Adapt your home to help with disabilities
This condo at 75 Samantha Circle in Westhampton is on the market for $575,000; it is also available for rent, for $2,700 a month. Credit: Handout
A sudden fall and a broken hip, a wounded soldier returning from Afghanistan, a heart-attack patient who can no longer manage steps -- these are just a few scenarios that can make a home seem like an obstacle course. It's situations like these that can force people to transform or adapt a house into a place that allows more freedom and independence.
In fact, 23 percent of home buyers of all ages feel that it is important to buy a house that is handicap accessible, according to a 2007 National Association of Realtors survey. And, 11 percent say they are willing to pay more for a home that can accommodate a person with a physical disability. Here are five Long Island homes on the market with features that fit the bill:
Stony Brook
Patchogue
Westhampton
Seaford
Lake Ronkonkoma
How to make your house accessible
Whether you're looking to move to a house with handicap access, or want to modify the house you live in, there are changes that can be made, major and minor, to make life easier for a family member with a physical disability. Jim Otis, president of Otis Construction Inc., Glen Head-based custom builders and renovators, offers this advice:
