Morning everyone, hope you’re all as good as you can be. So I’m nrSPMS, I’m now a full time wheelchair user, have one of the big ones, which I use around my home, so what I want to know is, anybody else in this situation. I live in a bungalow, from the back door there are 2 steps down, now when I’m going out with my hubby he gets me down these and either into a manual wheelchair, which he pushes, or onto my scooter. At the front of the property there is one step, now I want to feel a little bit more independent and what to get in an out on my own when I fancy doing so, I know I’ll need a ramp installing and that’s ok, but it’s the door situation, we’ve already had someone come to look at changing things, but he said the threshhold will break if I go over it in this wheelchair, which is what I want to do, so he’s looking at something stronger, aluminium threshhold, has anybody else had anything like this done ?
I look forward to reading any replies.
Jean x
Hello Jean,
We had an extension built a few years ago and the doors leading out onto the decking in the back garden and our side door, which leads to a ramp, both have “no threshold” doors so scooters or wheelchairs just run over them
Not the best picture but hope it gives you an idea.
MS2017
Hi Jean
Our front door has an aluminium threshold and I go in and out daily in my power chair no problem at all.
Hope they sort it for you as having some independence is vital.
Hope you are keeping well.
Pam x
thank you MS2017, that’s really helpful, it would be nice to have it done and have some independence, thanks again,
Jean
Thank you Pam, that’s great, if you wouldn’t mind, can you tell me if it was expensive, as I have no clue how much we’re looking at and do you just have a normal door, or is that adapted too ?
Jean x
Hi Jean
It is a wide door that we already had but we had it adapted with the aluminium threshold. The door gap you go through is 34 inches and when we bought it approx 10 years ago, if I remember rightly it was around £1300.
If you have an OT Jean would it be worth asking if the local authority would help under a disabled grant facility?
Hope this helps Jean, take care.
Pam x
My hubby just said if your door is ok for you they can just change the threshold to aluminium and that would work out cheaper Jean xx
Would something like these be of any use?
Thanks @ Hank Dogs, sadly no, my wheelchair is too heavy, but thank you for replying.
Jean
Hi @Skippy16 , so we’re fortunate and I wouldn’t be able to get a grand, but thanks for that. So I’m now thinking that was approx 10yrs ago, so a lot more expensive now. My hubby asks, is you door UPVC, or composite, also do you find it easy to open and close it yourself, not too heavy, my hubby’s bothered I may not be able to close it and said we should look at a electric device to close it slowly behind me, I’ll be really interested to hear what you got to say, thanks again.
Jean x
Hi Jean
The door is uPVC and was installed together with a ramp but your husband is correct, if I was on my own I could not open or close it. In 2015 we had the door automated at a cost of £2500.
Outside there is a keypad for family etc to get in. Inside on the wall prior to the door is a button to press to open it, it then stays open for 5 seconds then closes and locks itself.
I have a remote control that I press to open the door and it stays open and until you press to close it, so doesn’t matter how slow you are it cannot close on you.
Hope this helps.
Hi Pam, thank you so much for this, it is really helpful and the photo’s are great, why is everything so expensive for disabled people, makes me 
Take care Pam,
Jean x
Hi Jean
Totally agree you only have to mention disabled and the price immediately goes up, so unfair.
Pam x