Looking for blueprints

[johnc1]

I'm thinking of building a new house. Has anybody come accross a good source for accessible floor plans.

[dispatchjen]

why not just design what you want. When we decided to build a house we just drew out what we wanted and told the contractor. we have a 2 car carport, 3 bedroom, 3 bath, doors are extra large, very very small hallway, my bathroom has a juzzi tub and a roll in shower. The bath room is 16 ft by 16 foot so i have plenty of room. i have a patio with a ramp for me to go in and out. I have a garden with raised beds made so i can do it all myself.

[peterf]

Well i was a building contractor prior Sci. i don't know about your local bld regs but the best option is to design the house according to your lifestyle, never let design superseed function. Guard your pockets well as bills will escalate. where i live it's norm to prop up a few plans of your own, discuss with a designer or architect and take it from there.

Peter f.

[ef-jordan]

If you give me dimensions or just a general idea I can make blueprints

[JoeMonte]

John,
I was a commercial G.C. and built my home. Build a ranch and make sure all doorways in the whole house are three feet wide. Low profile entry door sills. Don't waste the money on pocket doors unless you are tight for space. Give yourself plenty of room in your bathroom and try to have a private bath for you and one for your wife. She will appreciate it too and love you for it. Give her lots of closet space too. Email me anytime. joemonte@nep.net. Best Regards,
Joe

[SCI-Nurse]

Here are some places for ideas:

Easter Seals (http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntlc_easyaccesshousing_tips_ad aptable)

Center for Universal Design (http://www.ncsu.edu/project/design-projects/udi/)

United Spinal Assn (https://www.infopointhub.com/cart/categories/Barrier-Free-Design/)

Future Home Foundation (http://www.thefuturehome.net/)

Hometime (http://interiordec.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hometime.com%2FH owto%2Fprojects%2Faccess.htm)

Center for Inclusive Design (http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/)

NAHB (http://www.toolbase.org/ToolbaseResources/level3.aspx?BucketID=2&CategoryID=22)

HomeMods (http://www.homemods.org/)

Universal Design Homes (http://www.universaldesignonline.com/)

Purdue Univ (http://www.vet.purdue.edu/cpr/bsd/building.html)

Universal Design Living Laboratory (http://www.udll.com/)

Adapt My Home (http://www.adaptmy.com/index/#clear)

Tool Talk (http://www.asktooltalk.com/articles/construction/accessibility/index.php)

PVA Book (http://www.norcalmobility.com/pdf/Accessible%20Home%20Design.pdf)

Institute for Human Centered Design (http://www.adaptenv.org/index.php?option=Content&Itemid=3)

Concrete Change (http://www.concretechange.org/)\

Home Free Home (http://homefreehome.org/)

Spinal Cord Central (http://helpdesk.spinalcordcentral.org/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=3)

MAKOA (http://www.makoa.org/accessable-design.htm)\

California Universal Design Guidelines (http://www.hcd.ca.gov/codes/shl/ModelChecklistFinal1-10-07Version.pdf)

RL Mace Institute (http://www.udinstitute.org/)

Share Solutions (http://www.livablehomes.org/checklist.html)

Specialized Home Design (http://www.shdesigns.net/index.html)

University of Iowa (http://www.uiowa.edu/legalclinic/images/UofIowaUDGreenHomeChecklistEnglishAugust2010.pdf)

Universal Design Alliance (http://www.universaldesign.org/)

Universal Design Resource (http://www.universaldesignresource.com/)

This should keep you busy for a while!

(KLD)

[Wally]

I collaborated with this architect on his Universal Design home plan book. www.universaldesignonline.com

[Wally]

I wrote the attached article in 2008 and have attached some examples of my designs.

[Wally]

I worked with an architect who has a book of Universal Design plans but he does whatever you want. www.universaldesignonline.com

[MSspouse]

Thread is a little old but I'll throw in my 2 cents. I designed and built a custom home 10 years ago. My biggest observation is that accessibility is a moving target. My wife of 23 years has had chronic progressive MS for 20 years Some of the things I did to accommodate her lifestyle and level of mobility at the time I now regret.

First was lowering about 1/2 the countertops in the kitchen. The knee space under sink and stove was good but now it's too low for her power chair. I should have made height of those items easily changeable. It might have been better to go straight into a power elevating chair even if it wasn't covered by insurance and build more conventional. And, it turns out she really doesn't like to cook anyway. Now I have a kitchen that will be a hard sell. One thing I don't mind as a AB though is an lowered cooktop. I would recommend that for anyone of average height or less.

In the master bath I included a pocket door (which we never close) for privacy and resale. Now that she needs a lift with a ceiling track for independence, that will have to come out. Also, I laid out the bath for wheelchair, not a ceiling track. I should have planned for it from the start even if she didn't need it. Now I will need more expensive curves and a "T".

The garden tub was a mistake. It's too wide for someone with poor balance, uses too much water and requires a wall or ceiling mounted lift to use. Until we get a ceiling lift it is my most dangerous lift. If I was doing a tub it would be the tallest clawfoot style available. Then a conventional Hoyer lift can be used if needed.

In the master bedroom I did a little better. Making it large enough for a king bed and lots of furniture let it accommodate a hospital bed, wheelchair, lift, and multiple bedside tables - things I didn't plan for originally.

In summary, don't just design the house for your current condition. Think about what you might need for the rest of your life. And don't be constrained current DM. It may be cheaper in the long run to upgrade that than the house.

[peterf]

The best tool in my opinion to do electrical/plumbing blue prints is using the Acad software