Several months ago, my family and I moved into a new home. Moving was something we’d talked about for several years, but the house we ended up buying was literally double the size of our old house–with more than an acre of land! In some ways, it seemed like a crazy idea, especially knowing my health history and the way my crashes bring life to a halt for me.

On the other hand, though, we weren’t reckless in our decision. There were a few things this house had to have in order to be considered, and there are a few things we’ve added to future-proof against my crashes. If need be, I can get by without too much trouble in this new place.

Here are just a few of the things included in our plan for April-proofing.

Accessible Entry

One of our non-negotiables in a house, both for my sake and for the sake of being accessible to guests, was an accessible entrance. Of course, we could have retrofitted something, but I love that the house came with this accessible side entrance! Not only is there a brick rampway (with a bit of a threshold through the door, but we can make adjustments), but the door width happens to be ADA-compliant!

Although there is a front entrance with two steps up onto the porch, I love that we have this entrance available. And the added bonus is that it opens onto our guest space, which will someday be set up with a bedroom, kitchenette, and bathroom–all self-contained and all accessible!

Main Floor Bedroom

Another non-negotiable for us was a main floor bedroom. We weren’t opposed to a two-story house, as long as I could live on one floor if needed. Our farmhouse is a full two stories (five bedrooms in all!!), but one room, what used to be the farm hand’s room, is on the main floor. That means I could get by without ever going upstairs if needed. Plus, it’s a cute, snug little room!

Main Floor Bathroom

Along the same lines, we HAD to have a main floor bathroom, so that I could live out my crashes without having to do stairs. This one was especially important, because in our previous 1940s-era home, we had a bathroom upstairs with the bedrooms, and one in the basement, but no main floor facilities. It meant that on my worst days, I had to stay upstairs away from everyone just so that I could be close by a bathroom if needed.

This was also important to us because we want guests of all abilities to feel welcome here. We actually have two main floor bathrooms, one close to our room, and the other in the guest space. Our dream is to one day make the guest one fully accessible: widened door, roll-in shower, wheelchair-height sink, etc. But at least for now, there are facilities without stairs, which was a must.

*The one thing on our must-have list we didn’t get was main-floor laundry, and it was nearly a deal breaker for me. In fact, I was ready to walk away and when my husband asked why, I told him it was the laundry. He said, “Is that the only thing keeping you from saying yes to this house?” It was, so he proposed a solution: If I’m in bad stretches, he has promised to do all the laundry. How could I say no, with the promise of getting out of laundry in the bargain?? (he actually does most of our laundry anyway, but now we have a firm commitment!)

Robotic Vacuum

I have to give credit for this addition to a friend who gifted us her robotic vacuum, but this was always on our list of future acquisitions, especially with the larger size of our house (plus two cats!). And let me tell you, there’s nothing in the world like coming home to clean floors! It’s such a small thing, and yet it feels like a major luxury. Like the hired help has been there while I was away.

The beauty of this particular gadget is that it’s a major energy saver. Unless you live with chronic fatigue issues, it’s easy to underestimate how much energy it takes to vacuum. Having that chore taken care of frees up my energy for other more important things, like spending time with my family. It’s absolutely worth it!

Automated Lights

Being an old farmhouse, our new place has some quirks with the lighting. One of them is a lack of light switches, which can be a challenge when you’re coming in to a dark room (or if we have guests who have any sort of vision impairment). One of our work-arounds has been to add some automated lights–not smart devices, which would be a solution, but simple motion-detecting lights and light timers.

We found this two-pack of lights on sale soon after we moved in, and put one over the kitchen sink, and one in our closet. We installed a light timer on a lamp in the living room, and put in these motion-activated outdoor lights. It’s a small fix, but it makes things much easier to navigate without having to feel around for switches in the middle of walls or fumble with lamps.

Riding Mower

The other thing on our someday-must-have list for this house was a riding mower. With just over an acre of land, it was taking us at least 2-3 hours with two hand-pushed mowers to cut the grass! Granted, I haven’t done much of the mowing since we moved in (thanks to teenagers still living at home), but we knew it would be a major obstacle down the road once we’re empty nesters and we have to keep up with it. Again, we owe our new riding mower to the generosity of a friend of a family member, and I’m so, so thrilled! It shaves hours off our outdoor work time, and will be a lifeline in the future when I need help to get through the days!

Raised Garden Beds

In our old house, we had raised garden beds that made it easy for me to work without having to kneel in the dirt, which can be difficult in my bad stretches. Those were built from old pallets, but we found a deal on these garden bed kits soon after we moved in, and we love them! I have dreams of someday having a Little Free Veggie Stand out front, and these (and the small orchard we planted) were the first step in that direction. I also love that these have the center compost pit like our old beds, so I can save kitchen scraps and throw them in without having to mess with turning over a compost pit, spreading it in the gardens, etc.

Those are just a few of the things we’ve found so far to make life with my unpredictable health more livable. I’d love to hear some of the things you’ve incorporated in your home to make things easier! Just add your thoughts in the comments!