You Know You Are Old When

[BackRoad]

Climbing stairs keeps you young...

Life is a climb, then a hopefully quick, fun slide at the end...

 

[WinterDeere]

Climbing stairs keeps you young...

Until you fall down them!

Life is a climb, then a hopefully quick, fun slide at the end...

Oh, I see you covered that scenario.

 

[masseyrider]

Many local houses being built are trying to squeeze as many units as possible into given area.
The front driveways are absolute minimal length. The houses which are joined are 3-4 floors.
I went to a couple open houses and walked straight out. Not only are the staircases narrow but also steep.
I'm still in decent shape but this doesn't work for me.
You get dressed in the morning and you forget something in the bedroom.
3 up, 3 down.
With my memory that's a lot trips.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I like that, and will need to remember it. Our home is on 4 levels, and there is no pass-thru between the second floor part of the house containing my music studio and the rest of our second floor. My shop is also on 2 levels, with an extremely steep staircase having a turn at the bottom 4 steps, and I'm forever carrying heavy materials and tools up and down those stairs.

I've thought about what we'll do when we get old, as I can't imagine ever having to move again, or ever fitting our life into a smaller place. But the reality is that someday, it will not be practical to live in a place with so many stairs.

My garage stairs I built each step has a 12" rise and 12" run. Sometimes I go up & down 2 at a time.

 

[ultrarunner]

Wish I had built a single level home. Instead, I put up a bi level to take advantage of the hilltop view. I was in my 30's then and had no clue. Now, trees have obscured the view and at 77, I'm left climbing stairs for no particular reason.

To make it easier, I added this elevator, a modified Genie Manlift, and incorporated it into the deck:

View attachment 2251768 View attachment 2251769 View attachment 2251770

I don't need it all the time, but it comes in handy when I do.

Wow… just wow.

Did you do the modifications?

 

[newbury]

Wish I had built a single level home. Instead, I put up a bi level to take advantage of the hilltop view. I was in my 30's then and had no clue. Now, trees have obscured the view and at 77, I'm left climbing stairs for no particular reason.

To make it easier, I added this elevator, a modified Genie Manlift, and incorporated it into the deck:

View attachment 2251768 View attachment 2251769 View attachment 2251770

I don't need it all the time, but it comes in handy when I do.

Do you have a need to deal with snow?
I would have expected a small hut on the top.
But looks great.

 

[not2old]

Many local houses being built are trying to squeeze as many units as possible into given area.
The front driveways are absolute minimal length. The houses which are joined are 3-4 floors.
I went to a couple open houses and walked straight out. Not only are the staircases narrow but also steep.
I'm still in decent shape but this doesn't work for me.
You get dressed in the morning and you forget something in the bedroom.
3 up, 3 down.
With my memory that's a lot trips.

I rented a townhouse with three stories in the mid 1990's while building a new house. If I forgot something while getting dressed and didn't discover it until out to my truck I just did without that day.

 

[goeduck]

One downside to a single level house is that they can be expensive to heat/cool. Heat from lower levels rises to heat upper levels. Not so in a single level.

 

[WinterDeere]

One downside to a single level house is that they can be expensive to heat/cool. Heat from lower levels rises to heat upper levels. Not so in a single level.

Yep. Two primary reasons for that:

1. A single-story house requires twice the total roof area per square foot of floor space, and heat loss thru a roof is about 15% higher per unit area than heat loss thru walls, on average.

2. A cube is the most efficient shape, providing the most interior volume per outside surface area. A 2-story colonial is more much cube'ish than a rancher.

 

[scootr]

Happy we have a single story home. No Stairs.
I built a wheelchair access off the back patio 20 yrs ago.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep. Two primary reasons for that:

1. A single-story house requires twice the total roof area per square foot of floor space, and heat loss thru a roof is about 15% higher per unit area than heat loss thru walls, on average.

2. A cube is the most efficient shape, providing the most interior volume per outside surface area. A 2-story colonial is more much cube'ish than a rancher.

Yep… a cube is by far the most square feet for wall length.

The neighborhood with the barrier free has deed restriction allowing only ranch style homes so it is narrow and long…

My builder friend says he can deliver more square feet less expensive with cube footprint.

 

[sixdogs]

I think you know you're old, or certainly older when you watch another presidential inauguration and are surprised by how many of the politicians look much older than they did the last time you saw them. Especially when you look at yourself in the mirror, you haven't aged all that much.

 

[not2old]

We live in a 2300 square foot rancher with a full basement for storage. There are three steps at the front or through the garage. The basement entrance is down three steps. I don't want to live in a place where I need to navigate a full flight regularly, but the storage is good. I am getting better with the storage, I now have only three motorcycles down there.

 

[lman]

I think you know you're old, or certainly older when you watch another presidential inauguration and are surprised by how many of the politicians look much older than they did the last time you saw them. Especially when you look at yourself in the mirror, you haven't aged all that much.

I'm not quite there yet but if you're older than most of the politicians there, you're old.

 

[garry1p]

if you're older than most of the politicians there, you're old.

That's now I see it, it's all in your perspective.

I can't believe how young a lot of these politicians are.

 

[scootr]

You know you are old when some kid in a cop uniform pulls you over and asks to see your license, Sir.

 

[goeduck]

Another advantage to a single level house.... You'll have a better chance of surviving a fall off of the roof. A good friend fell off of his, hit grass, broke his back, but it was repairable. He no longer goes on the roof. Me, I have a 4:12, so easy to walk on (so far). I typically use a 10 foot step ladder sitting on concrete, but I should get a 12 footer. Getting on and off the ladder is my only pucker factor. Or use my 14 ft orchard ladder with the single leg in the flower bed.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I have a 2 story house with a 4 in 12 pitch roof. At 77, I don't do extension ladders anymore but need access to various roof mounted antennas, satellite dishes, weather instruments, etc.

I built this permanent "landing" with handholds and removeable ladder, to access the roof from the deck:

Looks ugly but at my age, it's function over form. It can't be seen from the front of the house, so no one complains.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I have a 2 story house with a 4 in 12 pitch roof. At 77, I don't do extension ladders anymore but need access to various roof mounted antennas, satellite dishes, weather instruments, etc.

I built this permanent "landing" with handholds and removeable ladder, to access the roof from the deck:

View attachment 2283628 View attachment 2283632
View attachment 2283637 View attachment 2283641

Looks ugly but at my age, it's function over form. It can't be seen from the front of the house, so no one complains.

My Dad fell just 7 feet onto his back in his 60s and never the same. It's very smart having something like that.

 

[dougtrr2]

There was an interview with Betty White where she was asked how she stayed in such great shape. The essence of the answer was, she lived in a two story house and had a poor memory which translated into extra trips up and down the stairs.

Doug in SW IA