Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Common house permitting and Cities

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Sep 17, 2006, at 11:49 PM, Larry Moss wrote:

> Actually, as I understand it, ADA says a *maximum* of 34", not that it 
> has
> to be that height. If you really want to make it perfect for everyone, 
> you
> need adjustable countertops.  And that gets more expensive and harder 
> to
> work than most people want to get into.

Along with this issue consider the space in the kitchen required for a 
wheel chair to turn around or for someone to stand on crutches without 
fear of getting the crutches knocked out from under them or to sit on a 
kitchen stool and not block traffic.

This is a problem in our kitchen. We have the low counter but the space 
between the counter and the center island is too small. People prefer 
to sit in the dining room because there is more space -- and it's more 
sociable anyway.

Personally, I think the amount of accommodation in the cooking areas, 
because it is so expensive, should be largely dependent on having 
people in the community who seriously want to cook. There are so many 
support services for meals that do not require low stove heights, etc., 
that most people can be included many other ways.

But a serious cook is worth their weight in gold for all the adjustable 
counters and stove tops and floor space that you can afford!

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org