AGING IN PLACE IN A TINY HOUSE
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A Tiny Off-Grid House can provide opportunities to be a retirement home for the occupants to safely & comfortably age-in-place.
BATHROOM
Although the bathroom can be considered one of the smallest rooms in most homes, according to a 2008 study by The Center for Disease Control (CDC) the bathroom is considered the most dangerous room in the house for the occupants; especially higher for Seniors and disproportionately higher for Women of all ages; “72% higher than Men.”
An obvious finding in the study is injury rates increased with age; however, what is not obvious is the specific location and action in the bathroom that contributed to the highest injuries for this group. People of advanced age sustained their highest rate of injuries while “getting on, off, or using the toilet”; compared to the most perceived guilty location of a tub or shower. Seniors comprised 51.7% of injuries on or near the toilet.
Regardless of which type of bathroom design desired: a bath tub, shower or senior friendly roll-in shower, they should all incorporate Grab-Bars / Rails; or at a minimum, blocking for the potential for future installation. As the name implies, Grab-Bars provide a means of support; especially on wet floors. Grab-Bars require additional structural support in order to be secured to the wall, such as additional beams between the studs called blocking. Blocking is installed behind the walls at strategic locations where the metal Grab-Bars will be installed. These locations include, but are not limited to, horizontally on the walls, on the sides of the toilet and the wall behind the toilet, all sides of the shower; including outside entrance. In the Tiny Off-Grid House design, blocking will be installed along the perimeter of the bathroom. Pictures / measurements of the blocking in the wall cavity will be taken during the roughin phase of the build for future installation of Grab-Bars.
Image courtesy of Probe.Clubtallers.com.ar
When horizontal Grab-Bars are installed, they should be installed at a minimum heigh of 33” (840 mm) - 36” (915 mm) from the finish floor to the top —not on center— of the Grab-Bar and 42” (1065 mm) - 48” (1220 mm) long (Americans with Disabilties Act (ADA) 4.16.3 Grab Bars). In the Tiny Off-Grid House, Grab-Bars will be installed behind the Separett Villa waterless toilet and also the side walls; 12” (305 mm) from the rear wall. The Ofuro tub will also have Grab-Bars along the perimeter of the three side walls.
The height of a toilet is measured from the ground up to the seat. Toilets come in two types: Standard height toilets, 14.5” - 21” but not exceeding 19”, are the common types of toilets found in most homes and then there are Comfort heights toilets 17” - 19” H. The ADA states that an ADA approved toilet height should be 17” - 19” H.
Standard toilets are ideal for children and short users; while Comfort toilets can accommodate tall users and those with limited mobility; whom can utilize the Comfort toilet with the aide of Grab Bars and / or a walker to facilitate sitting or elevating from the toilet seat.
The off-grid Separett Villa, 1067-03, AC / DC waterless toilet is a type of Comfort toilet with an accommodating height of 17.32” (440 mm). For more information please read “Off-Grid Waterless Toilet.”
TRAILER DESIGN
For those with limited mobility, the elevated door entrance of most trailers may be a challenge; which can be overcome with an accessibility deck and ramp. Some trailer designs are more accommodating than others. Deckover trailers do not have the wheel wells protruding in to the floor of the living space; allowing for full width floors. Unlike a Gooseneck trailer, the entire floor space of a Deckover trailer can be designed to allow for full accessibility to accommodate wheelchairs. However, the Deckover design does take away from the height of the loft ceiling. Subsequently, if the occupants immobility eliminates the need for lofts and stairs, the floor to ceiling height a Deckover trailer offers can be taken advantage of aesthetically or for installation of a hoy-lift.
FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE
In addition to improved quality of life, a bonus of a Tiny Off-Grid House are the financial burdens that can be alleviated through renewable energy independence and a sustainable lifestyle. The financial resilience gained from sustainable living enables investments in better health & life experiences.
The Tiny Off-Grid House facilitates financial resilience that can be available to all age groups, but especially benefiting to those on fixed incomes. The traditional stages of the American dream includes higher education in the pursuit of employment to purchase a house with a mortgage that is expected to be fully paid in 3 to 4 decades. The reality is, higher education debt has prevented some from starting a family or the ability to even start saving for a home. Higher home prices have prevented some from affording a home. The higher cost of living has pushed back retirement for some whom require extra income to supplement their retirement savings; if any.
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