Universal Design

As I am writing this, most people have spent a good part of the last week digging out from 22” of snow, a rare occurrence in these parts. However by the time you are reading this article spring is right around the corner and you might have even seen the first robin of spring. Springtime makes most people want to get outside in the fresh air and enjoy the great outdoors after having spent a lot of time indoors over the winter. Getting outside can be a challenge for anyone with any type of mobility issues, and being able to access the outdoor spaces around your home is just as important as access inside the home for a better quality of life. Let’s take a look at what to look for in designing and building an accessible yard and garden. A walkway with a firm, solid surface, a slope of no more than 1 in 12 and preferably 1 in 20 leading to all areas of the outdoors that you wish to access is critical to access for all. This walkway can be concrete, pavers, stepping stones, or a wood walkway. If stepping stones are used, it is important that they are closely spaced or else the spaces between the stones can make it difficult for someone using a wheelchair, walker or cane to negotiate. A great way to make the outside accessible is to build a porch, deck, or patio that is on the same level as the adjacent floor in the house and install a door with an accessible threshold. This approach allows someone using a wheelchair or a walker to come directly outdoors from the house and enjoy the fresh air. Special care is needed at the doorway to properly flash the transition and allow for drainage if the deck or patio is not covered. A wonderful approach is to build a roof over the porch and maybe even screen it in to keep those pesky insects away. Many people consider their screened porch “their favorite room in the house”.  If you enjoy flower or vegetable gardening, you might want to consider raised beds or hanging baskets. I am sure everybody has seen the upside down tomato plants that are advertised all over the place. The idea is to create accessible spaces that work for everyone. Raised beds can be built like tables with knee space underneath for wheelchair users. These beds can be built from treated lumber or from naturally rot resistant wood such as cedar or tropical hardwoods like Ipe. A trellis or pergola can provide shade as well as a support for many kinds of vines. If you enjoy the outdoors, don’t let the fact that you are not as mobile as you used to be deter you from enjoying the outdoors. The sky is the limit. You are only limited by your imagination. If you enjoy the outdoors and would like some help designing and building an accessible outdoor living space give us a call at 540-384-2064.

It has been two years now since the first baby boomer turned sixty five and during that time they have continued to do so at the rate of ten thousand per day. Baby boomers will continue turning sixty five at this rate for another eighteen years or so. By 2030 about twenty percent of Americans will be sixty five or older. In addition to this dynamic, we are living longer. The fastest growing demographic in the United States is the eighty five and older segment of the population. This “silver tsunami”, as it has been called, will impact every area of our lives. One of the most significant areas that this sea change in population will affect is housing. Many studies have been done about peoples housing preferences as they grow older. Most of these studies show that approximately ninety percent of respondents want to stay right where they are. However, most of them have not taken any steps to make this feasible or even possible. Most of us live in what has been described as “Peter Pan” housing, that is, housing built for people that will never grow up. From the time we get up in the morning until we go to bed at night, our homes present obstacles for anyone with diminished mobility, manual dexterity, hearing, or eyesight. Let’s face it; our homes are designed for the mythological average, healthy, young person. It is not just elderly or disabled people who are impacted by peter pan housing. A couple with a newborn baby in a stroller or an athlete with a broken leg will struggle with the same obstacles as a person trying to navigate their home in a wheelchair. These obstacles include stairs, narrow doorways, doorknobs and faucet handles which can be difficult to grasp, countertops that are too high or too low, thresholds on doors, poor lighting, electrical switches and outlets that are hard to reach, lack of sturdy handholds to help prevent falls, slippery flooring, etc. The list goes on and on. If you have struggled with any of these issues, or tried to care for a loved one who has, you know what I’m talking about. The immediate solution to these dilemmas is to modify our homes to create living environments that will be safe, comfortable, and enjoyable to live in. The long tern answer is to build homes that incorporate these features to begin with. While renovating an existing home to make it usable can be a significant project, building these features into a home from the beginning can often result in an insignificant increase in time and expense. Always remember that any condition can only be considered a disability to the extent that one is unable to perform a particular function. If our homes, communities, and businesses allow someone using a wheelchair to access everything that a walking person can, there is no disability. If these ideas are intriguing to you and you would like to learn more, please visit us at the Roanoke Home and Garden Show at the RoanokeCivicCenter on January 10-12. I will be making presentations on this subject throughout the weekend and I would love to have the opportunity to meet you and answer any questions you might have. I would also welcome the opportunity to hear what subjects you would like to see addressed in Housing Matters in 2014. Please call me at (540) 384-2064 or visit my website at www.solidrockenterprises.com if you have questions. Thank you for reading Housing Matters and I wish all of you a very happy and healthy New Year.

