Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Required handicap access to 2nd floor/elevator

[Robert Heinich (robert]

Mary,

As building codes are local, your planning department would be a good  
source to answer this question.  (As we found out with Footpath, codes  
change over time.)  In answer to your question, our Common House was  
considered to be a public building.

However, for what it is worth, our Common House initially did not have  
the upstairs complete when it first open in 2000.  Six years later, we  
had the funds and energy to complete it to have a large room and one  
bedroom / bathroom.  Despite that access to the upstairs is only via  
stairs, we were still required to a handicap-access bathroom.

If your building codes require the elevator, maybe the way to approach  
the problem is complete what you can afford.  We built a play  
structure, workshop, Common House deck, Common House west wing and the  
Common House upstairs after move-in.  One day we will redo the Common  
House kitchen and flooring.

-Robert Heinich
 Eno Commons Cohousing Neighborhood
 www.enocommons.org
 Durham, NC
 where this month we will have SHANKS (Second-Half Adults, No Kids) potluck
 dinner for just the more senior members (> 50 yo)


Quoting maryvk [at] tellink.net:

> Greetings
>
> We are working hard to control costs on our Common House for our new  
>  community so we can have what we want but be able to build it this   
> spring.
> Our design has our bedrooms on the second floor along with a   
> multipurpose room.  Basement has laundry and storage only.  First   
> floor has a handicap bathroom.
>
> We'd like not to put in an elevator or even the shaft for future   
> use.  Must we do this?  Are Common Houses typically treated like   
> one's private home or a public building with required handicap   
> features?  Thoughts and lessons learned?
>
> Your prompt reply is appreciated and thank you for your help.
>
> Mary Kaplan
> Nubanusit Farm and Neighborhood
> Peterborough NH