“Visitability” is the term given to a home designed to welcome everyone regardless of their mobility. You may have experienced this if, say, you or someone in your household broke a leg. The necessary use of crutches, a walker or wheelchair suddenly calls attention to a home’s design characteristics.
What would it be like if a family member or guest whose mobility is impaired came to your home? Most homes can be built without a step up onto the front porch or coming in from the garage (referred to as a barrier-free entry.) Hall and doorway widths may need to be addressed. A minimum of 32”-wide doors are necessary (36”-wide doors are recommended.) You’ll also appreciate the wider doors and hallways when you’re moving furniture!
Entries, wider doorways and accessible bathrooms can be addressed inexpensively during the home design phase, prior to construction. A 5-foot wheelchair turn-around radius is recommended for a main floor bathroom. You may also want to think about grab bars for that bathroom. (Yes, there are attractive grab bars that don’t look “institutional.”) Or, we can install the blocking in the bathroom walls now for easy future addition of those grab bars.
Please discuss your need for these special features with one of our housing consultants.
