Feathering a Shared Nest
How three groups of seniors created their own alternative lifestyles
It took more than a year to track down a site everyone liked--and assemble the $200,000 purchase price. The group spent 18 months more coming to a consensus on the architectural details. Today, the partners' colorful, $600,000 "camp" sprouts from a redwood-shrouded meadow 100 miles north of San Francisco. Separate bedroom units abut a lodge with a communal living and dining area and a kitchen big enough for nine cooks. Each individual pays $600 a month to cover the mortgage, taxes and insurance, plus $2 for utilities each day that he or she is there.
How well the setup will function as a retirement retreat remains to be seen, since only Myers and her husband currently live there full time. The rest still work in the city and practice for their golden years on weekends and vacations. "All we can say is we're planning to do it," says Myers. So far, the dynamics seem to be working.
[Diagram is not available.] Be it ever so humble Many aging Americans want to remain in their own homes. Now, architects and builders are incorporating features to make that easier:
Master bedroom: Master bedroom on first floor
Bathroom: Reinforced walls for support bars in bath and shower. Faucets with levers. Hand-held shower for those in wheelchairs; antiscald devices. Support bars by toilet; phone jack in the bathroom. Knee room under the bathroom sink.
Living room: Light switches and thermostat controls lowered to 42 inches. Raised cable TV and telephone jacks.
Entrance ways: Levers to replace doorknobs, which are hard to turn. 36-inch doorways to accommodate wheelchairs. One entrance without steps.
Kitchen: Countertops that adjust in height. Lowered islands; rollout shelves. Side-by-side refrigerator. Front controls on stove; oven with door that opens to the side.
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