Kitchen Remodeling

You may not have to face the expense and stress of remodeling—first check out some of the tricks described below. One of them may open up your kitchen for you. Whatever your situation is, whether your physical agility has changed or you've just moved to an inaccessible space, these tips can help:

If you have a wheelchair, the doorway must be a minimum of 36 inches wide—measure the width of your chair so you'll know what you have. Rather than paying for a new doorway to be cut and rebuilt, remove the door and its hinges, molding or threshold.

If you want to keep the door to the kitchen, buy Swing Clear® hinges at your hardware store. They will give you a couple more inches of room. See Resources at the end of this Home Modification section.

Ideally, a kitchen should have a 5 x 5 foot turning radius for wheelchair access. If space is limited, most of the prep work can be done at a table just outside the kitchen. (This is also a good strategy for people who are heat sensitive.)

If the only way into the kitchen is up or down stairs, it may be possible to build a ramp it if it's not too steep.

Raise the counters if you have a difficult time bending over; lower cabinets if you can't reach them and only use for long-term storage. Although costly, this may be all you need to make the kitchen useable. Vertically adjustable models can be raised and lowered; roll-out shelves are much more useful within any cabinet.

From a wheelchair, it's easiest to function in a kitchen with lowered cabinets and knee space beneath counters. A recess near the baseboard leaves room for toes and kick plates. If you can afford it, lower the cabinets. But a quick, inexpensive way to have knee space is to remove cabinet doors below the sink and some cupboards. Carefully pack up cabinet doors and any hardware with their hardware taped to them and store for future use. 

Under the sink, a plumber or handyman can move the hot water pipe out of the way of legs or insulate with foam rubber to prevent scalding. It may also be necessary to insulate the garbage disposal.

Hang a mirror above stove burners to supervise cooking from a seated position.

To make the most of cabinet space, use carousel trays; these make 360-degree turns to store a lot in one place and you will thank yourself for buying them! Check a hardware store or stores that sell RubberMaid™ items (only about $2.00 for turntables!)

Electrical outlets and light switches can be easily relocated by an electrician. Lighting can be enhanced by adding track or overhead fixtures, or a portable desk lamp on the counter.

A cook-top range is the most versatile option. Keep the space below free for leg space, rather than putting a cabinet there to store pots and pans. Consider a refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom and cook stove with knee-space below and front controls instead of side controls.

Linoleum or tile flooring is preferred over indoor-outdoor carpeting because that's easier to roll over and much easier to clean.

If using an oven or stove is too difficult, a toaster oven or microwave oven is much simpler. (See Small Appliances Rule.)

A rolling utility cart allows you to move a heavy pot of water across the room or bring plates, glasses, and bowls to the table.