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Old 04-26-2018, 10:16 AM
 
Location: New Britain, CT
898 posts, read 595,139 times
Reputation: 1428

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At some point in 2018, we will be looking to relocate, but it seems that 90% of the houses built in CT in the last 30 years, are Colonials, Raised Ranches, and Cape Cods. Due to her recent disability, we can buy only a Ranch..... She can't really do stairs anymore. So 6 steps to the landing, and 6 steps to the main level in a RR is a big NO for everyday living. Full stairs in a Colonial or Cape are also out. Garage is always nice, but if she has to park in the garage, then go up a dozen steps...NOPE. we will be needing a low front step entry, and actually, the wheelchair ramp that the VA gave to my dad, yes, gave, although ugly as sin aluminum, really works well for her. Current neighborhood is littered with 950ft 3br ranches, but we are hoping to find something more rural on a bigger lot so we can sleep with the windows open and not have to listen to the loud neighbors or smell what they are smoking.... One time the girl actually came over and asked me if I found her baggie of weed in the lawn....but I digress. the 950ft is going to be too small for our needs, especially if I have to convert one of the bedrooms to a second bath and also a main level laundry. Years ago my well intended brother inlaw built out a cupboard in the eat in kitchen dining area, for my dad, but he didn't have room to make it deep enough (not his fault) to enclose the over/under apartment style washer dryer that was put in. So we stare at a washer/dryer and all of the grocery staples, pasta, canned food, bags of dry beans, etc when we eat dinner.... Is what it is. 950ft is just too small to "do it right". She wants to look at maybe 1,400ft, but would really want to be closer to 1,800ft. My casual search has either brought up "off the wall" premium places where we can't afford $1,200 a month for just the property taxes, let alone a mortgage that size at this stage of life and our situation, to a 700ft house with a big enough lot to add to both ends...and the taxes for that were $4,200 for a run down fixer upper. Imagine after you add on 800ft and renovate it.....

Just venting. Thinking out loud.
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Old 04-26-2018, 10:19 AM
 
Location: New Britain, CT
898 posts, read 595,139 times
Reputation: 1428
What does a one person sized residential elevator cost? Might make a big raised ranch "feasible", but have to wack out a 6x6 ft hole from the lower level to the main level. If the cost of a mid size sedan, might be achievable. If the cost of the entire house.....
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Old 04-26-2018, 10:49 AM
 
Location: Rochester, WA
14,415 posts, read 11,954,182 times
Reputation: 38811
Found it Jim. I think if you already had a place that was bi-level and you wanted to try to make it work into the future, it might make sense to figure out what to do about the stairs. I wouldn't start out looking at that this early in a home search. I'd keep trying to find a place that is a ranch, where if anything, only the outside entry might need a short ramp.

IF you had to adapt for stairs.... I'd look too, at the cost of the stair lifts that fit on stairs, and compare the cost of THAT to an elevator.
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Old 04-26-2018, 11:17 AM
 
Location: Needham, MA
8,541 posts, read 13,961,275 times
Reputation: 7921
There really just aren't a lot of ranch style homes in New England. I'm not sure why it's been such an unpopular style of home up here.

Have you looked into a chairlift at all? Something like this:

https://www.stannah-stairlifts.com/p...UaAvQuEALw_wcB

My grandfather put one into their home when he lost his ability to walk and it worked out well for them.
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Old 04-26-2018, 11:24 AM
 
Location: New Britain, CT
898 posts, read 595,139 times
Reputation: 1428
Now we aren't really looking yet, But normally a house like this one would work for her.......except for the stairs these days.... Did some looking, most residential elevators look like a big pneumatic mail tube.....zoom, up you go....LOL over two acres, including some incredibly gorgeous moss.... and room for chickens in the back, where you can't smell them.....I need stinky mallards anyway....probably 2-3 dozen per spring/summer.... Right size house, reasonable commute for her, dog room, and no carpet (she also has bad asthma). and if cost of the elevator is reasonable, won't have to rip out a room to have the main floor laundry. Not much of a room anyway.

https://www.zillow.com/savedhomes/fo..._zm/1_rs/1_fr/

But ideally, straight out ranch with at most 2 steps to the landing and one step in.

