There are many reasons that you may want to upgrade your home and make the design and function easily accessible for someone who is disabled. From having an elderly parent come to live with you, a child get hurt and have sudden disabilities that you weren't expecting, or even just working handicap friendly options into your home as you build for when you need to sell it someday. It can seem hard to make your home comfortable for your loved ones, while also still stylish and beautiful for you. Here are a few things you can keep in mind as you renovate, reorganize, or prepare to make your home more handicap accessible.

Think About Your Layout

In many cases, your living areas and bedrooms may just need a simple change in furniture arrangement. A typical wheelchair is 24"-27" wide, so you'll want to keep that in mind as you layout your rooms and arrange your larger pieces of furniture. If you have bedrooms with many large pieces of furniture, you can rearrange them in a way that still allows for wheelchairs and walkers to get through the space, but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice style.

Don't forget that your plants and other decor will need to stay out of the wheelchair path as well. That doesn't mean you have to undecorate your home, but you will need to possibly move a few things to make the pathway clearer for them. 

Do You Need to Make Some Adjustments?

If your home is not handicap friendly, you may need to make some adjustments that you weren't anticipating. One of the most common issues will be found in your door ways. Many standard doorways are too small for a wheelchair to manuver through, especially if you have tight hallways and turns to navigate. There is a chance that you door may still work if you change the position of the hinges and the way the door opens, but there is always a possibility that you will need to widen your doors.

Other areas of your home to consider are adding ramps outside of your home if you have stairs, and finding ways for your loved ones to maneuver through your home with ease. Sometimes you won't know what that will look like until they've been there for a while, but you'll begin to find what works for them, while still maintaining your home's style.

Addressing the Bathroom

The bathroom can be one of the largest concerns for someone with a handicap, and one of the fastest upgrades is the bath or shower. Even if you're remodeling or building your home, you may want to consider adding certain aspects that will be friendly for handicap homes. The biggest concern, even if you don't want to use certain bathtubs or toilets, is making sure that there is plenty of space  for a wheel chair or walker to navigate through a bathroom on the main level.

Keeping Up the Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of your home, and if you want to be able to spend time with ALL of your loved ones, you may have to be willing to make some adjustments. You might have to move your dining room table to make room for a wheelchair to join you, perhaps you may even have to upgrade the table entirely to make it more easily accessible. Another option is to change out some of your cabinets to make the height a little lower and easier to reach when someone is in a wheelchair. There are plenty of options that you can add to your home to make it easier to navigate.

Creating a Home For Everyone

Adding certain aspects to your home that are handicap friendly may not even just be for your family. If you are renovating your home, keep in mind that the Lake area is famous for people who are retiring, and the individuals that may buy your home or condo in the future could have needs of their own, or be bringing family with handicap needs - which could give your real estate a better advantage.

No matter what your needs are, when renovating your home, or creating a new interior design at the Lake of the Ozarks - John Elliott Interiors is here to assist you with ALL of your design and quality furniture at the Lake of the Ozarks! We have many partners around the Lake who can help us accomplish YOUR goals to create the perfect home for you and yoru family. Visit our website to learn more, or come in and see us!