.

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Let the contractor help - honestly it is probably best to get rid of existing kitchen, use that space to make a bigger bathroom, then put in a partial kitchen elsewhere in the room, like if you create a bathroom that runs from wall to stairs, on the outside of that wall you can put the kitchen stuff and washer/dryer. Although washer dryer would not be a priority, I'd think if something has to go, having you wash and dry his laundry for him, even if he then folds it, would be agreeable. Or him coming into main house to do his own laundry once a week. It's not a daily thing like showering, or making a cup of coffee. 

Oh, and by putting the bathroom there, you increase the distance from doorway into the room, which would make taking out the stairs and putting in a ramp more feasible I'd think. as long as doorway is wide enough for a wheelchair. 

And I'd not worry about a closet - a wardrobe from Ikea isn't expensive and lets you have it customizable to hanging, or shelves, or drawers, or all of the above. Or he can always use a dresser as a TV stand and have a smaller area - maybe even in that new bathroom, to hang things that need to be hanged. Depends on what he usually wears - if he wears t-shirts and sweats and jeans then a dresser would be fine, and keep one nice dress outfit in your closet. If he really likes dress shirts for daily wear, an Ikea wardrobe is ideal. 

I'd also look at adding a separate entrance, for resale value, depending on how much it increases cost. 

Edited by ktgrok
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One thought on closet:

When my in-laws lived in their home, they each had a huge closet with scads of clothes. We did not think they would ever need less than a huge closet, but we were wrong. As they have slipped into both frailty and dementia, neither one wanted lots of think about or deal with. Too many clothes was actually a hardship. They were overwhelmed by the visual impact of all those choices and stressed by the very idea of maintaining them.  At this point, ALL of my father-in-law's clothes fit easily in one armoire with room to spare. He would actually be quite happy with even fewer clothes, to be honest.

If you want to put a closet into the room, that's a cheap thing to build in because it's just walls and a sliding door. It may work perfectly well to just put in an armoire or wardrobe cabinet.

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5 hours ago, J-rap said:

One other thing to look into...  If your dad is a veteran and needs some home care assistance while still living independently in his own home/apartment (even if it's an apartment within your home), he might qualify for benefits that would help cover the cost of the home care.

Was this to @DawnM or me? Yes, there's aid & attendance if his retirement and disability incomes were not enough. The assisted living clued us in, because typically ⅓ of the people living there are vets, go figure. It's just a really interesting bunch. 

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Can you put a long ramp on the left side of the room from the doorway?  I say long so it meets ADA suggested slope.  

I agree with the person that said to do something right next to your current laundry room and bar, taking advantage of the plumbing and electrical there but just adding some walls  to create the spaces that meet your needs.  Like his laundry room/bathroom could be right next to your laundry room and also extend to the bar area.  

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On 1/17/2021 at 1:24 PM, DawnM said:

 

ah, you could be right.   We would have to look into it.

Check with both your town and the restrictions on your development listed in your title.  We lived in one house that included paperwork on the title that specifically described it being okay to add a 400 sq ft cottage "for a maid, housekeeper, or nanny" but not for "family members or rental purposes."  Also you could have 1 shed OR 1 cottage, but not both.

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19 minutes ago, perky said:

Can you put a long ramp on the left side of the room from the doorway?  I say long so it meets ADA suggested slope.  

I agree with the person that said to do something right next to your current laundry room and bar, taking advantage of the plumbing and electrical there but just adding some walls  to create the spaces that meet your needs.  Like his laundry room/bathroom could be right next to your laundry room and also extend to the bar area.  

I don't know if this is the same everywhere but dh says one long ramp won't work because it is too far up.  Has to zig zag.  And Dawn has already said a ramp would be too loud.  

 

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Because I have a dd in a wheelchair AND teach math, I have actually written a nice little project for students on wheelchair ramp slopes. ADA is a slope of 1:12, meaning for every 1 foot of rise, you have to have 12' of run. So if those 5 steps climb up 3', your ramp run has to be 36' long. And if your ramp will be over 30', you have to have a rest area--a flat spot where the user can rest without risk of sliding back down the ramp. That's why ramps zig zag (though our post office ramp is just really long with a flat spot half way).

On accessible bathrooms, you may be able to figure out what is usable for you that still manages to be a little smaller than a commercial accessible bathroom. Wider door is key, enough space to get chair in, but maybe for your use you decide that you can back out the chair and don't need extra width to be able to turn in the bathroom. Stepless-entry shower is easier than tub--you can put a bath chair in it if needed.

