Checklist of considerations for bug-in homestead, esp. w/handicapped spouse?

[Nickelless]

My fiancee and I are looking at houses right now, primarily in-town (we live in a small town of about 60,000 people) and the house that we really, really like was built around 1900 and has a LOT of space, including a clandestine hallway and storage area off the main part of the basement--which would be great for storage of our preps. There are large windows throughout the house which we can downsize with larger frames and smaller windows themselves to prevent any kind of smash-and-grab in a SHTF situation. However, as first-time homeowners, and with my fiancee being handicapped (she has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair most of the time), we're wanting to make this place as secure as possible. Moving out into the country isn't an option for us, and we have family nearby in town. Do you guys know of any sort of checklist of considerations for bug-in locations or have any of your own you might offer?

Do any of you have physically handicapped spouses that you might be able to offer tips on things you've done for both safety and accommodation as well in your bug-in spot?

[Merlin]

Nickelless, my significant other is handicapped as well so many of the issues we’ve considered might apply to you.

1) Moving out of town to a country location would never work for us. We need to stay close to doctors and modern medical facilities.

2) Since one component of a SHTF situation may very well involve interruption of energy supplies, we took some measures to improve our home. We replaced all the seals on our 25-year old Andersen double pane casement windows. We replaced weather stripping on exterior doors. And we blew additional cellulose insulation into the attic of our ranch home. Many 100-year old homes are woefully lacking in the insulation/energy efficiency department, so be prepared to spend money in this area if you consider older homes.

We also upgraded our furnace, water heater and refrigerator to new, more energy efficient models.

3) David doesn’t do stairs at all unless it is an emergency, so it was important to us to have most facilities all on one floor. Unfortunately, the laundry and food storage are in the basement. If anything happened to me that would pose a major hardship for my partner. I’d really prefer everything were on one floor; but it isn’t. If you’re looking at an older home, many are two stories or more. Be prepared, as we are, to install one of those electric powered stair-climbing chairs with battery backup.

4) If I were doing the house search over again, I'd look for a bigger back yard / garden.

That certainly wasn't anything like a comprehensive checklist; but I’ll post more as I think of other issues.

[Lt Dan]

1. I'd say no to any home with stairs (all one level). Exception would be a short set of steps to gain entry, then only if a ramp could be added into it preferably not in sight of the street, on the side or back. Reasoning here is security against random B&E, thinking they've found and easy mark.

2. Garage large enough for a van to drive into and close the door. See above reasoning.

3. Light switches lower than normal, as well as counter tops and lavatories too.

4. Doorways a full 36" wide for easier passage of a chair bound individual.

Those are just off the top of my head, but, as you can see you have to think of the handicapped individual first and your own choices second. You can bend down, climb up etc., it's much harder for them to do those things you take for granted. We sold our big century old farm house and bought one without stairs, except for a few short steps up for entry. It got so hard for me to go up stairs I actually hated the thought of having to climb them to go to bed at night, That being about the only time I would go upstairs for anything. I kept my cloths downstairs and had a half bath up so I only had to make the trip once. I'm not chair bound, so do not need those other things. But, I have thought about the day I may be and tried to plan accordingly. We do live out of town, but it's a short trip to a local VA, where all my doctors, etc. are. Actually takes less than 10 minutes to get there. So, living in town is not mandatory as long as there is a hospital that can handle the special needs near by.

Think stairs and doorways as two main blockades for handicapped, the rest of the stuff can be worked around much easier.

[Merlin]

1. I'd say no to any home with stairs (all one level). Exception would be a short set of steps to gain entry, then only if a ramp could be added into it preferably not in sight of the street, on the side or back. Reasoning here is security against random B&E, thinking they've found and easy mark.

2. Garage large enough for a van to drive into and close the door. See above reasoning.

3. Light switches lower than normal, as well as counter tops and lavatories too.

4. Doorways a full 36" wide for easier passage of a chair bound individual.

Those are just off the top of my head, but, as you can see you have to think of the handicapped individual first and your own choices second. You can bend down, climb up etc., it's much harder for them to do those things you take for granted. We sold our big century old farm house and bought one without stairs, except for a few short steps up for entry. It got so hard for me to go up stairs I actually hated the thought of having to climb them to go to bed at night, That being about the only time I would go upstairs for anything. I kept my cloths downstairs and had a half bath up so I only had to make the trip once. I'm not chair bound, so do not need those other things. But, I have thought about the day I may be and tried to plan accordingly. We do live out of town, but it's a short trip to a local VA, where all my doctors, etc. are. Actually takes less than 10 minutes to get there. So, living in town is not mandatory as long as there is a hospital that can handle the special needs near by.

Think stairs and doorways as two main blockades for handicapped, the rest of the stuff can be worked around much easier.

These modifications are expensive whether you're talking about an older house or a younger one. If you're doing new construction, that's a different story. But I bet you look a long time before you find a house that has already been modified for a wheel-chair bound occupant.

