CONSTRUCTION
COSTS
for Creating "Visit-ability" (Basic Access) in New
Homes
I. Zero-Step Entrances:
Since all lots have to be graded for development, the key to keeping costs down is to position the house on the lot and grade the lot with the zero-step entrance in mind. (See the section on Zero-Step Entrances). When this is done, $200 is a reasonable average additional cost for the zero-step entrance. It should be remembered that visitability does not demand a front entrance if a side or back entrance is the most feasible.
Why such a low cost? Because:
When the cost of a zero-step entrance is averaged over the 98%+ of lots where such an entrance is practical, the $200 average cost stated above is generously high.
On the 41% of all single-family homes in the U.S. which are built on a concrete slab,* the zero-step entrance usually does not add any cost. In fact, the cost for zero steps on slab construction may be lower than the cost of steps, since compacted earth can reduce the amount of concrete needed.
On the homes not built on a slab--those which have a basement or crawl space--there are several low-cost options. Over 2/3 of new homes have attached garages or carports.** Often the zero-step entrance can easily be constructed from the garage by planning the house floor and garage floor on the same level -- or nearly so -- rather than having the typical one or two steps up into the house. In those cases, either no ramp or a very short concrete ramp is all that is needed.
On homes with basements or crawl spaces, low-cost front, back or side entrances that do not require entering through the garage are often easy and inexpensive. Berming can allow a sidewalk or short bridge leading directly to the porch. For example, the "notched foundation" method used for thousands of homes with basements in Bolingbrook IL can be employed for a lower floor, at a cost estimated at approximately $250.
Another option is a short ramp made of attractive materials with a deck-like appearance. In calculating cost, the cost of the omitted steps should be deducted from the cost of a ramp.
The very high cost estimates for zero-step entrances which some builders put forth are often based on lack of information about the best construction methods, or include averaging in worst-case scenarios which in fact should not be constructed at all.
(For visual examples of homes with zero-step entrances, see the Photo Gallery on this website.)
II. Interior Passage Doors:
Interior passage doors should be 3'0" or 2'10" wide, including bathrooms (Passage doors are those that lead from one room to another, as opposed to closets.) Wide closet doors are good too, but way down the list from passage doors in terms of necessity. If a 3'0" or 2'10" door absolutely will not fit in a tight plan, 2'8" is much better than lesser widths. A 3'0" door provides about 34 inches of clear passage space, depending on the thickness of the door which is hung; 2'10" doors provide about 32 inches of clear passage space; 2'8" provide about 30 inches. More door width is needed than the simple width of a wheelchair, because doors can not always be approached straight on...... just as a car needs a lane wider than the car itself to be able to turn a corner.
$50 per home is a generous average estimate for wide enough doors. In most cases, a wider opening is simply cut into the wall and an architect does not need to be called in to change the plans. The builder can adjust the existing plans with too-narrow doors by manually drawing a minor adjustment to the doorways on the plans. Adding square footage is not necessary to create adequately wide doors.
In a few cases, such as an unusually small bathroom, three or four inches may need to be shaved from an adjoining room, but again adding square footage is not the economical solution. (A pocket door is another option in a small space.)
How wide should the passage doors be?
2006 surveys of six wholesale door companies in six
states conducted by the IDEA Center at the State University of New York,
Buffalo, and by Concrete Change found the added cost of a 2'10" door
over a 2'8" to be less than $1.50 per door.
* National Association of Home Builders, based on nationwide statistics for 1994
** National Association of Home Builders, based on nationwide statistics for 1996.
Summary
Also relevant - the unintended social and financial costs of continuing to construct steps at all entrances and narrow interior doors in homes:
- On new construction: $200 zero-step entrance plus $50 interior doors; total about $250 (about 1/3 the cost of one bay window).
- These costs can be compared to the costs of retrofitting:
- Conservatively, an average of $3,000 to add a safe zero-step entrance to an existing home (a ramp built to code or fill dirt plus raised sidewalk to meet porch, and often the need to raise the porch floor to eliminate the step from porch to interior.)
- Conservatively, an average of $500 to widen each interior doorway.
For further cost information, see the cost section of the free Power Point "Entryways: Creating Low-Cost Attractive Zero-Step Entrances," which can be downloaded at Concrete Change Products. This presentation contains 136 slides addressing myths, principles, methods, and costs, and illustrates with more than 50 photographs and drawings.
- The residents can't comfortably entertain friends and relatives who have mobility limitation.
- A non-disabled person who experiences a temporary disability such as broken bones or recuperation from surgery often must find a different place to live while recuperating. .
- A resident may need to move permanently to a nursing home, while a lack of barriers would have allowed the person to stay at home for added months or years.
- Non-disabled residents strain their bodies carrying bicycles, baby carriages, heavy furniture, etc., up steps.
- Resale or renting the home cuts out potential customers who have mobility limitation or who want a home that welcomes disabled visitors.
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