Self-building for your Special Needs

Disabled, looking ahead to old age, or elderly family members coming to live with you? Whatever your situation, David Snell explains how self-building provides a unique chance to get a home tailored just for you

The need to comply with Part ‘M’ of the Building Regulations dealing with disabled or inclusive access has been seen by many as an imposition that could devalue their new home. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth and the addition of certain features could greatly increase the desirability.

Self-builders have always needed to be aware of market values, and those values, to an extent, rely on being able to present a more or less blank canvas to any prospective purchaser. But that doesn’t mean that new properties have to slip into some sort of conformity straightjacket. It does mean that certain peculiar or completely individual features could narrow down your market, and when building for the disabled that factor has to be born in mind. Remember, though, that we are all just one heartbeat away from infirmity, just one short drive away from disability and that features that allow us to stay in our homes for our lifetimes, through to old age, can not only be of personal benefit, but find favour in the market.

But the requirements of the Building Regulations are the bare minimum and there is much more that you can do.

DOORS AND DOORWAYS

Front entrance doors often share the reveal with sidelights to one or both sides and it’s therefore not that difficult to make a front entrance door a full 900mm wide or more. The cost penalty is unlikely to be much but the visual and practical impact is hugely beneficial. Narrow internal doors always look pinched whereas wider doors of 800mm or more tend to look grander and do, of course, make it much easier for a disabled person to get in and out of rooms.

Thought needs to be given to just how a door opens and which way. It’s very difficult for some disabled people to open a door in a corridor if it opens towards them. If they are going through one door and need to turn and go through another, thought needs to be given to the relative closeness of those doors and to whether or not a lobby would make things easier. An alternative might be a sliding door but, here, thought needs to be given as to whether the action of sliding a door sideways is possible from a sitting position and the track needs to be chosen with great care to make sure that it slides easily.

WIDER CORRIDORS

A narrow corridor gives a cramped appearance that can impart a sort of meanness to the design. Wider corridors give an ambience of space and light and if they are indeed well lit, with either natural or artificial means, all to the good. A 900mm corridor might well comply with the regulations but it’s nigh on impossible to turn a wheelchair with footrests around in such a confined space.

LEVEL CILLS

Only the entrance door is required to have a level cill. But that confines those in a wheelchair and those who walk with the aid of a frame to going in and out of that door only. Level cills are available for other doors and for French and patio doors.

GARDEN PATHS

With level cills to all external doors, the garden is then accessible to all. For those with wheelchairs, ramps are better than steps. For those who walk with difficulty, thought needs to be given to handrails and paving mediums.

FLEXIBILITY

If there is any intention that the home should be a lifetime home then it must be capable of adaptation. If the strictures on doors and corridors have been adhered to then it’s not a huge step to make the cloakroom that little bit bigger so that it can accommodate a shower. If the family room or study is thought of in terms of it one day becoming the ground floor master bedroom and if it adjoins that cloakroom or is capable of having its own en suite, then all the better. The thing is to think of these things at the outset so that the eventual changeover can be effected with the minimum disruption.

IN-HOUSE LIFTS

Whilst the younger self-builder may baulk at the thought of space being taken up by a lift, it’s not that difficult to set aside the space for later use. The space could even exist as a coats cupboard until required. Stannah sells a version that does not require a motor room. The drive system is housed in the pit and the lift shaft can either be fitted into a load-bearing enclosure or a self-supporting structure.

KITCHENS

Many bespoke kitchens have ranges that are specifically designed for the disabled person. But no two people are alike and their needs are various. However, it’s not that difficult to adapt a standard kitchen. Most kitchen cupboards have legs and a plinth. Simply removing those legs and reducing the plinth to a 25mm upstand brings the surface to within 750mm of the floor.

Wall units can be set low but the top shelves are never going to be fully accessible when using an off-the-shelf kitchen.

Thought needs to be given to which way doors open and refrigerators and freezers may have to be hinged on the left rather than the right as is standard. But most are capable of adaptation.

BATHROOMS AND TOILETS

It goes without saying that plenty of circulation space within the bathrooms and toilets is desirable, not only for the disabled.

A wetroom may well be an idea. Alternatively showers can be purchased with a level cill, with support rails and with dropdown seats. Walk-in baths are an option but they do have a huge drawback in that one has to sit in them and run the water and wait for it to drain before getting out.

Not enough is done to make toilets and bidets easier for those with walking difficulties but wall-mounted types can be set higher on the wall to facilitate use.

STAIRLIFTS

These are available for internal and external use and, as they fold away, don’t have to be intrusive. Stannah and Churchill’s are perhaps the best known. Churchill’s advertises that it can supply and install a straight stairlift for £1,500. Stannah has various models that range from £1,845 to £3,595. Both of them also supply for curved staircases but these are quoted individually.

ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING

In addition to the Part ‘M’ requirements there are other things that can make life so much easier:

• Set the consumer unit low in a lockable cupboard
• Place any central heating manifolds in an accessible position
• Make sure the incoming stop tap is accessible and set at the right angle for easy turning. If possible have a lever instead of a wheel.
• Set room thermostats at the same height as switches
• Use only lever-type taps on sanitaryware
• Choose lever-type shower mixers

GRANTS

The Government gives grants for essential adaptations to existing homes, to give disabled people better freedom of movement in and around the home. This includes:

• Widening doors and installing ramps
• Improving access to rooms and facilities to include installing a stairlift or providing a downstairs bathroom
• Improving or providing a heating system
• Adapting lighting or heating controls

The grants are means tested. A partner’s income is also taken into account and any capital above £6,000 is also brought into the equation. But if you qualify the grant can be a maximum of £25,000.

PART ‘M’ REQUIREMENTS

The requirements laid down in the Building Regulations Part ‘M’ are:

• Access paths to the front/entrance door should be wheelchair friendly
• Ramps with slopes up to 1:15 should not be longer than 10 metres
• Ramps with slopes up to 1:10 should not be longer than 5 metres
• If steps are necessary they should not have a rise of more than 150mm
• Steps must be at least 900mm wide
• If there are more than three steps, handrails must be provided
• The entrance door should have a level cill
• If this is not possible a maximum step of 150mm is allowed
• The entrance door should have a minimum clear opening width of 775mm
• An internal doorway of 750mm or wider should open onto a corridor width of at least 900mm when approached head on
• An internal doorway of 750mm should open onto a corridor width of at least 1,200mm when not approached head on
• An internal doorway of 775mm should open onto a corridor width of at least 1,050mm when not approached head on
• An internal doorway of 800mm should open onto a corridor width of at least 900mm when not approached head on
• Access to the toilet should be as easy as possible with at least 450mm on each side and 750mm in front of the pan, allowing a wheelchair to approach to within 400mm of the front or 250mm to the side
• Washbasins must be positioned so as not to impede access to the pan
• All power socket outlets must be no lower than 450mm from finished floor level
• All light switches must be no higher than 1,200mm from finished floor level
• Accessible consumer units must be fitted with child-proof locks or put in a lockable cupboard

Further reading:

• The Art of the Small Bathroom
• Building Regulations
• Find Disability & Special Needs Products in the Homebuilding Directory