Good morning to Dorset from Scotland! My husband had a birthday last week and is now saying we're 'pushing 60'. We're active and fit, lol, but sensible too-the day will come sooner rather than later when one or both of us is not able to claim to be spry. Because the little cottage is in such a sad cosmetic state it was listed at a rather amazing price and we locked ourselves into it too early thinking it was a perfect spot for us to grow old. Whoops, thanks to several posts here about doing a reno or new build with a mind to age-in-place we are having to admit that is not the house for us. Luckily the town is the 'gateway to the glens' and if we wanted to use it as a holiday let we could easily. It's also becoming a commuter town-the hardier type people from Dundee and Aberdeen are buying in to take advantage of the great mountain lifestyle whilst being able to easily commute to their 'day job'. We were not looking for an investment property-not especially keen on the idea but more and more we're thinking that's what we've got. We measured the borrowed wheel chair, and also took the measurements of the typical mobility devices available now (the ones that are adverted as being in-outdoors), and frankly held up against the kitchen and bath measurements, there is no way we can make the bathroom work. Up thread (I think it was Deborah Butler of Brickwood Builders) a wet-room was mentioned as being best to accommodate a roll-in shower but hard to do as a reno project. Looking at the floor-plan, home report, and our own measurements confirmed that on this wee cottage-there is no way to do that and no way a wheelchair or mobility device is going to be rolled in that cupboard size bathroom. The kitchen could be managed if we drop the pantry wall idea, but the bathroom we planned to make a shower room is not manageable at all, and there is no room to extend that space. We would have figured all this out but much further down Reno Road, lol, so this thread has been a huge help to us just on that! Because we're now doing a much simpler reno (dropping the wider doorways and sliders, the ramp, and a few other a-i-p doings), the cost to renovate that lovely wee home is much lower too. The only things we won't be able to do ourselves is the shower conversion and the rewiring. A huge savings that we're going to need to find the right place for us! We know now that we need to look for a home with room to enlarge bathroom and kitchen areas, and with a less tricky entry to incorporate a ramp. For starters:) We have to be out of our current home by 1st August when the new owners will be arriving from Australia. We've borrowed the use of a caravan from friends to live in whilst doing the cottage reno (now that's small space living!) and that's going to be a help but I sure wish I'd joined Houzz sooner! I would have started this thread BEFORE locking into a property too small for our needs. Too, rather than use it as a holiday let or sell it on, we may move into the cottage once the reno is complete but we do know now there is no way we'll be able to age-gracefully-in-place in it. Sigh. Oh well, our builder is happy-he wasn't keen on trying to fit those sliding doors:) Take-Away For the Day? Be sure the property has room to expand vital living spaces before making an offer that is sure to be accepted:(

I have always bought wrecks - I love renovating: and I completely agree with overpaying for a new renovation that is rubbish and soulless: I won't even view a house that has obviously been done up by one of the many "property developers" that infest London. I can cope with anything (have rectified asbestos, removed wood chip, put back period features and replaced everything from roof to digging up a floor to install underfloor heating in the past), but my absolute nos: dodgy neighbours/road, lack of off-street parking (London), a floor plan I can do nothing with, lack of potential to add value myself. I have seen (and met) some real horrors whilst looking for houses! Also, I have to have a period house: 1930s or older.

I have now! I didn't use one in my previous home and after a few years, no matter how much I scrubbed, I couldn't get the droplet stains off. So I have no experience on regular cleaning :). My sister, who is a regular cleaner, says it will still get dirty in the end. But maybe she didn't use Viakal :). I must admit I don't use the squeegee much. Our current shower cubicle has tiny 20x20cm white tiles and no hand sprayer. It just doesn't seem to matter whether I use it or not. Can't wait to get a shower with large tiles!

We got delayed by replacing our boiler, so fitting starts in six weeks. So I don’t know yet if the final design is any good! But what we will do is build a false wall on the low side of the room, and then have a 100x120 cm shower tray, with a glass door and panel on one side. We will get the glass cut and fitted by a specialist company. We will have storage in the alcove on the other side of the shower.