Renovating for Accessibility

We have been thinking a lot about what business to run here at the church, and of course, if we're going to open it to the public (if Covid ever ends), we'll need to ensure it meets the code for accessibility. We've got a couple of things to consider: getting in and around the building, and a washroom that can accommodate wheelchairs, etc.

Getting into the building itself is a challenge, as the front steps go right up to the town property line. The first thirty feet or so of the yard belong to the town as a water main easement. Any ramp we built would encroach on that (or require people in wheelchairs to cross ground we can't pave). Also, the front stoop is small, and the front doors open outward. One solution would be a lift, which can fold up when not in use, but they're unwieldy-looking and -- to be frank -- quite ugly. Another solution is retractable stairs (image taken from the Internet on Designboom.com):

This is an elegant way to accommodate and wouldn't encroach on town property, but I have no idea what it would cost or who could install it for me or how it would hold up to Canadian winters. We'd probably also need to make the doors open inward, but that's not a bad idea anyway, considering we can get 3-4 feet of snow at once.

The other solution is to bring people in at Door #2, which is on ground level, but there they are immediately faced with two staircases connected by a tiny landing, and if you install those seats-on-a-track to go up or down, I'm not entirely sure you could get Door #2 open or have room to get in and out of a chair. You may have to make the door open outward, which would mean needing to install some sort of enclosed porch at the side of the church.

Once people are in the church, the only washroom is small and accessible only by stairs. One solution is to try to put a washroom in the current vestibule, but there's no plumbing, so you may end up needing to use an incinerating toilet and a cistern for the sink. Another option, if you do put in the chair-on-a-track on the stairs, is to install a washroom in the current laundry room downstairs. This would be feasible and there's plenty of space, though you'd have to use a pump to raise things to the level of the septic tank. On the whole, I think the incinerating toilet is the way to go. You'd have to vent it, though, which isn't lovely on the front of your church.

So many things to consider! But if I intend to age gracefully here, I'll need to plan ahead for my own accessibility issues too. That, or I put a Port-a-Potty in the yard and shower on the lawn with a hose. That should keep the neighbours entertained!