Disability Technology & News

Universal Design is a Hot Trend in Housing Market

Even though I have posted entries covering this topic I found this article to be special as its published on an authoritative journal on home building, BuilderOnline.com which is “The Information Source for the Home Building Industry”.

Accessibility is a Hot Trend

Source: Amarillo Globe-News
Publication date: 2007-03-14
By Marty Primeau, Amarillo Globe-News, Texas

Mar. 14–When Dr. Bill Forbus retired five years ago, he and his wife, Patsy, looked around at housing options.

The Dumas couple wanted to downsize to a comfy, convenient home “that could grow old with us.”

The cottages at Craig Retirement Community — featuring wide doorways, oversized showers, and levers instead of door knobs — fit the bill.

“Right now, we don’t need some of these things,” Forbus said, noting that their bathroom grab bars are stored in the attic. “But we want to be prepared for the future.”

They aren’t alone.

Every year, 4 million Americans turn 50. Most are looking for ways to stay independent longer, and that means living in homes built with accessibility in mind.

But baby boomers don’t want the stigma of unattractive homes with wheelchair ramps and an institutional feel.

The solution: universal design — stylish homes touting features that look good while accommodating folks of all ages and physical abilities.

“Universal design isn’t just for people with special needs,” Amarillo home builder Barry Christy said. “The features are ones that appeal to a lot of people because they make life easier and fully functional for everyone.”

Like stepless entries, necessary for someone in a walker or wheelchair, but also a perk for moms pushing baby strollers.

Lever door handles are as ideal for a 30-year-old holding an armful of groceries as they are for elderly people with arthritis.

After mulling the concept for three years, Christy is building 20 fully accessible homes in City View, a development of 1,800 homes in southwest Amarillo.

“The deal is, these homes won’t look like institutional housing,” he said.

“They’ll have the advantages of assisted living houses, but they’ll look like other homes in the neighborhood.”

Tweaking specifications in a home’s design can make a huge difference in livability, said Dr. Daniel Salim, an Amarillo chiropractor who has looked at Christy’s plans.

“Like the heights of counters,” he said, “and how the kitchens and bathrooms are set up.”

In his practice, Salim sees an increasing need for accessible housing.

The American Association for Retired Persons also endorses universal design as a way to meet the needs of the country’s aging population.

“Universal design features can be an important factor in determining how long people can remain independent in their homes as they age,” spokesman Rafael Ayuso said. “And that makes a heck of a lot of sense.”

Christy is using guidelines from The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University, established by the late Ron Mace, an architect who spent most of his life in a wheelchair.

“I’d been thinking about doing this for a while,” Christy said. But the idea clicked when he built some luxury two-bedroom town homes near his office. The four-plex features such design elements as pullout cabinets in the spacious galley kitchens, tile floors and wider doorways.

“They leased within a week,” he said. “It made me realize that there’s a demand for this kind of housing.”

Major manufacturers are offering more appliances and products that comply with universal design.

“One of the things that’s really neat is a Whirlpool drawer-style dishwasher,” Christy said. “Instead of a door that folds down, you just slide them out to load them.”

He’s also looking at smooth-top electric stoves with sensor activation — “they don’t turn on unless something is setting on it.”

While some universal design amenities can be costly, Christy intends to keep the City View houses reasonably priced.

Last year, one of his traditional homes in the development sold for about $96 per square foot; the universal design homes will be about $3 to $4 more.

“Barry is awfully innovative,” said Matt Griffith of Rockrose Development, which is developing City View. “When he gets an idea, he digs in deep. And I think his universal design homes have a lot of potential for Amarillo.”

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