A Home Exterior Accessibility Guide: A Simple Walkthrough

Introduction

I’ve been in a wheelchair for as long as I can remember. When my family first moved into our home, it wasn’t exactly accessible—our garage door was too high, and there weren’t any ramps outside. At first, we did what many people would do: we made some adjustments and got creative with storage solutions. But after spending a few months living with these makeshift solutions, it became clear that there was more that could be done to make our home truly accessible for all members of the family—including those in wheelchairs or who have other mobility issues. While my family isn’t the only one looking to create an accessible home exterior (and interior), many people don’t know where to start when it comes time to improve accessibility in their own homes. So here’s some helpful advice on how you can make your house easier for everyone!

Add a wheelchair ramp.

If you have a wheelchair ramp, make sure it’s wide enough for a wheelchair to fit. Also, make sure it is stable and sturdy enough to hold up under pressure. If possible, add a railing on both sides of the ramp so that people with mobility issues can feel secure walking down their new home access point. Finally, consider adding lighting at the top of your exterior accessibility pathway so that those who may not be able to see well in low light situations will know when they’ve reached their destination successfully!

Make sure your driveways are flat and level.

• Make sure your driveways are flat and level. Driveways should be at least 6 feet wide, and free of obstacles, cracks, potholes and uneven surfaces. The slope of the driveway should not exceed 2{b49b303a7b364ea97526b80c05df49c778ed6cb5d57b8fb402e2f2bd6d1200d4}.
• Consider installing a ramp in front if you have stairs leading up to your front door. Ramps can be made out of wood or metal; they come in different sizes depending on how steep the incline is on your property (4 inches per foot is considered a moderate incline).

Install a tilt-in-space tub or shower that can be folded up to allow for wheelchair access.

A tilt-in-space tub or shower is a great way to make your bathroom accessible for the elderly or those with disabilities. The tub or shower can be folded up to allow for wheelchair access, and it’s typically installed in a bathroom with a door that opens into the room. This feature makes it easy for you to roll your loved one into their own private space for bathing and showering without disturbing anyone else in the house.

Consider using an accessible doorbell.

An accessible doorbell can be installed by an electrician and is a great option for those who have difficulty reaching or ringing the regular doorbell. They’re also relatively inexpensive, so if you’re on a budget, this may be the best option for you!

The first step in installing an accessible doorbell is finding one that works with your home’s existing wiring (and don’t worry–you don’t need to hire an electrician). You can do this by searching online for “accessible doorbells” or by contacting your local hardware store; they should be able to point you in the right direction. Once you’ve purchased one, follow these simple steps:

• Unscrew the old button from its baseplate using a screwdriver (or pliers) and remove any extra wires from inside of it. This will make room for our new button later on down below in Step 3 below..
• Next up we’ll install our new button onto where ever we’d like it mounted on our front door frame; typically somewhere near eye level would work best since most people will probably use both hands while pressing down hard enough against their forehead area when ringing someone’s bell anyways! But feel free now though..

Add grab bars to the bathroom and shower.

Grab bars are installed on the walls in your bathroom and shower to help prevent falls. They should be placed at different heights, depending on your needs and preferences. For example, if you’re tall and want something higher than what is shown here, that’s fine–just make sure it’s still within the range of grab bars that can support your weight!

Make sure there’s adequate space in your shower for a wheelchair user to get inside.

If you have a shower in your home, there are a few things to keep in mind when making it accessible for wheelchair users. First and foremost, make sure there’s adequate space in your shower for a wheelchair user to get inside. This means measuring the width of the door opening and making sure that they can fit through without any issues.

Next, make sure that there is enough room on either side of their chair so that they have room to turn around comfortably without hitting anything else or getting stuck against an adjacent wall or fixture like pipes or faucet handles (which could potentially cause injury).

Also take into account whether there will be enough room underfoot once seated–if not, consider adding additional height underfoot by raising up flooring tiles with spacers beneath them or installing taller baseboards instead of standard ones! Finally: make sure there is also adequate clearance above so no one gets hit by falling water from overhead sprinklers/showerheads when washing their hair; additionally–and this may seem obvious but bears repeating nonetheless–make sure there are grab bars installed throughout each individual stall area so those who need assistance don’t slip down unexpectedly while trying out different positions during bathing time.”

Make sure the toilet is low enough for someone in a wheelchair to use comfortably without having to transfer out of their chair (typically around 17 inches high).

The toilet is one of the most important features in a bathroom. For wheelchair users, it’s especially critical because they need to be able to use it comfortably without having to transfer out of their chair (which can be difficult and dangerous).

As such, there are some things you should keep in mind when choosing your toilet:

• The height of the toilet should be 17 inches high or lower so that it’s accessible by people using wheelchairs or scooters.
• You should also make sure that this height is maintained throughout its entire range of motion; otherwise, someone could lose their balance while sitting down or standing up from sitting on it. If this happens at all times during use–even if only once–it will make using your bathroom more difficult than if everything were higher off ground level!

There are many things you can do to make your home more accessible

There are many things you can do to make your home more accessible.

• Have a ramp built for the front door, and make sure the driveway is flat and level.
• Install a tilt-in-space tub or shower that can be folded up to allow for wheelchair access.
• Consider using an accessible doorbell that has large buttons and sounds off when pressed by someone with limited mobility, who may not be able to reach it otherwise. It’s also helpful if you have visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing because they’ll know immediately when someone has arrived at their door!

Conclusion

We hope you found this guide helpful, and we wish you luck in your future home renovation projects!