Chris Selway: Adapting a home for independent living | #ForAccessibleHomes News

Chris Selway, 59, is a semi-retired teacher who lives with his wife and their teenage daughter in a 1960s semi-detached bungalow in south Gloucestershire. Over the past 14 years, the family have spent over £120,000 of their own money installing a range of adaptations, including an accessible bathroom, so that Chris can access all areas of the house, as well as the garden.

"In June 2002, I became a wheelchair user following a road traffic collision. I couldn’t return to my home – a Victorian terrace in central Bristol – as it wasn’t possible to adapt it due to its layout, so we had to look for another property.

After viewing seven bungalows that were completely inaccessible, we found one which my occupational therapist said had the potential to be adapted, so we bought it.

As we had savings (both my wife and I were full-time teachers), we weren’t eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant, so all the adaptations we made to our home were self-funded. The process has taken around 14 years and cost over £120,000.

One of the first adaptations was building a ramp into the small conservatory at the rear of the house, so I could get into the building. We also removed the bathroom door, as it created an access issue within the space. 

We converted the bathroom into a wet room with help from a friend. A few years later a local builder helped us create an extension for our kitchen/diner and utility area, it features lowered elements such as worktops, a sink, oven and hob, as well as a regular-height worktop and sink so my wife can also use the space.

We also converted the loft space into two bedrooms and a bathroom with a separate bath and shower and a through floor lift to get me up and down. We’ve installed other adaptations and features including grab handles, automated lights and curtains downstairs and remote bedroom blinds.

After 14 years of living in the property, we levelled our 40-metre-long garden, put down slab paving and built raised beds. An accessible greenhouse and an area of artificial grass mean I have access to the whole property at last. 

I now have a home that I can live in independently, including the garden; I'm living rather than just existing. But we’re mindful that the adaptations will need updating, including the lift which is showing signs of needing replacing."