Edited by Ali in OR
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At 86, the odds of him needing significant care in the next five years are very high.  How much are you willing to take on? I'd really answer that question definitively first.  If you aren't willing to take on him being wheelchair dependent (which will also likely tie to him needing full time care in the home), then there's no need to build to full wheelchair accessibility for the home.  This will also lower your reno costs.

IMO, where you're not wanting to do a full kitchen reno AND you are likely to need to continue working full time AND you've got a lot going on in life right now anyway......I'd fully look into the ADU situation.  It would also offer more flexibility should an adult child need to bounce back home for a time.

We looked into granny flats pretty extensively here.  It is our best solution, short of moving, should we need to take in an elderly relative.  I would totally go the granny flat route over something like a tiny home on wheels.  Tiny home, yes. On wheels, no.  Get it fully wired for electric and plumbing.

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I am not sure our HOA will allow a permanent dwelling to be placed on our property, I think the only kind you can have are temporary, which would mean it has to be on wheels.

I am going to look into it further, but the neighbor is on the board and says that is his understanding.

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Ok, just called the HOA.....apparently it is a city ordinance and in the bylaws, we cannot have a 2nd dwelling on our property.   I will look through the documents tonight about parking a trailer or wheeled vacation type home on the property.

But it looks like we are going to have to make it work inside the home.

I am reading a lot about how popular multi-generational dwellings are though and so it might be a really good thing for resale.

The really nice part about that room is that if we were to eventually let a kid use it, the ceiling height would allow for a nice loft area, which would create a bedroom or additional work space.

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2 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Ok, just called the HOA.....apparently it is a city ordinance and in the bylaws, we cannot have a 2nd dwelling on our property.   I will look through the documents tonight about parking a trailer or wheeled vacation type home on the property.

But it looks like we are going to have to make it work inside the home.

I am reading a lot about how popular multi-generational dwellings are though and so it might be a really good thing for resale.

The really nice part about that room is that if we were to eventually let a kid use it, the ceiling height would allow for a nice loft area, hwich would create a bedroom.

I think you can really make it a nice space for your dad with some creative thinking. Somebody like my dh could figure out the best plan without breaking the bank I think.  Not every contractor is good at that sort of thing.  I would just keep thinking and brainstorming.  

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2 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

I think you can really make it a nice space for your dad with some creative thinking. Somebody like my dh could figure out the best plan without breaking the bank I think.  Not every contractor is good at that sort of thing.  I would just keep thinking and brainstorming.  

Great, when can I expect him out here?

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Our accessible bathroom is about 5x8 and this is with a roll-in shower that replaced a full-sized bathtub.  We could have gotten away with a bit smaller.  We put double doors on the bathroom that opened out.  This greatly increased the space to turn a wheelchair around because you could use the hallway space, then close the doors when you're situated.  We even managed to make our tiny little powder room downstairs accessible by replacing the hinges with swingaway hinges that allow the door to go flush to the wall and not block the doorway.  This isn't big enough for a regular wheelchair, but the shower/toilet chair is a bit narrower and will roll into that space.  If you build a wet room, where the whole room is a shower and the drain is in the floor, you can get away with a smaller footprint.

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15 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Our accessible bathroom is about 5x8 and this is with a roll-in shower that replaced a full-sized bathtub.  We could have gotten away with a bit smaller.  We put double doors on the bathroom that opened out.  This greatly increased the space to turn a wheelchair around because you could use the hallway space, then close the doors when you're situated.  We even managed to make our tiny little powder room downstairs accessible by replacing the hinges with swingaway hinges that allow the door to go flush to the wall and not block the doorway.  This isn't big enough for a regular wheelchair, but the shower/toilet chair is a bit narrower and will roll into that space.  If you build a wet room, where the whole room is a shower and the drain is in the floor, you can get away with a smaller footprint.

 

That's a great idea.

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I am getting our first quote tomorrow.   

I have had ideas swirrling around in my head for a few days now.

So......I will show him my 2 ideas for the bathroom and see what he suggests.   

Then I need to know about the driveway/sidewalk.   All of our neighbors have circular driveways in our neighhood except a few, ours being one of them.    If we could make our driveway circular, we could drop dad off in front of his door.   Otherwise the walkway from the current driveway to his entrance will be quite far to walk.