Having said that, I think the kitchens and baths are probably the most expensive rooms to modify. Light switches can be lowered at reasonable cost (although the rooms will need redecorating); but lowering counters involves redoing cabinets and turns into a kitchen remodel. In my experience, ordinary door openings will accomodate normal sized wheel chairs, assuming you don't need an extra wide chair for an extra wide rider; but wider doors would be easier on knuckles. More importantly, you have to modify the layout of furniture in your rooms and avoid things like throw rugs. Wheel chairs work much better on hardwood floors.

[Nickelless]

OK, maybe I should clarify that my fiancee uses a wheelchair most of the time that she's not at home--but she isn't home much. Having said that, she's a petite 5-feet even and mostly needs low shelves, since she really can't stand on a chair to get stuff. So far from the looks of this place, it should work. My current apartment has stairs that she navigates pretty well with crutches.

Actually, the upstairs to the house is currently sealed off as the landlord, who's one of my co-workers, has been renting out the upstairs. This would also be a great income generator if we can get occupants. But only we would be able to access the basement (and hence our preps).

[5150female]

Merlin and Lt. Dan have provided excellent answers (as usual) already. From when my grandma lived with us for a time I know that were there ever to come a time that your fiancee needed to switch to a motorized wheelchair, lots of turns, narrow door ways and halls would not be ideal.

For the What if Technology Fails scenario, the nastiest, thorniest plants you can grow at your back property line for anyone who wants to come over your back fence. You are very smart and a well reasoned person (I gather from your posts). You will do fine in selecting a great property and customizing it to your exact specs.

[Nickelless]

5150Female, my fiancee's parents still live in the same two-story house they've lived in since a year before she was born, and she's never had any problems with stairs, having lived at home the first 19 years of her life with an upstairs bedroom -- it just takes her a little time. Her spinal lesion was low enough that she has at least some feeling in her legs down to about halfway down her calves, and since she's been going strong the first 30 years of her life, I don't anticipate any further progression in her condition, so I don't think that stairs themselves would be an issue. Having said that, we'd likely carpet them to make it easier for her to get up and down the stairs.

[5150female]

Then what are you waiting for? Sign those papers! It sounds perfect. That's wonderful that you have found a place to start making it just so for you both. Congrats. I hope you get it. All the Best Sincerely.

[AMforPM]

We cared for a very frail relative her last 3 years and keeping electricity seems like a biggie to me in the general case. A good natural gas/propane generator and a big full propane tank would be high on my list. (That is general case... your g/f does not sound frail, just not 100% mobile.)

We found the bathroom to be the room with the most problems when her mobility got really bad. I think a 2nd hand patient lift from ebay would solve bathing for fewer FRNs than a bath remodel. Bedside toilets solve that much better than trying to make a bathroom just not designed to have room for transfers work. Besides, that can become the family toilet if the sewer service goes down.

For your g/fs short stature, we got a reaching and grabbing device that can pick up things we found amazing. It makes cans on high shelves a piece of cake. After she passed away, we kept it because my wife hated getting out a step stool for our highest shelves. It had not been really much use to our aunt, but some nurse had thought it would be, so we had it.

On basement storage, I wonder how expensive adding an old fashioned dumb waiter would be? If stairs are hard, then carrying something up them really would be. It would probably be ridiculously expensive, though it is a simple device that used to be commonplace. The stair electric lift merlin mentions is probably the best idea for those for whom stairs are out.

Adding ways to hold on and push or pull up is different in each situation, but we found it very helpful where she needed it and found various ways to install something according to what she needed and what the specifics of the house construction were where she needed it.

[gnome]

Proximity to family. Period.

[Aurumag]

Good neighbors make a good neighborhood.

IMHO, interview the neighbors, and don't worry about being "nosy."

They are interviewing you as a potential neighbor at the same time.

In terms of accessibility and modifications, the above advice appears to be quite sound.

I would like to move to a more rural locale, but my wife and I both have elderly parents within 14 miles, so we intend to remain in suburbia for the duration.

[Thornapple]

If it were me, I'd build a false wall in the basement with a secret door (maybe a bookshelf that could slide). Create a secret panic room basically. If something bad happens or looters invade you can both hide in there and hopefully be overlooked since running away isn't an option. If the panic room area was large enough you could hide your preps and weapons in there to boot, preventing them from being looted.

[Nickelless]

If it were me, I'd build a false wall in the basement with a secret door (maybe a bookshelf that could slide). Create a secret panic room basically. If something bad happens or looters invade you can both hide in there and hopefully be overlooked since running away isn't an option. If the panic room area was large enough you could hide your preps and weapons in there to boot, preventing them from being looted.

The secret room is exactly what I have in mind for my preps, but if looters invade, they'll be facing the business end of my newly acquired 12-gauge. I'll hide our preps, but I don't plan on hiding myself except in the most extreme circumstances, and I'm having a hard time imagining what would make me want to hide.

[Thornapple]

A shotgun is fine for defense of against a few, but what about a large group of desperate folks. And you might have one looter that you scare off with the shotgun, but then returns later with a dozen buddies. Or what about military/police sent to round up foods, goods, etc from neighborhoods. Sometimes hiding might be better than fighting depending on the odds. Just my 2 cents on the subject :D