Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: required handicap access

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

Your common house is governed by some building code classification.  
You must know that, and the attached requirements, to design it so it  
will be permittable. Ours was, I believe, N1, or whatever a church  
parish hall would be. Your classification affects not only ADA  
requirements, but fire exits, floor construction, number of  
lavatories, parking, and more. If you don't know what parts of the UBC  
(uniform building code) apply, find out right away.

Beyond the legal, I second the ethical and practical comments others  
have made. Our Common House is ADA compliant, but our individual homes  
are mostly not even "visitable". I heartily recommend that communities  
planning housing require at least visitability (so a person with, say,  
a wheelchair, can access the main floor and bathroom of a dwelling).  
(Many ADA features are also useful for everyone, for example wingy  
faucet handles and lever door knobs. )

When we were looking at a 2-story common house, we researched  
elevators and found that a "wheelchair lift" was more economical. It  
is, in effect, a small elevator, in a 5x5 shaft. One also needs to  
plan a certain amount of floor space for entering and exiting the lift.

Lynn Nadeau
RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend
where we may have a resale coming up
www.rosewind.org