Retirement houses

[Amanda_931]

Curious about other people's ideas on the subject.

I'm retired, still haven't got THE HOUSE.  But I've thought for many years about how I want a house to work when I'm (even) older.

When I was 20 and visiting family I was most impressed by the fact that an aunt's neighbors had to make a bedroom out of their dining room when the father (same age as my aunt) had a stroke.  Maybe they could have done it without too much disruption, but it seemed like it left a huge hole in the workings of the house.

On the other hand Bonnie Pruden (who had a hip replacement) was of the opinion that it was awfully nice to have stairs inside the house so that if push came to shove you could get a little exercise by walking up and down them.  (in her book on pressure point therapy.  sometimes it works, sometimes you just bruise yourself)

One of the reasons I loved my Nashville house because I could walk--threshold, no steps, directly in from the back door.  Since the floor and framing were wood, there were termite problems in the kitchen as a result.  One of the reasons I like the idea of straw bale and cob.

And I hated a long-ago rental where the bedroom was upstairs, the bathroom was downstairs, just for that reason.  

I could do it.  But another aunt moved into a three-story condo--the full bath upstairs, half bath on the main floor, laundry room in the basement, and, we gathered that frequently she slept in a chair because she couldn't handle the stairs.

[DavidLeBlanc]

One reason my ideas feature a window seat that's long enough to sleep on is in case I couldn't navigate the ladder or steps to a loft bedroom. I think I've progressed to just putting the bedroom on the ground floor and either not building for a loft or leaving it as storage and/or guest bedroom.

I recall another single room (more or less) retirement house, custom built that way for the owner, a single woman.

Outside of a bathing/cooking/utility core on one face, it was one big room with large windows on 3 sides. There was continous "seating", of varying widths and heights on all 3 sides as well. All storage was under the seating. Her bed was the platform above the cupboard that held her bedding. Other areas had backs and was conversational space. A most interesting and elegant little house, but just a bit too spartan for me.

[Shelley]

No way do I want anything on the 2nd flr that I need to get to frequently.  Guest room maybe.  I can dust it once a month.

Broke my leg last year.  Hard cast for 4 weeks.  No weight on it.  Got a wheelchair.  Boy is my house not set up for that.  Doors into baths just wide enough.  No good way to turn around  to change direction.  Will be rethinking those things in the next one.

David, I imagine that John uses the lofts to save on the footprint, walls and roofs.  To save on costs.
You can put those rectangles together any way you want.  L-shaped.  Cross.  Have as much space as you want.  Loft space is still good for storage and/or younger visitors.  

Here, you wouldn't want to show it as sleeping space with the ladder.  That would be a no-no.

[markbrown]

My thoughs on the subject are is you might need help in your old age.  So I have gone for the duplex, the house is large and appears to be a regular home on the outside and the two living spaces are connected on the inside.  Right now I live in the larger part and rent the smaller part very cheap in exchange for some labor.  It is all one story every door is 36" wide and every closet is walk/ride in.  the baths are big, big enough for wheelchair and to turn around in one.  The house does waste some space due to these factors, but i could afford to waste some space as I built it myself, and I have beefed up the insulation so it is easy to heat and cool.  The only real problem is I'm not sure I want to stay here and I do not like the thought of all the work to do it again.

Mark

[Amanda_931]

the friend (in his mid-thirities) who has (only occasionally, I hope) been breaking the ice and taking showers outside when it's 29 out was adamant about wanting a loft bedroom.

When he was talking about what he wanted in a house, several of us yelled a him about how he would deal with waking up in the middle of the night with nausea or diarrhea and having to head down a ladder.  He thought it couldn't happen to him.  I don't even want to do stairs under those circumstances.  For sure not a "jefferson" staircase.

I guess I was lucky with my very minor broken leg--but then I was able to walk into the doctor's office with it.  And into the orthopedist's office a couple of counties away.  But everybody forgot that I might want pain pills.

[DavidLeBlanc]

Loft can also be a bedroom for a caregiver.

[Shelley]

Sounds like a great idea Mark.  I'll be doing some of those layout things too.

If one didn't want a duplex for future live-in help, a remote bedroom with ensuite bath and it's own entrance would work too.  Also make great guest quarters.  Or a little casita away from the main house if zoning permits.

[Denise in Alaska]

 I plan on building something similar to John's 1 1/2 story 20x30, and using the downstairs bedroom initially for an office.  A few years down the road, when the stairs start to feel intimidating, I figure I can turn the office into my bedroom.  I'm also planning on making the stairs a switchback (is that the right term??) with a landing  -- safer for those of us who are a bit unsteady on our feet, since there's not so far to tumble...

