If you were me, what would you do?

moneyistooshorttomention

fairy_lights wrote: »

You're only in your 50's! you've hopefully got many years before you start needing wetrooms and stairlifts and special padded toilet seats.

:rotfl:Some of us would just gut the bathroom (if it needed it of itself) and, in the process just choose a large walk-in shower and do exactly the same bathroom as we would choose if we were in our 20s <puts hands up smilie>. Anyone that felt unsteady on their feet could always buy one of those shower seats to put in it. NB time - one of my friends ripped out both the bathrooms and put in modern style huge walk-in shower cubicles in both of them - and did find that the fact she'd chosen a curved sided one for her elderly mothers bathroom subsequently made for difficulties in buying a seat to stand in it and the bathroom with straight sides to shower cubicle was the upstairs one (which would have been okay to fit in that seat). That thought had never occurred to me - when I put in my straight-sided one I'd chosen anyway (just as well it would fit a seat in if need be - as I'm someone that wouldnt put grab rails in a shower cubicle personally).

The thought of special padded toilet seats has got my mind boggling for the day now as to why anyone would want one of them. Dare I ask as to why some people buy them?:rotfl:

EDIT; Thinking on re the kitchen - ie low-down cupboards and the like. If it comes to kitchen adaptations - I havent done the new kitchen on my house yet (havent been able to afford it yet) - but my mind is certainly exercised as to how to style a kitchen in a way that is EXACTLY the same as I would/people would generally if they were in their 20s and bounding with fitness and health - but that would also still be perfectly usable if I "did my back in again temporarily" for instance. There's a puzzle - how to have a house that is fully usable regardless and a healthy 20-something would like it/find it fine for them - but it doesnt look like someone old and/or disabled lives there....

Missus_Hyde

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

The thought of special padded toilet seats has got my mind boggling for the day now as to why anyone would want one of them. Dare I ask as to why some people buy them?:rotfl:

Not sure about "padded" toilet seats, but I've got raised toilet seats which I use since I had my hips replaced, the idea being that then the angles of the hips are not too acute ( an absolute no-no after the operations) when sitting on the loo!

Davesnave

Missus_Hyde wrote: »

Not sure about "padded" toilet seats....

Here you are. This one is 'lucky' too, hence the price...:)
http://easycaresystems.co.uk/shop/index.php/adult-padded-horseshoe-toilet-seat.html

SingleSue

I was offered a padded seat! In the end I just went with a toilet surround as I still have teenagers at home and it can be removed for them if they want to.

They didn't like the rails and ramp outside though, toilet surrounds are hidden away inside, rails and ramps outside are not.

moneyistooshorttomention

SingleSue wrote: »

They didn't like the rails and ramp outside though, toilet surrounds are hidden away inside, rails and ramps outside are not.

I can relate to that - as my instant reaction to my mother telling me she had had rails put up along her drive was "But - passing strangers (possibly not of the friendly honest variety) will realise an elderly person lives there. It might make you look vulnerable to conmen". Though the second reaction was that I know it makes sense for her to have something to hold onto...

I know I tend to look at other properties and think what I'd do to them if they were mine and every time it includes ripping out any grab rails/ramps/etc they've had put in......I know...I know...:cool:.

Hence the difficulties in how to style my new kitchen when I manage to get it - so it looks like a healthy 20-somethings kitchen and also works regardless...

keith969

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

The thought of special padded toilet seats has got my mind boggling for the day now as to why anyone would want one of them. Dare I ask as to why some people buy them?:rotfl:

Visited Japan a few times and they have heated toilet seats, just the thing for winter! And all sorts of buttons which I didn't investigate further - too much detail for this time of the morning :rotfl:

AlexMac

Returning to the original Q... I'd keep the open aspect and extend rather than move. OK so 50 is no age, but time flies, and you'll handle the disruption better now than in 20 years.

We're 70 next year, and I can still (just) manage 1000 metre ascents/descents in (gentle) mountains... but we had a shock when I popped a knee cartilage falling off a bike on rough terrain ten years ago and again, when 'er indoors broke her leg 4 years ago - a "stress fracture"; no obvious reason; just went walking on sand dunes!

