The Perfect Retirement Tiny House Thats Simple, Affordable, and Wheelchair-Friendly
As people grow older, there's a lot to think about in regards to living arrangements and lifestyle. Where many people will go into a retirement home or a nursing home, there are so many other options being created these days. That includes tiny home living, like Merle, who has been lucky enough to be able to settle into a tiny house on her daughter's property.
The Perfect Retirement Tiny House Thats Simple, Affordable, and Wheelchair-Friendly
The tiny house is designed to allow Merle to be independent and mobile while still allowing her to live close to her family. It's a great tiny house design for an ageing person that allows for flexibility and flow throughout the space. There are some great disability features implemented to make it very accessible for her, including a ramp with gripped flooring. There are also secure handrails and an accessible toilet and shower.
The Perfect Retirement Tiny House Thats Simple, Affordable, and Wheelchair-Friendly
It's also great that they made sure there were no tripping hazards in her tiny house and that it could be suited for wheelchair use eventually too. This is what makes tiny houses such a great option when you're looking at old age options. These spaces can really be made to suit any need and lifestyle, plus they are affordable to build as well. The home was created by her daughter Ferne's tiny house building company, Tiny Footprint in Australia.
The Perfect Retirement Tiny House Thats Simple, Affordable, and Wheelchair-Friendly
As a tiny house designer, Ferne was totally up for the design challenge to create a comfortable home for her mother. Luckily, Ferne also lives on a farm that has bunnies and even kangaroos. Instead of putting her up in the main house, they created a separate tiny house for her so she could remain independent. Merle loves to be close to her granddaughter and family, and she prefers living in her own space as opposed to a nursing home space.
The Perfect Retirement Tiny House Thats Simple, Affordable, and Wheelchair-Friendly
She also has a patio built onto the house where she can sit out and enjoy the relaxing scenery. If she wants privacy, there are cafe blinds to create that extra screening she needs. Inside the home, she has heated flooring, a nice open living space and a bed lift as well.
The Perfect Retirement Tiny House Thats Simple, Affordable, and Wheelchair-Friendly
Her home measures 23.5 feet long by 8 feet wide with the extra veranda space built onto it which is 10 feet wide instead. So everything can be taken apart, and the tiny house can be moved if need be. They finished the exterior completely with metal siding, which looks great and very modern. Then inside, they used wood tongue and groove panelling to cover the walls and hardwood flooring with area rugs here and there.
The Perfect Retirement Tiny House Thats Simple, Affordable, and Wheelchair-Friendly
She has regular furniture in the tiny home and a washing machine as well as a sink to hand wash clothing. She also has a craft table in the veranda where she's able to spread out and do all of her crafting like knitting. In the tiny house area, there is a little seating area with bench storage seating and the lift bed overhead. The bed comes down when she wants to go to sleep, and she doesn't have to climb a ladder or stairs to get to it.
The Perfect Retirement Tiny House Thats Simple, Affordable, and Wheelchair-Friendly
They also installed a long table which can be used for various purposes and added a chair to cozy it up. The kitchen includes lots of shelving for cups and dishes; there's also a built-in range and oven in the kitchen as well as a sink to do the dishes. The bathroom also includes a fully accessible shower and toilet with handles to make it easier to get up and down. Overall, this is a wonderful tiny house design and shows just how great tiny houses can be for older people.