[keyholefarmhouse]

Iv'e been working with the 20x34 plans to build a summer cottage at the lake.  This will eventually be our retirment home when the kids are grown.  We really like Johns plans because it 's set up for adding on.  Our plan will incorporate a 12x18 add on immediatly.  We'll use this as an entry/mudroom with the option of turning it into a main floor mstr. bdrm. if the need arises.  I feel it's a good idea to be aware of what our needs will be if we become disabled or get older.

[John Raabe]

Single story houses make a lot of sense for retirement living. Too bad they aren't quite as interesting as houses with lofts and upper floors.

Both the Grandfather Cottage — http://countryplans.com/gf_randy.html

and the Volks Cottage variation — http://countryplans.com/volks.html

...are both easy to build and easy to live in.

The original Grandfather cottage is only a few hundred yards from where I'm typing this. The "Grandfather" is in his 90's now and I see him walking to the mail box every so often. He's put in a little garden and built a storage shed as improvements.

[Shelley]

Well, I think that your line rendering of it is more interesting than the way the young man did the elevation.  Albeit an apparently nice job.

[JRR]

Interesting subject.  Most "assisted living" accomodations that I've seen have been single floor.

If a stairway is to be included, it should be given careful study.   I've installed stairways in my current project at 41 degrees ... a bit steep for older legs.  My old architectural standards books shows a range of 30 - 35 degrees as "preferred".  

I think as we get older, bathrooms need to be larger ... while kitchens can become smaller.

Other things to consider:
...Wall mounted, as opposed to ceiling mounted, light fixtures?
..."Levers", instead of knobs, on door hardware ... water faucets?
... Electrical receptacles at belt height?
... Doorbell activates signal lights as well as ringer?

[Amanda_931]

JRR noted--cut a lot:

...Wall mounted, as opposed to ceiling mounted, light fixtures?
..."Levers", instead of knobs, on door hardware ... water faucets?
... Electrical receptacles at belt height?
... Doorbell activates signal lights as well as ringer?

....................

I'm adding:

Faucet LEVERS are also good for people with soapy hands!

Belt height receptacles beat crawling under desks any day.

Wall mounted lights?--so we can change the bulbs without climbing? or another reason?

Signal lights?  Not sure if that would help the woman who used to study in the crowded and noisy snack bar because all the activity created white noise would notice much of anything.  But I know a lot of people who would be grateful for that.

[Bellla]

I've been considering the point where stairs would no longer be an option when planning our house.  I've even gone so far as to plan for a lower driveway to the walkout basement (also serves as a path instead of stairs for when walking is still possible).  Initially the basement will serve as a summertime bedroom/ wintertime den as the property gets over 100deg in the summer.  It would also have a mini kitchen and full bathroom.  The main floor would have a bedroom, kitchen, dining room and full bath.  The loft would be useable until we could no longer climb stairs and then it would be for the kids or grandkids when they visit.  We could live either on the main floor or in the basement and not need to worry about stairs.

We recently have had to deal with a parent who could no longer negotiate stairs safely and also help someone who uses a walker fulltime.  It really gets you noticing things you hadn't considered before.

Bellla

[markbrown]

when I built this house my son became an amputee and was in a wheel chair for a while so it got me thinking about a lot of this.  My outlets are 24 " above the floor, saves a lot of bending over so very far, I work out but even at 49 it is making one think.

[markbrown]

I think you have to define retirement house for yourself.  Ok here is where I live but do not work a regular job or any job any more.  And what will be important then and does it work now.

for me, I think a big bathroom with a wheel chair access and the same for the kitchen.  a place to eat sleep and live  all of this on one floor.

remember too, retirement will change as the years go on, you will slow down even more, so eat, sleep and bath will be the biggest things.

For me, I am going to die there, come scrape my bones off the floor when I am dead, 3 or 6 more months in a nursing home, now way.  a small rental room or cabin next door for some one to look in on me would be nice.  They could mow the lawn too.

Mark

[melwynnd]

You know, at 34 it may seem strange to think of retirement houses, but I chose the Victoria because there's a bedroom and the bathroom on the main floor.  My husband (32) needs his hip replaced and I don't want him to have to worry about stairs.  We'll also build on a slab so the house is close to the ground.  No termites to worry about in this part of Wyoming, too cold and dry and very few trees.

Still, I am planning to put in a full loft.  My daughter can have the upstairs bedroom and I'll use the other room for a sewing room.  Stairs will be the least of my worries if I'm hurt, considering all the large livestock I have to handle.

Sherry