Ideas for a low-maintenance house

Yes, a ramp with the same slope as a staircase for the same height to be overcome would even be more exhausting/more dangerous to walk on than the corresponding staircase. You would need much more space for a ramp to compensate for that. You can see that at train stations.

Going up a ramp is not more exhausting than climbing stairs, or am I mistaken?

Well, there is an incline of 60-90% with normal stairs – that is really steep. If you have spiral stairs like in many semi-detached houses, you quickly reach over 100%. Many then tumble back down very quickly, which is life-threatening inside the house.

My bedridden father-in-law might possibly be able to go up a ramp. Downhill, he couldn’t catch his weight with the still somewhat functioning leg and would inevitably fall. He can manage stairs - step by step.

It’s the same with my dad. He has been able to use stairs since he got out of the wheelchair, but he had to practice slopes for a long time.


A ramp is much too big for a house. If we take the specification of a 6% gradient that a wheelchair ramp may have according to DIN and a height of 2.8 m, it comes out to 46.67 m ramp length.
If you want to shrink a ramp to stair size, you’re at about 65%. Even young and healthy people struggle with that. Carrying things? Only in a backpack.

Doors smooth and without profiles

In house planning, a kind of garden airlock as a second garden path would be useful (besides the direct one). This way, children etc. can take off their boots etc. via this airlock path, wash their hands directly there, and enter the house cleaner. Dogs can also go through there, and gardening clothes can be stored.

Yes, an extra door for the garden with a dirt lock. We have a shower installed there. And in this area (there is also a toilet and a sink) a floor drain is installed. That means it can simply be sprayed out or wiped down. For the work shoes, there is a shelving system on the wall; on the shelves are shoe trays that can be sprayed clean if needed. Basically, nothing is standing on the floor there, so it can quickly be vacuumed or mopped.

Generally in the house: many free surfaces, furniture (bathroom!) hanging on the wall. Also, few open shelves in the bathroom; better to store things in drawers and cabinets.

If curtain rods are installed, make sure the curtains can be quickly removed for cleaning.

Use bookshelves with doors. Coffee table with drawer, so coasters, tissues, bottle openers, remote controls, etc. can quickly disappear from view and dust.

In the kitchen, make sure little is standing or hanging in the way. So no wall rail with spatulas, but everything packed in drawers. Mount suitable gliders under chairs and furniture so they can be easily moved for cleaning. Plan sufficient sockets – also place a cleaning closet with vacuum cleaner and mop upstairs, so everything doesn’t always have to be carried up separately.

Hang the TV on the wall or on a swivel arm. In the office, hang the computer under the desk or mount a mini PC on the monitor. Also attach screen(s) on an arm. Do not lay cables on the floor but attach them to the desk.

Bedroom: hang bedside tables on the wall, they should also have drawers to store small items. Mount bedside lamps on the wall as well.