Renovating your kitchen, laundry room and storage areas requires special planning, especially when you want value for your money together with long-lasting convenience that will make life easier now and in the future.
Easy-to-work-on countertops, kitchen and laundry areas well-suited to your needs, cupboards and closets that are easy to get things out of these are the types of things that can make your daily life easier and help you should you suffer mobility impairment at some later time. And when renovating, think about air quality, another key to good health and quality of life.
Depending on your needs, you could make provision for the following:
 | Clearances |
| Cupboards and Shelves |
| Kitchen Counter |
| Kitchen Sink |
| Stove and Cooktop |
| Miscellaneous Household Items |
| Storage Shelves and Hang Bars |
| 750 mm (30 in.) x 1200 mm (48 in.) clearance in front of appliances, counters, cupboards, closets, etc. |
| 1500 mm (60 in.) unobstructed space in a U-shaped kitchen arrangement |
| 00 mm (35 in.) x 1200 mm (48 in.) clearance in front of storage areas with a sliding door |
| 1200 mm (48 in.) x 1200 mm (48 in.) clearance in front of other rooms with swinging or folding doors |
| easy-to-use knobs |
| sliding shelves under the kitchen counter and built-in oven |
| upper cupboards 350 mm (14 in.) above the counter, rather than the standard 450 mm (18 in.) |
| if your cupboards are already 450 mm (18 in.) above the kitchen counter, you could consider adding a shelf between the counter and the cupboards 1200 mm (48 in.) above floor level wheelchair users should have a 150 mm (6 in.) deep x 180 mm (7 in.) high recess under the lower cupboards rather than the standard 80 mm (3 1/4 in.) x 100 mm (4 in.) |
| wheelchair users should have a 150 mm (6 in.) deep x 180 mm (7 in.) high recess under the lower cupboards rather than the standard 80 mm (3 1/4 in.) x 100 mm (4 in.) |
| consider building a pantry with adjustable shelves that is separate from the kitchen cupboards |
(that part of the counter used for food preparation)
| can be lowered to a height of 865 mm (34 in.) rather than the standard 920 mm (36 in.) if necessary |
| provide for a 760 mm (30 in.) wide x 685 mm (27 in.) deep space under this part of the counter when required |
| lever-type handles |
| ensure that the counter on which it is installed can be lowered to a height of 865 mm (34 in.) rather than the standard 920 mm (36 in.), and that a 760 mm (30 in.) wide x 685 mm (27 in.) deep space can be cleared beneath it |
| insulate or build an enclosure around the pipes under the sink to avoid risk of burns while allowing for proper clearances |
| controls on the side or in front |
| consider building the cooktop into a counter 865 mm (34 in.) high rather than the standard 920 mm (36 in.), and positioning it near that part of the kitchen counter used for food preparation |
| 760 mm (30 in.) wide x 685 mm (27 in.) high space under the built-in cooktop, as required |
| range hood equipped with easy-to-reach controls |
| switches, thermostats and intercoms 1050 mm (42 in.) to 1200 mm (48 in.) above floor level |
| electrical outlets at least 400 mm (16 in.) above floor level |
| kitchen counter electrical outlets 1050 mm (42 in.) above floor level |
| easy-access fusebox 1200 mm (48 in.) above floor level |
| ensure that all household switches, thermostats, etc. are easy to activate with one hand |
| adjustable clothes rods 1200 mm (48 in.) long and 1500 mm (60 in.) above floor level |
| install shelves 400 mm (16 in.) to 1200 mm (48 in.) above floor level for easy access by people with reduced mobility |
"Politics has got so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to get beat with." Will Rogers
MGM
© ALS Independence 2003-11