Drawing Up the Floor Plans: What is the Purpose of this Home?

Drawing up the plans for this new home became our “empty nest” activity. It was something Scott and I could do together in our newfound time. Our first question we asked ourselves was, “What is the purpose of this home?”

The first and foremost answer to that question was that the home needed to be handicapped accessible. Secondly, we wanted a home with space conducive to gathering. With our five children grown, we imagined all of us gathering together in this home for Sunday dinners and holidays. As important as it was for there to be space to gather, it was also important to consider one who is in a wheelchair. A wheelchair user does not want to feel as if they are in the way, but instead wants to feel as if they are a part of things.

Scott, with his educational background in engineering combined with years working and running a construction business, began the floor plan drawing with a 2,000 square foot rectangle. As a retired couple, we didn't want a home that was too large, however we desired space plus most importantly, the township required a minimum of 2,000 square feet.

Acknowledging one of the purposes of this home was to gather, we decided on an open floor plan. The kitchen, dining area, and living area would all be open to each other, in other words, there were to be no walls separating them.

In order for the home to be handicapped accessible, the master bedroom needed to be on the first floor with a handicapped accessible bathroom. Scott desired his home to be handicapped accessible in a way that it was not overtly noticeable so as not to take away from the beauty of the home, or cause a visitor to notice that the home was for someone with a disability.

I'll always remember these late nights spent with Scott at the dining room table, thinking, revising, envisioning, and dreaming of our new home, and how it would symbolize a new season and chapter of our lives together.