I've been reading along , you can added lifts to the stairs that don't change the structure of the building at all. Either with a seat for those who walk or a platform for a wheelchair. It's much cheaper than a lift and it can be removed to take with you if you move. It's a good option for short term like an aged relative or an injury. Some companies will even do an extended rental for them. There are also bathtubs with doors in them. I have one , it's been a wonderful addition to my life as I can soak now where I couldn't with only the wheel in shower. There are such a wide range of those that they are affordable to nearly everyone. I wouldn't do it if I didn't own the home though.

On the subject of home size. I've run the board in my lifetime. From very large to now a small bungalow. It's all about what fits your lifestyle and needs at the time. It's just my Mother and I , me disabled and her retired. We didn't need a large home. That doesn't mean I think no one anywhere should be allowed to have one. I do on occasion wonder at the size of some homes and why exactly they were built. It's human nature to question, that doesn't give us the right to judge.

jmm..I know..the beach house has a shared drive way though no body Corp ..we just all pay our public and building insurance ..whatever needs done we all chip in ..nothing in writing..

my neighbour is permanent there so they do bin duties for all of us..when they are away they let me know as then I do bin duties when I'm down for work every week..

Christmas time I pop over a bottle of wine for them..

when one of us need something done like I wanted a security door put in ..I do a group email (5 of us) and ask them if it's okie..told them what colour I had in mind etc..

the one out the front they rent out to holiday makers which is a pain as one year we had the dog barked day and night for the whole week other then that it's peaceful just me and my neighbour the rest only come down for the holiday seasons

GTB sometimes it's culture too..the bigger your house..the more successful you are..we know someone building a 60 squares house..only him living in it..no kids ..no wife as his wife lives overseas most of the year...decked out with all the luxuries..don't know what for but if it makes him happy then go for it..

he even got an underground bunker just in case terrorists comes knocking..state of the art security so when he's overseas he can monitor anyone that comes anywhere near his house..

I've always wondered how he got his application through..but then money talks..

GTB - my sister had a big house with a lift that ran up the stairs - I think that's what you're describing - you sat on it and it took you to top. It meant that my Dad, in particular, could enjoy visits to their home because there was no way he could manage stairs at all in his later years, after hip replacements. I've run across a few of them in houses of older folks, but I just figured, when we were looking for a new place, that it would be easier to avoid the problem by getting a single level house. Not easy to find one, though, if you want to be close into town - old houses are being torn down and replaced by three double story houses on the same block of land - and there aren't many developers willing to give up the profit on that third house to build two singles instead. Fortunately, we found one....

I should have looked into universal housing before we moved, so probably we've got some shortcomings with our new house, but I know it's a better set-up than my parents managed with well into their 80s, so I've got a bit of time to rectify the deficiencies. I hope.

There was a house in a builders display village here a few years ago described as being designed with the requirements of different stages in mind. One feature was the stairs were a single straight flight, no turns and landings, and one of those lifts had been installed to show how the house would still work if walking upstairs becomes difficult.

A trend I find puzzling is using the outdoors in weather which is not outdoor weather. At the same time as we are being encouraged to insulate the indoors better to conserve energy it has become popular to equip patios with heaters so that you can sit outside in winter?

Very good point Macy

Macy, perhaps there's been a global rise in farting. Outside its easier to blame the dog, wombat, goanna. Outside it dissipates quickest.

Tribble I wonder if that's adding to global warming .

They do say methane gas is.

Which makes me ask the question - how much methane gas did a dinosaur produce?? Surely size would count.

Good question olldroo, and what were they eating?

Most of them ate plants and we all know why you have to eat your greens.

Just think of dinosaurs as giant birds - some of them ate meat, some were herbivores, and some ate everything in sight. Carnivorous eagles and owls, herbivorous finches and lorikeets, omnivorous ravens and magpies and robins. They all are just small, modern dinosaurs.

Returning to the previous comment, I agree that outdoor heaters, including fire-pits are a waste of energy.

Dinosaurs were a trend that did end.

They didn't look right with the sofa.

Ooo I want one.

