15 replies to this topic

[Channy]

I made a post earlier asking what types of changes needed to be made in your home for it to become accessible. Now, after looking at some houses for sale online, I'm wondering how many of you are able to get into the basements in your home? My fiancee keeps saying things like "oh it doesn't matter if the house has a basement, I wont be able to get to it anyway" but I feel like that's not true. I know that there's lifts that you can wheel your chair right onto and then the lift takes you down the stairs but wouldn't a lift like that be too large in a normal sized stariwell? I know my high school used to have one and it's so wide (obviously, so it can fit the chair on it) so I feel like a lift like that would take up the entire stairwell and myself, our daughter, and friends/family wouldn't be able to get down the stairs unless we used the lift.

I know I've seen chair lifts on commercials on TV where a chair folds out and you sit on it and move up the stairs in the chair but then if my fiancee were home alone, he wouldn't be able to get his chair downstairs.

Im just wondering what you use in your home and/or how you get to your basement, assuming you have one?

[4tun8]

Channy, Is there not one that has a folding base? One that will fold down so he can ride up and down the stairwell, push a button at the 2 docking stations, and will stow the base on end, allowing AB's to use the stairs. Mark

[oldwheelz]

I had one custom made and it cost less than my outdoor ramp. Works on the same idea as a electric garage door. Had it for 6 years with no problems.

[AndrewB]

I used to have a chair upstairs and downstairs and simply scoot down on my rear to the bottom and top.

[itsjustme]

A friend just had an elevator installed in her home. I have no idea how much that cost though.

[E-DOG]

Please forgive my curiosity but exactly what is it in your basement you need to have access to so badly?
I mean, dang, I'm imagining all kinds of weird stuff going on down there.

Here in Cali we don't have basements. If we did we'd all be growing weed in 'em. What do ya'll do down there?

[Channy]

E-DOG, on Dec 30 2009, 05:17 AM, said:

Please forgive my curiosity but exactly what is it in your basement you need to have access to so badly?
I mean, dang, I'm imagining all kinds of weird stuff going on down there.

Here in Cali we don't have basements. If we did we'd all be growing weed in 'em. What do ya'll do down there?

Haha, well we don't have a basement yet as we're just living in a trailer at the moment (my fiancee is still in rehab, so, well, he's living there and Im up in this city with him staying in an apartment as of right now BUT we liveD in a trailer before his accident). We plan on buying a home and MOST homes here have basements. There's usually a "family room" or basically, a more open-than-living-room-room, in the basement. Its not a big deal if he can't get down there as we can always just have family get togethers in a room upstairs but the extra space down there would be nice for recreational things (not weed growing tho, haha) that he probably would rather not miss out on. Plus, I know if it were me, I'd at least want to be able to have the option to go downstairs in my home.


Mark, not sure about that! It sounds like an awesome thing though. TBH, I havent much looked into the stair lifts other than the ones Ive seen on commercials on TV haha. I guess it's something I'd probably have to look into or perhaps talk to an occupational therapist about?

[Ratticis]

Getting down's no problem, getting back up after, nope. It should be pretty simple to build something, of course money makes things easier.

[gordonr]

E-DOG, on Dec 30 2009, 05:17 AM, said:

What do ya'll do down there?

Do-it-yourself workshop and target practice.

-G

[Tetracyclone]

I have wine in my basement and scoot down on the amazingly treacherous steps. I keep a walker at the bottom.
The tough part is carrying the wine back up. Shoulder bag.

[qbounce]

When I visited family friends back in Indiana, they usually turned their basements into game rooms of some sort or another.

Wine is definately a good reason to WANT to get down there too!! And yes, the fold up chair and rail is an option, and much cheaper than a $30,000 elevator, although I'm not sure how much cheaper. At least you know how much an elevator's cost is now.

[chickadee]

My house does have a basement, but it's unfinished and the only thing down there important is the washer/dryer. I end up having my housekeeper do all the laundry, so she deals with the stairs most of the time. I do keep a walker at the bottom of the steps, plus a cheap-o foldaway wheelchair I got from Goodwill medical equipment exchange, but that's honestly because I get scared of tornadoes after a surprise one went through near my house. Oh, and the fuse box - so, if a fuse blows. Most houses around here have basements, so it isn't anything new.

[AndrewB]

mmmmmmmm, and that basement smell too!

[mcferguson]

I have a fold-up chair lift to get me to the second storey of my house. It cost $17,000 but I my stairs have a landing in the middle and double back on themselves, so the track had to be engineered for my stairs. If the stairs are a straight shot, I think the cost is about $3,000-$4,000. I have 2 wheelchairs, so I don't have to worry about taking one up and down. Thankfully, my chair lift and second wheelchair were paid for by the state of Texas through the Department of Assistance and Rehabilitative Services. Otherwise, I wouldn't be upstairs very much as it takes a lot of effort to scoot upstairs.

[gsp23]

I have a couple of chairs and I do lots of scootching around when I need to go to the basement. But there are lifts available. Here is just one example. You can find them on eBay too and there are a few different companies and models available. http://www.jazzy-ele...-AC-Powered.htm

Heres another one and yes the seat folds up as well. http://www.shermanoa...uctCode=101-001

Edited by gsp23, 02 January 2010 - 07:21 AM.

[feather]

Our basement is where we spend the most time, we have a nice flat screen tv, pizza oven, microwave, frig, work shop,computer area, bathroom, laundry area, poker table, bar.

My son scoots up and down on his backside, we are going to put in an elevator that we will put together our selfs. We both grew up wrenching on bikes and cars and our son did too so we should be able to come up with our own design.