If the difference between putting in a sidewalk and a driveway isn't horribly more expensive, I think we will opt for that.

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Another option on the bathroom door, is the kind that slide into the wall.  They don't require any swing space at all.  My parents have one, and it works and slides much easier than I expected (I thought for sure it would get stuck/be hard to slide on the track but I can easily slide it with one finger).

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10 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

Another option on the bathroom door, is the kind that slide into the wall.  They don't require any swing space at all.  My parents have one, and it works and slides much easier than I expected (I thought for sure it would get stuck/be hard to slide on the track but I can easily slide it with one finger).

That's called a "pocket door".

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1 hour ago, cjzimmer1 said:

Another option on the bathroom door, is the kind that slide into the wall.  They don't require any swing space at all.  My parents have one, and it works and slides much easier than I expected (I thought for sure it would get stuck/be hard to slide on the track but I can easily slide it with one finger).

This is what my husband would recommend.  They are super easy to install during initial construction.  At one of our houses dh retrofitted one into our bathroom which was much more work.

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2 hours ago, Seasider too said:

I love pocket doors but you have to pay close attention to where you need light switches and electrical outlets. They can’t go in the wall space where the door retracts. I’d put them everywhere if I could work around electrical needs in every case. Total space savers!

Just for the logic, the door on my dad's slides into the wall beside the floor to ceiling storage cabinet. So wall, cabinet, sink. Opposite the sink of course is the toilet. So that wall wouldn't work because it has grab bars, toilet paper holder inset, etc., like you're saying. So it slides to the left and is flanked by that cabinet, which doesn't mind at all.

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One of the contractors came out today.   He says we will need to get a variance from the county and if they grant it, bumping the space out won't be an issue and we can build up to a 25' x 9' space.   I don't think we need that much, but that would be the max.

I am thinking that since we will have a little more space, the first few feet could be an entrance/mud room area.

He also said adding a circular driveway won't be an issue at all.   That way we can drop my dad off right at the door.

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I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your process here. We are currently discussing a similar setup for my mom. For us, I think our best bet is to move to a house with an in-law suite already there or with enough space we can convert part of it. 

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Looks like the varience will not happen.   The guy from the county office suggested we build an entire room and bathroom off the back, AND move the backyard inground pool.  Â đŸ¤£

What the actual heck?

So we may have the option of adding on up front of the house OR just making do with the space we have and doing it that way.

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5 hours ago, DawnM said:

Looks like the varience will not happen.   The guy from the county office suggested we build an entire room and bathroom off the back, AND move the backyard inground pool.  Â đŸ¤£

What the actual heck?

So we may have the option of adding on up front of the house OR just making do with the space we have and doing it that way.

I think you can make do with the current space.  

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Is there a shower or bath on the main level of the house anywhere?  It seems like a powder room, which you have enough space for, would meet immediate toileting needs whereas the shower/bath location is much less time sensitive. You could also explore putting in a wet room in the small bathroom space. They're not very American, but they can get the job done with the space you have. Don't be afraid to be weird. 

bathroom options resized smaller.jpg

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9 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Is there a shower or bath on the main level of the house anywhere?  It seems like a powder room, which you have enough space for, would meet immediate toileting needs whereas the shower/bath location is much less time sensitive. You could also explore putting in a wet room in the small bathroom space. They're not very American, but they can get the job done with the space you have. Don't be afraid to be weird. 

bathroom options resized smaller.jpg

 

There is a half bath on the main floor BUT, his room will be a full 5 steps lower than the main floor.  We have already explored that and he says he can't do it, even with a lift.   He has had prostate cancer and when he has to go, he has to go NOW and waiting for a lift will be too long.   

Normally I would agree with you on being different, but we are most likely moving after my dad passes or needs nursing care, within the next 5-8 years, and getting too "creative" could be an issue with selling.   All of our previous houses had funky layouts, etc.....and it caused some issues with selling.   Not huge issues, but some issues and drops in price, etc....

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On 1/26/2021 at 11:13 AM, DawnM said:

Looks like the varience will not happen.   The guy from the county office suggested we build an entire room and bathroom off the back, AND move the backyard inground pool.  Â đŸ¤£

What the actual heck?

So we may have the option of adding on up front of the house OR just making do with the space we have and doing it that way.

Dh got a good laugh out of this.  So typical from county people.  

Did the contractor not have any clever ideas about utilizing existing space? I mean all you really need is a bathroom added.  And there is room for it.  

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