Wheelchair friendly homes.

What is a Mobility Friendly Home?

A mobility friendly home is a purpose built villa designed to accommodate the specific needs of our clients, easy access.

• Off street or unrestricted on-street parking within 25 metres.
• No steps between the car parking and the entrance to the villa, plots with gradients will have ramps.
• Level access to at least one entrance to the property. The entrance may incorporate an access ramp or a small threshold.
• Level access to all main living floor rooms.
• A WC on the same level as the entrance to the property (or lift access to WC on another floor)

The property construction will have fixed equipment or adapted designs to meet the specific needs of the client.

All our villas will have as standard the following basic requirements:

• Level/ramped access to entrance.
• Level/ramped access to garden.
• Widened doorways.
• Stair lift.
• Wheelchair friendly bathroom and kitchen.
• Raised power points.
• Easy access to swimming pool and purposely designed garden area.

Wheelchair friendly kitchens

A bespoke design will mean that every aspect of the kitchen is made to your exact tastes, measurements, and user ability. You will not have to lose out on looks, and you can have a fully functional space made for just the disabled user, or one that is multifunctional for both the disabled and ambulatory alike. Many fear that such quality will come at a high price, but it is possible to get great design at low cost.

The key to a successful wheelchair friendly kitchen is one that incorporates the basic principles of kitchen design, combined with an understanding of the user's needs and abilities. If the wheelchair user lives alone, the kitchen design can be solely dedicated to meeting their requirements. If they live with an able bodied person, the design will have to work equally well for each of them.

To figure out the initial appliance and worktop arrangements, draw a plan of the shape of the room and use template cut outs to experiment. U shaped kitchens often work well due to the continuity of the surfaces. Items can be slid from the cooker to the sink, for example, without having to stop and pick them up. Bear in mind that a U shaped kitchen will require adequate space for wheelchair manoeuvring.

As with conventional kitchen layouts, it is helpful to draw a triangle that connects the sink, fridge and cooking area, trying to keep the triangle as small as possible. On this basis, galley kitchens are the least effective, but you should always opt for the style that suits the shape of the room and your personal choice.

Worktops

Allocate enough space for work surfaces beside each work centre or appliance so that items can be set down if the wheelchair user needs to manoeuvre. Make worktops as continuous as possible so that items can be slid along rather than having to be balanced on the knee.

Bespoke surfaces can be set lower so that they are easy to use for those in a wheelchair. Space can be left underneath to fit in the knees and bring you at comfortable proximity to the worktop. If the kitchen serves a wheelchair user and ambulatories alike, adjustable worktops can be fitted that serve the needs of both parties.

Sink

Again, provisions can be made for knee space beneath the sink; the sink unit can be lowered and the bowl made shallow. If the storage space underneath is required, the lowered sink can be installed so as to be accessible for a parallel approach. For multiple users, adjustable system can be installed, including those where a simple button press alters the sink's height. For those with limited mobility in their hands, taps can be installed with easy use levers or infra-red controls.

Appliances

Landscaping For PrivacyAppliance installation can be modified so that each system is at the optimum height for accessibility. For example, washing machines can be raised quite simply, reducing the amount of leaning necessary. Along with the dishwasher, oven, and hob, the washing machine can be fitted at eye level so all tasks can be carried out easily.

A dishwasher is best located at the end of row so that it does not impede movement when opened. There should be space so that the wheelchair user can pull alongside.

Conventional cookers combine the oven beneath the hob. This does not provide any knee room and it can be awkward and dangerous for a wheelchair user to lean over and reach into the oven. Separating the hob and oven is a simple but effective solution. With the oven at eye level cooking can be monitored and reached easily, with knee room underneath if required. It is also better if the oven door is sideways opening rather than downwards.

The fridge and freezer should be positioned side by side. They should ideally be situated where the doors can swing fully open. Narrow doors will prove particularly useful.
Storage

Kitchen storage should be located close to the work surface areas, but you may find that your options are fairly limited as it must be positioned at a low level and some of this area will be taken up as knee space. A wheeled trolley that can be stored and wheeled out from under the sink provides a good storage facility, and can be used to help you transport goods around the kitchen.