Tiny Houses

Wheelchair-friendly tiny house offers independence on wheels

Wheelchair-friendly tiny house offers independence on wheels
The Wheel Pad's interior layout is divided between a main living area with a bed to one side and a bathroom
The Wheel Pad's interior layout is divided between a main living area with a bed to one side and a bathroom
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The Wheel Pad comprises a total floorspace of 200 sq ft (18.5 sq m)
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The Wheel Pad comprises a total floorspace of 200 sq ft (18.5 sq m)
Access to the Wheel Pad can be gained via ramp
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Access to the Wheel Pad can be gained via ramp 
The Wheel Pad is based on a 24 ft (7.3 m)-long trailer
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The Wheel Pad is based on a 24 ft (7.3 m)-long trailer
The Wheel Pad is available to rent for US$1,500 per month or purchase for $50,000
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The Wheel Pad is available to rent for US$1,500 per month or purchase for $50,000
The Wheel Pad's bathroom includes a composting toilet
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The Wheel Pad's bathroom includes a composting toilet
Various equipment to make life easier is installed in the Wheel Pad, such as a Hoyer Lift, rails, plugs installed at accessible heights and doors that open both ways
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Various equipment to make life easier is installed in the Wheel Pad, such as a Hoyer Lift, rails, plugs installed at accessible heights and doors that open both ways
The Wheel Pad's bathroom is wheelchair-friendly
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The Wheel Pad's bathroom is wheelchair-friendly
The Wheel Pad is designed to be wheelchair-friendly, down to the single floor layout, spacious bathroom and access ramp
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The Wheel Pad is designed to be wheelchair-friendly, down to the single floor layout, spacious bathroom and access ramp
View of the Wheel Pad from the bathroom
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View of the Wheel Pad from the bathroom
The Wheel Pad's interior layout is divided between a main living area with a bed to one side and a bathroom
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The Wheel Pad's interior layout is divided between a main living area with a bed to one side and a bathroom
View gallery - 10 images

Your average family home doesn't make it very easy for a disabled person to get around. With this in mind, Wilmington, Vermont-based Wheel Pad has designed an eponymous tiny house that provides a wheelchair-friendly bedroom and bathroom on wheels suitable for use as an annex or accessory dwelling unit.

While the Wheel Pad looks like a typical tiny house, it isn't designed for disabled people to to live in unaided. Instead, the idea is that you place it next to an existing house, so it can offer a safe place to stay – either full-time or just temporarily while the main residence is being renovated to be more accessible, perhaps.

The Wheel Pad is designed to be wheelchair-friendly, down to the single floor layout, spacious bathroom and access ramp
The Wheel Pad is designed to be wheelchair-friendly, down to the single floor layout, spacious bathroom and access ramp

A ramp can be added for access and the firm also says that its contractors can join the Wheel Pad directly to the main residence via a spare door or window, to make moving between the two easier.

Based on a 24 ft (7.3 m)-long trailer, the Wheel Pad comprises a total floorspace of 200 sq ft (18.5 sq m) laid-out on a single floor. The interior contains a main living area with a bed and desk, and a bathroom with a composting toilet, sink and shower.

It was designed with input from healthcare professionals and features disabled-friendly furniture and equipment, such as a Hoyer Lift track on the ceiling, handrails, and electrical plugs installed at accessible heights, for example.

Various equipment to make life easier is installed in the Wheel Pad, such as a Hoyer Lift, rails, plugs installed at accessible heights and doors that open both ways
Various equipment to make life easier is installed in the Wheel Pad, such as a Hoyer Lift, rails, plugs installed at accessible heights and doors that open both ways

There's no kitchen inside and the Wheel Pad's Julie Lineberger (also of Line Sync Architecture Studio) told us that the idea is that the meals would be prepared in the main residence, though a kitchen option may be offered in the future.

Solar panels are an optional extra, otherwise the Wheel Pad gets both water and electricity from the main residence, while waste water goes to a septic tank.

The Wheel Pad is available to rent for US$1,500 per month or purchase for $50,000.

Source: Wheel Pad

View gallery - 10 images
3 comments
3 comments
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that is really nice. I think that is also good for those who don't want to climb a ladder or stairs in a tiny house.
AltairaHatton
One: My Grandmother wouldn't be caught in that wheelchair-get a better model if you want to sell this to actual disabled people. Two: No kitchen? No living space? Three: Awkward bathroom. No one wants to lean on, or grab onto, metal walls. Go hang out with a disabled person, we use grab bars, and lean, a lot. A whole lot. Also, looks quite slippery when wet. And where is the emergency call system? Consider installing a flip-up shower bench, >17 inches sq., in the shower. Four: No storage? I can guarantee you most of us own more than will tuck into a basket under the bed. Built-ins would be excellent. A nice idea, and a nice start. Can't wait to see updated version.
Ruth
At least it's a start. It's the first tiny wc accessible house I've seen. Please dont take my comments negatively, they are only meant as constructive criticism for the builders. Where I live, all of the agencies that serve and help physically disabled people have as their most important goal, "Independence". They want to make sure any equipment provided or alterations made to a home should be so that the consumer can function fully "independantly" without assistance, giving them the freedom and independence a non disabled person has. To live Independently this tiny house needs it's own kitchen, and a regular toilet, as a composting toilet would require assistance to empty. Without a regular toilet it becomes a Dignity issue as well. Really? Who wants to have someone else empty their waste? The other issue is that people do not go into their showers in their wheelchairs. A shower chair or fold down bench is needed in a shower. Where are the grab bars inside the shower? I want my tiny home to have curb appeal, including the wc ramp outside, this ramp system looks like an after thought. My dream has changed to sell my big house and buy a tiny house as well, that is wc accessible. However, you have a lot to improve on with this one. You really should consult and listen to disabled people themselves when designing these homes. I have looked at a lot of tiny homes and 50k is way to much for this simple of a model with no storage, no kitchen, and no plumbing for the bathroom including the toilet.