Ermm - back to birds and dinosaurs. I wasn't actually making a joke. Birds are in fact dinosaurs. Or so say most paleontologists. So, the dinosaur trend never actually ended, it just changed direction - kind of like Roman paving stones eventually morphing into subway tiles.

Yes, jmm, the thinking is that dinosaurs morphed into birds - they have so many features that do resemble birds and fortunately shrank over the centuries. Probably where the term "bird brain" comes from too - dinosaurs, despite their size, had very little between the ears.

I can't look at subway tiles without smelling the overpowering stench of disinfectant blocks that were used in male toilets on the underground railway stations.

The funny thing is, subway tiles were adopted for kitchens a century ago because people associated them with the sparkling clean, modern subway stations. Go figure.

Probably comes down to compared to what?? Everything is relative.

Especially at family reunions.

Been reading and chuckling I love the ramble. Vy talking about foil reminded me of tenants I had in an apt near a university years ago. Not a word had been said when they moved in, I was new at the landlord game then, but the students took it upon themselves to line the entire wall behind the stove, and the sides of the cupboards with alfoil. I discovered this when they left a couple of years later and went there contemplating a reno. The foil was pristine, as was the rest of the kitchen (and apt generally). They were obviously aware of oil damage potential. I was so lucky and made a point of telling the agent to ensure future OS tenants did the same which didn't always bring the same result. Foil has it's good points.

Hilde Gard as an avid sky watcher I disagree with the out door fire pit being a waste of time! It's one of my favourite things :-)

Not a waste of time, Tyrian. The sky is great to watch from where I sit too. I just find heating the great outdoors a shame, as I try to be an energy-saver.

A fire pit is a big difference than an outdoor heater. A fire pit or fireplace can be used to cook on and warm drinks as well as warm the people around it. Outdoor heaters just use fuel whether it is propane or electricity to pump out heat. My opinion is that one is useful the second is a little silly.

All those tinny looking Tolix chairs and stools are so ready for the scrap metal yard....

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Not keen on them myself Hilde, very cold looking and to sit on. Good in outdoor cafes but they would probably rust here on the coast

One day when I hope to have built a McMansion with four bedrooms, two livings spaces, double garage and pool you can all come round for drinks and toast marshmallows over my fire pit! There won't be any Tolix chairs to sit on, but you can lean on my faux stone wall.

One thing I know for sure, all this great indoor/outdoor living has made me want to start smoking again!

Mate, I will bring you a housewarming gift or three from Kmart! ;);)

They'll fit right in.. ;-)

I like getting Kmarts overruns, at Reject shop! I'm sitting here in leggings and a cardigan, eating Kelloggs Crunchy nut out of the box. Should I bring a plate of that?

Tribble you paint such an elegant picture of yourself.

I can meet the Queen, converse with guys just out of jail, and everyone in between. Today was in bogan mode.

I'm one to talk I'm still in bed , I haven't even turned the lights up yet. I love that word bogan. I use it a lot now. It's a helpful word where I live.

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Tell me about it, the ones across the road were going all day and night in the front yard, including revving up a motor bike they're not allowed to ride!

my hubby wears flannie shirts when he's not in work gear. He likes ripping them, that's a trend that should end.

of course, all Australian flag thongs (flip flops) are made in China!

That uniform translates to the U.S. it's just Coors beer, U.S.A. flag on the made in China flip flops and they rip the sleeves off the shirts. So stylish.

Some sugar in the gas tank takes care of that engine revving ... or so I've heard.

how2girl you forgot these

Hey now Vy, my Gran used to wear those everywhere. Then again she was in her 80's so I guess she was forgiven.

GTB, I've thought about doing something to it, if they would just go into the bl house! Then their kids don't have a bedtime, on a school night!

Do you have child protection there? Call them. Or accidentally run it over with something.

They've had the kids removed already. Stupid govt decided in its wisdom, to call the mother inept, return the kids, and take the alcoholic father away from his paid full time job, put him in primary carer role, and on the taxpayer expense, so now he can neglect the kids full time and drink all day, every day.

Oh, and they blamed us for losing the kids, even though it wasn't us that called it in!

Brilliant , seems like a good use of time. They do those things here too. Makes you scratch your head.