May 2000 Access For Everyone If you're planning to stay in your house for years, you might want to reconsider what type of house you buy or build. Is it the kind of house that will be easy to use whether you're 35 or 75? Is it the kind of house that meets your convenience or mobility needs? One change Weller saw to in her new condo was a shower that didn't require the user to step up. For Weller, this universal design element makes it a lot easier for her to walk into the shower to wash her dog. "Basically I didn't want any doors. I like that feeling - it makes the bathroom more open," she says. "You just don't think until you have to deal with it," says Nashville licensed contractor Mike Dillon, with McWhirter-Dillon. "I would certainly suggest if someone foresaw a need that they would plan accordingly." Universal design can benefit the elderly, the disabled and people who are just looking for more useable living space. The building industry is starting to pay attention, too. Some licensed contractors and architects discuss accessibility issues - like ground floor bedrooms, larger halls, bigger bathrooms, grade level entrances at the beginning of a project. "It's the rare person that brings it up," says Nashville licensed contractor Richard Ice, with Richard Ice Building Group. "But I try to highlight these issues when I give bids or walk through jobs." Some companies are looking at universal design techniques to improve work stations and offices. "Design still looks like everyone is young and healthy," says Fletcher, with Adaptive Environments. She notes that big developers of office towers and large companies are already designing work space to prevent repetitive strain injuries as an example of universal design in action. "They've already been hit with the cost of not paying attention," she says. Universal design is also showing up in local remodeling, too. "We've been putting in taller height vanities so you're not bending over so much to wash your face," Ice says. "It's a big savings on your back." "A lot of these things could be done with a minimal cost in new construction just by preplanning with your builder," he adds. If you're faced with a situation where you have to retrofit or change an existing home to incorporate some of these concepts, make sure you do it the right way. Attaching a grab bar, for example, is more than just screwing it into a wall. Blocking or backer board - a piece of wood between the studs, needs to be added behind the drywall to stabilize the grab bar so it doesn't pull away from the wall when it is used. "I've seen people put grab bars in and they just pull right back off," Ice says. A Nashville company, Life At Home Inc., (www.lifehome.com) addresses the need for complete retrofitting services, and offers both short term solutions, like clear strips that help prevent slipping on bathtubs or they can completely retrofit a home with professionally installed grab bars, non-slip tile, wider door ways, and other items. "This is a total market that's overlooked," says Jenny Simmons, director of public relations and marketing for the business. She notes that about for the cost of one month in a nursing home, many people can invest in modifications that can make their home safer. Interior doors are another frequent roadblock to making an existing house accessible, but don't assume you can just take all the trim off around the door and gain some inches. Structurally, doors have headers above them. Changing the width of the door opening could create structural flaws, so it's recommended to bring in an experienced contractor before making any doorways wider. Ice, too, has been involved with several creative solutions to doorways that are too narrow. In one case the interior doors were replaced with accordion vinyl doors. "That way you're not dealing with the swinging door," he says "What's happening overall is that it's growing," says Riley about the awareness of universal design. He adds that in his discussions with contractors he's hearing more talk about retrofitting homes to make them more accessible, and building well-designed, attractive homes with universal design principles from scratch. |