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Submit plansI am subscribed and have been for a while with your magazine which is very interesting.
I just wondered if you ever done any articles or are thinking of doing any articles on self build for the disabled people as I would be very interested in getting some other peoples input and point of view. I have never seen any articles in past issues regarding this topic and I would have thought there would be quite a few other people that would like this as well.
I, at the moment have a bungalow which is quite large and should be up to spec for wheelchair and has pv panels and ASHP but no wet room etc. I would like to build something similar to a passivhaus and have pv panels, battery wall etc. and be as self sufficient as possible but still be accessible. Any information would be greatly appreciated
Hi Gary,
Thank you so much for your question.
I do think the topic of designing and constructing self builds for disabled people is highly important and something we do have very limited content on.
I will speak to my editor and hopefully start to get some more features that directly respond to the topic of disability and architecture.
I have also sent your question to our design expert, who will respond to this shortly.
Many thanks again,
Scarlett Deamer, Build It’s editorial assistant
Hi Gary,
Great question.
There appear to be 2 major factors that you want to address with your property. To me it sounds as though the existing house is already generating some electricity through the solar panels and this system could be adapted to take into account battery storage. You could look at improving your air-tightness in the existing house by sealing up areas by having a pressure test carried out to identify where it is leaky, and you could consider improving the thermal elements even more by insulating the floors, walls and roofs to bring you closer to Passivhaus standards.
The other factor regarding accessibility could also be done for the existing house. I think it could be remodelled to accommodate wider corridors ideally 1.2m wide and existing door openings widened to 1m it is wheelchair friendly. Also, your electrics could be updated so switches are between 0.45m to 1.2m from the floor level. Wet rooms can be created in existing properties, but you may need to dig out for a slightly lower drain to accommodate a gully. For it to be accessible you need to ensure a clear 1.5m clear turning circle for easy manoeuvrability so no sanitaryware intrudes into this space.
Hope this helps!
Opinder Liddar, Build It’s design expert