Building memories for EVERYONE

Here's the short of it

Who: Isobel acres llc.

What: A fully handicap inclusive vacation rental home designed by parents of children with special needs.  We have a passion to provide families with life long memories and eliminate as many barriers as possible for a worry free vacation. 

When: Spring 2018 (with your help)

Where: Old Fort NC (30 min from asheville)

How: Progress has started, but we need your help to complete the dream.

Why: Because EVERYONE deserves a vacation

For more details please visit www.isobelacres.com

Here's the long of it:

Our dream was set in stone in January of 2015, although the idea had been heavy on our hearts for several months.  Isobel Acres we would call it.  Named after our daughter that we lost just months before.  How could we do something that would continue to affect the lives of others even after she was gone.  One of the things that we loved to do with our children was travel.  It wasn't easy, but we always made sure that we found a way to make it happen.  With 2 medically fragile children, both in wheelchairs.  It was difficult, sometimes impossible to find a private vacation getaway that would let us spend time together as a family without having to worry about mobility or the medical safety of the girls.  We knew the value of vacationing and making memories together but always came across barriers that prevented us from simply laying back and enjoying each other's company.    

That was when we decided we needed to help solve that problem.  We purchased a piece of property nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina.  The house that was on the property needed to be torn down to make way for our plan.  Thankfully, it was already half falling down.   We saved as much of the house as we could from the landfill by letting people come to the house and remove any useable materials.  The next step was calling the "scrap guys" to come and remove anything that was recyclable.   The parts that were left were bulldozed and hauled off in a dump truck. 

With the lot now cleared and level, we got to work on the design.  We met with an architect and told him our ideas and had him put our dream on paper.  We came up with something that is simple, efficient, and most importantly fully handicap inclusive. 

The house will be a vacation rental available to anyone looking for a secluded, eco-friendly getaway.  Through our nonprofit 501 ©3 organization Isobel Smiles, we will provide grants to families to stay cost and worry free.

We built a very large wood deck, and assembled a 20' diameter "pacific dome" on the deck.  This area serves as our temporary sleeping quarters while we are on the property doing work.  When the house is complete this area will be a sensory room.  The plans are designed with kids on the autism spectrum in mind, but will be fun for everyone.

The house itself has a concrete exterior with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  A concrete ramp is incorporated into the design to welcome guests into the home.  The unique design of the home will ensure that every part of the home is accessible.  The whole house will be tucked into the side of the mountain with a path to the top of the terraced roof.  The flat roof will be additional outdoor square footage that can be used for many activities. Our plan is to partially power the home with solar panels, and have a "live roof" filled with plants and herbs.  The interior has an emphasis on family  gathering space.  The family room and kitchen are connected and overlook a large outdoor patio.  The patio can be accessed from a large glass garage door that is on one of the walls in the kitchen, you will be able to open the door and turn the kitchen into an indoor/outdoor entertaining space. Every aspect of the house has been designed with accessibility in mind.  From the height of the cabinets, countertops, bedrooms, space to travel and turn in a chair, a hoist and larger changing space, to an outdoor swing that's wheelchair accessible.     

We have done extensive research and haven't found another rental that will offer what we will.  There are other rentals that have handicap accessibility, and even some that have wheelchair lifts.  From our experience, we know that the label "handicap accessible" isn't enough.  Often times, the accessibility takes a very small portion of the rental into consideration (like the bathtub) rather than the entire space.  The special needs community is so varied, we are trying to accommodate and be as inclusive as possible.  Our hope is to build a support group of surrounding businesses and establishments that will partner with us to help make the experience more memorable.  We have a growing list of accessible restaurants and attractions, that will be available for the renters and will be continuing to collaborate with parents of special needs children and adults for how to be as progressive as possible with our accessibility.

Accessibility isn't cheap, but it's worth it.  We need your help to add as many inclusive items and modifications as possible.