Mobile, “drop” houses keep seniors, disabled close to home

Jesse Lammi, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, has invented a new kind of housing designed to keep seniors and the disabled out of institutions, and closer to their family members.

The NextDoor house comes with a jack-up system that raises the house for highway travel, then lowers it for temporary parking on a driveway or lawn. It’s also handicapped accessible, and designed wheelchair users can move in without hassle.

Lammi thought of the idea after his grandfather fell off of a ladder, forcing him to recuperate in a nursing home.

“The whole purpose is to keep people out of institutions,” said Jesse Lammi of White Bear Lake as he gave a tour of his $50,000 NextDoor Homes unit.

Lammi and partner Jon Louiselle, who hope to begin manufacturing the NextDoor units this fall, already are renting out their first unit for about $1,000 a month.

Simply put, the unit is a cross between a Winnebago and assisted living — a 240-square-foot cottage mounted on wheels. The shingled roof is peaked, and the seven windows make it look open and inviting. A bump-up roof on one end accommodates a loft inside. It can be hauled by most pickup trucks.

By the press of a button, and in just 30 seconds, the whole house can be lowered 7 inches.

See the full story and pictures here: http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_28440146/white-bear-lake-mans-portable-houses-keep-seniors.