Kinda waiting for a lawsuit to settle, and my dad's health.....then we can look.....
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Old 04-26-2018, 11:29 AM
 
Location: New Britain, CT
898 posts, read 595,139 times
Reputation: 1428
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePRU View Post
There really just aren't a lot of ranch style homes in New England. I'm not sure why it's been such an unpopular style of home up here.

Have you looked into a chairlift at all? Something like this:

https://www.stannah-stairlifts.com/p...UaAvQuEALw_wcB

My grandfather put one into their home when he lost his ability to walk and it worked out well for them.

I don't think she would EVER agree to one of those. If it's for new for us buy, we can wait and find the ranch, or maybe the RR and this instead from the lower level garage/basement/ laundry to the main level. I mean if the RR is $75k less than a regular ranch.....should cover the elevator, right? Insurance might even cover a part of it.

https://www.stiltzlifts.com/
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Old 04-26-2018, 11:34 AM
 
Location: New Britain, CT
898 posts, read 595,139 times
Reputation: 1428
But she has gone from "no cane, ever ever" to "where is my cane" daily....I need to buy her a second, maybe a third, 2 in the car and one at her desk..... She wants leopard print. I said not black with pink skulls with head bows? She said NO Jim...I am a BANKER..... She doesn't need it first thing in the morning, so she has forgotten it, then pays for it dearly mid day......So she needs more. Like I said, even one at her desk if she forgets her other one in her car.....
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Old 04-26-2018, 12:09 PM
 
Location: New Britain, CT
898 posts, read 595,139 times
Reputation: 1428
My Aunt's house (my late Mom's sister) would almost be ideal, except for location. Would be over an hour commute for Stacey with the Hartford city commuter traffic, not counting the anticipated reconstruction through the city. Nice big ranch with a hip gable roof, big decoy shop....I mean garage, and sitting on 40 acres of woods full of deer and turkeys, abutting a boyscout camp so no building on any perimeter properties that already don't have a house. BUT, 6 steps to get in, and into the sunken family room. 2 more steps to the main floor. I have no clue what her plans are for the property. House is dated....I'm 55 and been hunting there since I was 16. I don't think anything has been done for modernization, except my uncle built the 2-1/2 car garage. My uncle passed a few years back and their son passed a few years before that from cancer.... So it's just her now, early 80's....I'm overdue for a visit.... She even has the clear plastic covered furniture in her living room. So there's like a huge family room, sunken, a sitting room, maybe 12x10 or something, and between the two is a fieldstone double sided fireplace.....level on the sitting room side, raised about 18 inches on the family room side.... SHE, my AUNT, told me that she built it (my Portugese uncle was a mason). Across the hall from the sitting room is the living room, with french doors, with the plastic covered furniture. Kitchen, I think 3-4 bedrooms..... Did I mention 40 acres......
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Old 04-26-2018, 02:49 PM
 
Location: Rochester, WA
14,415 posts, read 11,954,182 times
Reputation: 38811
Jim... There's a lot more issues here than we can solve on any one thread.
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Old 04-26-2018, 03:00 PM
 
Location: New Britain, CT
898 posts, read 595,139 times
Reputation: 1428
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook View Post
Jim... There's a lot more issues here than we can solve on any one thread.
Ya think?

You and who is it, BirdieBee, think I'm an anal retentive, whatever..... I'm just an analytical type guy who is now looking out the front window at the lush green grass thinking.....Damn, I have to cut the lawn tomorrow....No moss.....

What was that big fight in the 70's, could have even been in the 60's....NO MOSS....NO MOSS....LOL


OK.... I'm wrong again...Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran..... November 1980..... Dang...thought it was earlier than that.... No Mas.....No Mas......

NO Moss...No Moss....
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