The two enforced 6-month periods of restricted mobility made us realise we should "future proof"; so we stuck in a shower upstairs and are now converting a garage to a downstairs room and ensuite... just in case.

At 50, I'd never even have thought of it... so good on you for anticipating possible futures. And unless you live in an area where house prices are really low, the cost of an extension will be less than the value added, even if you do sell up and move later.

But short term, and given the fees, tax and costs associated with a sale, I'd say extending was the more satisfying option

moneyistooshorttomention

Agreed with the "handling disruption" angle. Hence why I felt I couldnt wait any longer to get a Forever House type house having got to my early 60s.

I do wonder whether I'm finding it more tiring than normal gutting it and it wouldnt feel quite so arduous if it had been bought in my 40s as per plan.

Add the consciousness of "It's all Gotta be Sorted RIGHT NOW" - in order to be able to devote time/energy to getting on with a full-scale exercise problem to ensure there aren't any health problems as the years go on if I can possibly avoid it.

So - yep....I'd echo doing anything Major of any description now - for those exact same reasons. But, in your position, it wouldnt include moving house (as you are happy there). But - certainly grit teeth and deal with any adaptations to the style of the house you might ever do and get it over with now (bar specific "illness adaptations" - as, hopefully, that won't arise and no point in "crossing that bridge - unless you come to it in the future".) I say that as someone who also hates/hates/hates any hassle of that type and would have loved to be able to move in somewhere that was Done/Finished (and, so what imo, that it would have been bland/current fashion/etc/etc - as that's what I'm renovating the house to be anyway....).

missbiggles1

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

:rotfl:Some of us would just gut the bathroom (if it needed it of itself) and, in the process just choose a large walk-in shower and do exactly the same bathroom as we would choose if we were in our 20s <puts hands up smilie>. Anyone that felt unsteady on their feet could always buy one of those shower seats to put in it. NB time - one of my friends ripped out both the bathrooms and put in modern style huge walk-in shower cubicles in both of them - and did find that the fact she'd chosen a curved sided one for her elderly mothers bathroom subsequently made for difficulties in buying a seat to stand in it and the bathroom with straight sides to shower cubicle was the upstairs one (which would have been okay to fit in that seat). That thought had never occurred to me - when I put in my straight-sided one I'd chosen anyway (just as well it would fit a seat in if need be - as I'm someone that wouldnt put grab rails in a shower cubicle personally).

The thought of special padded toilet seats has got my mind boggling for the day now as to why anyone would want one of them. Dare I ask as to why some people buy them?:rotfl:

EDIT; Thinking on re the kitchen - ie low-down cupboards and the like. If it comes to kitchen adaptations - I havent done the new kitchen on my house yet (havent been able to afford it yet) - but my mind is certainly exercised as to how to style a kitchen in a way that is EXACTLY the same as I would/people would generally if they were in their 20s and bounding with fitness and health - but that would also still be perfectly usable if I "did my back in again temporarily" for instance. There's a puzzle - how to have a house that is fully usable regardless and a healthy 20-something would like it/find it fine for them - but it doesnt look like someone old and/or disabled lives there....

How many heathy 20 year olds are you planning to invite to live with you?;)

moneyistooshorttomention

missbiggles1 wrote: »

How many heathy 20 year olds are you planning to invite to live with you?;)

Ooh...you never know....:rotfl:

You know you're getting older when younger men are no longer "giving you the eye":rotfl:

But the basic principle I go by is of getting my house together in a way that will work (as far as possible) for anyone - and no-one would ever know an old-er (in a few years time - old) person lives there iyswim. Age gets few concessions from me personally:rotfl:

The same way as I was urging my parents to rip out the bath in their bathroom and have a decent shower cubicle instead (of the perfectly ordinary/any agegroup would have done type) and they would have had a perfectly standard "no-one would have known the difference" bathroom - that would have been a sight easier for them to use if anything (else) happened to their health. Cue for the fact they did rip out the bath and put in shower cubicle I'd been urging them to - but it was after the event (ie hip replacement) and they had to have it done as an urgent job and put up with neither outgoing bath or incoming shower just when it was most problematic to do so. Duh! Always wise to ensure a bathroom is future-proof - but inconspicuously so if you think the way I do:rotfl: