Dizzy and I have been a little busy recently, as we have bought our first house (with our partner, Sid)! Dizzy has been busy testing out new paint colours, and I have been having a little organise.
We love our little house! But buying a house with MS does add an extra layer of thought and worry. What happens if we’re buying a house that’s not practical or if my health changed and it becomes impractical? :/
In the end we went with a cute little house, that the donkeys love! But it does have stairs and no bathroom downstairs, which has made us think of ways in which we could change this if we needed to in the future.
Move somewhere new
Firstly, and not what we want to think about at the moment, but it is always an option to just move house! Dizzy is use to a bungalow, and has already started moaning about the stairs… But I am trying to convince her that the exercise is doing her good! Moving can be super stressful, but by calling a moving company (which there are many of) such as mybekins.com, who can also do all the packing for you, it can be slightly easier. 🙂
Adapt your home
Adaptions can now be quite easy to do! And there are now lots of amazing styles and options out there. 🙂 This might be anything from a stairlift, to some handrails. You might even be entitled to help or grants from your local council, so that is definitely something to find out about if you need to do this. 🙂
Switch up the layout
Switching up the layout it another way in which you and your donkey can customise your home after your health needs change. For example, it might mean making a room downstairs into a bedroom, so you can mainly live downstairs and not have to worry about the stairs at all! Or, what I am already thinking about, having a little bathroom put downstairs. 🙂
Make sure it’s easy to maintain
A home that’s easy to maintain is something that is always a good thing. 🙂 But if you have a chronic illness, such as MS, spending extra time cleaning is something we all want to avoid. Dizzy and I are terrible for having stuff everywhere! But having a more minimal, de-cluttered theme does prevent you from having to dust and clean lots of things. Wooden floors can be a good choice, they’re easy to clean, and if you use a wheelchair it’s easier to maneuver than on carpets. There is also less risk of falling. Dizzy and I have added a cosy carpet to our sitting room, but we do love the wooden floors. 🙂
It can also give you piece of mind to consider long term investments and insurance, such as MS Life Insurance when buying a new house. x
At the moment me and Dizzy are enjoying our new house! And with all of these ideas, it means we don’t need to worry quite so much about whether we bought a house with our MS fully in mind. x Have you had to make any home adaptions, and did you think about your health condition when choosing a new home? xxx
congrats to the 3 of you!
Thank you so much Beth! 🙂 xxx
Nawww a new Home Sweet Home for you, Sid, Dizzy & Co. A huge congratulations on buying your first house together! I love your suggestions, too. No house is going to be perfect and tick every box (unless you’re rich, then you can have a castle and do whatever you want 😆) so having ways to adapt are good to keep in mind. Enjoy continuing to settle in!
Caz xx
Hehe, I would love a castle! But just a small one, as I wouldn’t want to lose Dizzy in it! 🙂 And thank you. It still feels so weird owning a house! xxx
And how are you doing Caz? xxx
Your new home sounds lovely Dizzy and Heather and Sid. It is nice to have your own place. Enjoy the new paint colours. Thankfully, my wee house is just the right size for me. It is also near the shops and a great wee cafe. I feel very lucky. xxx
Thank you Brigid. And yours sounds lovely! Our house is near a shop too, which is so handy! And there are currently about 15 different pain samples on the walls. It’s a tricky decision! I’m also very excited about putting the christmas tree up this weekend. 🙂 xxx
Happy days. xxx
When we where looking to buy a house, no wheelchair accessible ones were to be found. So I looked for a house that could easily have one added on! After purchasing it, I started to look into getting a ramp built. Started applying for help to get an approved ramp installed. Even better, the company built it for FREE! The group here in the US is http://www.ramps.org
Wow! That is so amazing that they did it for free! What a wonderful company, and thank you so much for sharing the link; that will be so helpful to others. 🙂 xxx
Congratulations! Your new house sounds lovely!
No one know how things will work out, so I dont think you should plan for a disabled future that you may never have!
I have had MS for 15 years and have a biggish, messy house and garden, which I am still enjoying with a few handrails ! My most useful recent addition is a wicker shopping basket slung over the bannister with a rope of old scarves to pull things up and down stairs as I hate going up or down stairs carrying anything in my hands! X
Thank you Cathy, and you are right. 🙂 I also love that you have a biggish messy garden. 🙂 Our new garden is looking rather messy, but we’re already getting lots of birds! I love watching them. 🙂 xxx
Watching birds in the winter is one of lifes great pleasures!
It really is! ❤❤
Hubby has knee issues, but really wants to keep the challenge of climbing stairs as part of his staying ‘ambulatory’ so our newest rental is a 2-story home…just a tidbit to add.
Happy new house!!!!! A change in environment adds to the spice of life. All the best to you, Dizzy and your partner.
Aww, that’s really good of him to ensure that he does challenge himself. I think if that was me, I would have taken the easy option of a 1 story home! x
And thank you so much. Dizzy and I are nearly all settled in now. All of Dizzy’s donkey friends have come too! 🙂 xxx
Hubby has knee issues and wants to keep challenged via stairs in our house…our newest rental has two stories and he’s doing well.
Happy new home!!! All the best to you, Dizzy and your partner.
Well, all these changes for you Heather, and Dizzy of course – all in 2019. First the tattoos, now a new home. I’m glad you like your new place and you’ve thought of ways to make it easier to get around. It sounds cozy with that rug.
I know! Lots of changes! We do really love the rug. Dizzy likes to eat her ginger nut biscuits on it. 🙂 And we have already started getting lots of birds in our garden, but no squirrels yet! I’m hoping a couple will start visiting soon. 🙂 xxx
2019 was a busy year with good changes Heather … tell Dizzy to enjoy her ginger biscuits in the yard and a few crumbs will bring the squirrels – no, they are not peanuts, but squirrels love all treats!
Congrats guys 😁💗
Thank you! 🙂 xxx
Just moved into a new house we built with my MS in mind. All on one floor and rooms, hallways, bathrooms and showers large enough to accommodate a wheelchair should that become necessary. Best to move when we can instead of when we have to
Good luck and Godspeed in your new place
Aww, that sounds perfect having everything all on one floor. I do miss living in a bungalow. x And thank you. We have settled in now. It’s lovely having all your own space. 🙂 xxx
Congrats to you! 🙂
Happy New House, you guys!
Thank you Lorna. 🙂 xxx
Congrats to you, Sid, and Dizzy!
Thank you so much Lindsay. 🙂 xxx