Step-free park homes: what to ask before you book
Park homes are single-storey, which makes them promising and makes websites careless. Two homes we let have genuine step-free access; the honest service is telling you what to check rather than listing them and hoping.
· 6 minute read
The short answer
A park home being single-storey does not make it step-free. The things that actually decide it are the threshold height at the door, the width of the internal doorways, whether the shower is a wet room or a tray, the surface and gradient of the path from the parking space, and the height of the decking. Two of the homes we let are listed as step-free, and before booking either one it is worth asking the park for those five measurements rather than trusting the label.
Why is single-storey not enough?
Because the building sits on a chassis above the ground. Getting in means crossing from the path to the deck and over a threshold, and that is where the steps are. A home with no internal stairs can still have three steps at the front door and a lip at the French doors.
The deck is the second issue. A home with a ramp to the front door may have a step down from the living space onto the deck where the hot tub is, which is the part of the home people came for.
What should I ask the park?
The threshold height at the main door, in millimetres. The clear width of the internal doorways, particularly the bathroom. Whether the shower is a level-access wet room or a tray with a lip, and the lip height. The surface, length and gradient of the path from the parking space to the door. The height of any step onto the decking.
Three more worth asking: whether there is a grab rail in the shower and beside the WC, the turning space in the bathroom, and whether the parking space is hard standing or gravel.
A park that keeps the figures answers in one call. A park that offers to "have a look and get back to you" is being honest about not knowing, which is still useful information.
Is a ramp provided?
On the homes listed as step-free, the approach is built rather than portable. Ask about the gradient: a ramp steep enough to satisfy a tick box is not necessarily one a wheelchair user can manage unaided, and the number to ask for is the rise over the run.
If you use a powered chair, ask about the width of the ramp and whether it has edge protection as well.
What about the rest of the park?
Park roads are tarmac and generally level at Marwell Court, which is a new estate built on a graded site. Mill Park is on a Devon hillside and some plots are reached by a slope that is a genuine effort. Beechwood climbs; the best views are at the top of it.
The route matters as much as the home. Ask which plots are on the level part of the park, and ask for the plot number rather than the park name.
Why are there only two?
Because we would rather say two than imply more. Of the twelve homes currently taking bookings, two are listed with step-free access. There is no collection page for it, because a page listing two homes under a heading reads like a shop that has sold out, and because the useful thing here is the list of questions rather than the list of homes.
The number will rise as homes are replaced. It would be easy to describe more of the fleet as accessible by choosing a weaker definition, and that is exactly the practice this page exists to argue against.
How do I find them?
The search page has a step-free access filter that applies to the whole fleet, including homes on parks that start trading later. It is the only honest way to see the current list, because the current list changes.
Then telephone the park with the five measurements above. Fifteen minutes on the phone before booking is worth more than any filter.
Questions people ask
Do you have homes with a wet room?
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The step-free homes have level-access showers rather than trays. Ask the park to confirm for the specific plot, because two homes of the same model can have been specified differently.
Is there accessible parking?
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Parking is beside the home on its own hard standing on every plot, rather than in a central car park. The question worth asking is the surface and the distance to the door.
Can a carer stay at no extra charge?
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Yes. The home is let as a whole home with no per-person charge, so a carer costs nothing extra and does not count against the sleeping number for pricing.
Are assistance dogs accepted in dog-free homes?
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Yes, including the adults-only home, and with no dog fee. Tell the park when booking so the clean is planned rather than discovered.
Are the hot tubs accessible?
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Not without a transfer, and none has a hoist. The tubs are standard deck-level units with a step. It is better to know that now than on the first evening.