Wheelchair accessible units being built in Invercargill

Wednesday, 27 May 2020

A Southland couple is building two units in Invercargill which are specifically designed for people in wheelchairs, understood to be a rarity in the city.

Andrew Watkins and his partner Adele McMahon purchased an Elles Road property near the south city shops in Invercargill two years ago.

After talking to people in the neighbourhood, and finding out housing for the disabled was hard to come by, they decided to rip down the ''buggered'' house on the section and build two two-bedroom units solely designed for people in wheelchairs to live in. Adele is project managing the construction, and is helping the builder with the work.

The design allows for wheelchair-bound occupants to manoeuvre around beds, a single garage allows for wheelchair access from a vehicle, the bathrooms and vanity units are designed for wheelchair users and the doors and hallways have been widened.

The design also allows for the kitchen bench to be lowered or lifted to suit and the window latches and light switches will be at heights suitable for wheelchair users to access.

The units were costing about $250,000 each to build, Watkins said.

''It's costing more to build them that way but in the long term it will help people [in wheelchairs] out.''

Watkins said they did not know any disabled people when they began the project but soon learned there was a shortage of such housing.

The project is still several months from completion and they intend to rent out the units.

Tracy Peters, an Invercargill woman who uses a wheelchair, said she did not know of any other houses in Invercargill that had been designed specifically for wheelchair users and put up for rent by private owners.

She lived in a rental property which had a ramp installed but many other aspects of the house made life difficult in a wheelchair, she said.

This included kitchen benches which were too high.

''I love to cook so it's really difficult.''

She had been looking for an accessible house, as they are known, to rent in Invercargill for the past six years, without luck.

''I am not alone in this situation, the word is starting to get out and people are saying, how do I rent one?''

Geoff Penrose, general manager of Lifemark which is a division of CCS Disability Action, said less than two per cent of homes had features geared for the disabled.

''For someone who has gone and created a fully accessible home is a great initiative.

''There should be good demand, I would think.''

'