When a 2001 bout of Myelitis derailed his career as a Naval Information Systems Technician aboard a destroyer in San Diego, Ryland Page reprioritized his life and focused his attention on the future.

A dream that he knew was still within reach was to design and build a house.

Ryland Page explains, “After I was discharged from the Navy and spent several winters in the Northeast negotiating the snow, both Kelly and I decided to move somewhere that was more conducive to the wheelchair and wasn’t as cold. We discovered North Carolina at the recommendation of friends.”

Several factors contributed to their decision. “The location for our move was predicated on weather, the availability of land and the strength of the real estate market that the area was experiencing. We knew we would have more opportunity outside the Northeast,” he explains.

Ryland Page was also aware that his status as a service connected disabled veteran qualified him for the VA’s Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant Program.

He continues, “We moved to Raleigh in June 2007, got married a year later, first met the builder during the summer, went under contract in the fall and broke ground in March 2009. It was a busy time.”

Along the way, he received his associate’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Durham Technical Community College and began looking for work.

The Pages found the land for their future home on a former tobacco farm in rural North Carolina between Durham and Burlington. The land’s location, history and classification qualified them for special financing through a farm credit bureau. They purchased the land and initiated the veteran’s SAH grant process.

The first step was to meet with a SAH agent through the VA regional office in Winston-Salem where they were given the requirements and obtained the names of several local builders who were familiar with the SAH requirements. The Pages checked their references from other disabled veterans and made a final selection.

Page says the requirements of the SAH program are very exacting and believes that working with an experienced SAH builder made their process easier.

After reviewing a series of architectural plans provided by the builder, the Pages selected a floor plan they felt would both fit the land and allow for potential long term expansion. “We changed a significant amount on the plans to fit the VA requirements and kept in mind that we might someday want to finish the full basement with bedrooms or an in-laws suite,” Ryland Page says. “The builder shuffled a lot for us and made sure the new design fit the requirements. We created a pretty dramatic variation from the original.”

The builder appreciated the redesign so much, in fact, that he adopted the floor plan as a new standard going forward.

Once the construction process began, the Pages encountered very few roadblocks. “The process went quite smoothly and the builder was able to juggle several delays, manage deadlines and handle a few logistical issues. I had never done this before and was expecting the worst but am happy to report there was nothing exceptional,” he says.

Page says construction took nearly five months to the day and while they are still making the house into a home, and awaiting final VA approval and release of funds, they are satisfied with the process.

Ryland Page believes that the quality of life improvements made possible by the new home are making each day more worthwhile. He concludes, “I can do two quick pushes and roll almost the entire length of the house and I haven’t been able to do that in a while. In general, my quality of life has gone way up and I get out of bed each day with a little more spunk than usual.”

Additional Accessible Housing Information
The goal of the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant Program is to provide a barrier-free living environment that affords the veterans or servicemembers a level of independent living he or she may not normally enjoy. To learn more about the SAH Grant Program, please visit www.va.gov or contact your VA regional office.