I have had the distinct privilege to have had two telephone conversations with Walton D. (Wally) Dutcher, Jr. who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the longest living quadriplegic, having been paralyzed in a diving accident in May of 1956 at the age of 19 while serving in the Navy. Wally’s list of accomplishments include college degrees, managing mutual funds, serving in numerous organizations advocating for people with disabilities, and leading a 5 person  cabinet manufacturer’s growth into a 165 employee, $6 million company in two and one-half years. To say Wally’s story is inspiring would be a major understatement. Wally called me after finding out about my interest in Universal Design. He has studied architecture and has designed numerous homes that use Universal Design principles. Wally believes strongly (as I do) that homes using the principles of Universal Design benefit everyone. I was recently explaining the work I do with Universal Design in homes to a new father. After listening for a few minutes, he remarked that all of these features would be very helpful to him and his wife considering all the miles they are logging with a baby stroller! In fact, for this very reason, Wally likes the term Life Span Design because the open design of the homes he designs benefit their owners and guests throughout the course of their lives. I know it has only been a couple of months since I was talking about Better Living Design as a new term for Universal Design. The bottom line is that whatever we call it, its high we start designing, building, and living in houses that will serve the needs of our entire population, not the proverbial “average” healthy person. After all, many of us wear glasses or contacts to correct our vision. While wearing the glasses or contacts we can see just fine. If we didn’t have the benefit of these common items, would we be considered disabled?  The same holds true for a person with mobility issues, whether permanently or temporarily, say from a broken leg.  If their home is designed and built to allow them to move freely from room to room and utilize it’s features, they are no more disabled than anyone else in the home. Talking with Wally was inspiring to me and gives me a renewed zest to build lifetime homes using lifespan design. If you or a loved one would benefit from a home like this, whether new construction or remodeling your existing home, please call 540-556-0650 for more information. I would be happy to tell you more about how your home can be a home for a lifetime.  

In the four years that I have been writing Housing Matters I have endeavored to communicate the fact that while most of us want to live in our own homes for the rest of our lives, most of our homes are “Peter Pan” homes. In other words, homes designed for people that never grow old. I have written about how the projects we build at Solid Rock Enterprises, Inc. create homes that are safe, beautiful and accessible for people of all ages and abilities. And yet I continue to frequently get a response from many people that goes something like this, “I’m not ready for that yet.” There is a sense among many people that somehow remodeling your home to make it safer and more comfortable for you as you as you age is somehow an admission of defeat. That belief couldn’t be farther from the truth. Today there is a movement to educate people of this very thing. The Better Living Design Institute has been established to promote the idea that homes designed and built to be usable by all people benefits everyone. A home with a zero step entry is better for someone using a wheelchair, a mother with a baby stroller, the furniture movers, and frankly, everyone else. The remodeled bathroom with a custom tiled curbless shower creates a spa like environment that anyone can enjoy.  I read a quote that sums it up well by Mary Jo Peterson, a CAPS certified kitchen and bath designer. She said, “Don’t think in terms of ‘I need it.’, Think of it as ‘I deserve it.’ – and you do.” A certification program is in the works, as well as a “BLD Approved” seal for products that exemplify the tenets of Better Living Design. You will be sure to read more about Better Living Design. In the meantime, for more information about Better Living Design or to learn more about the building, remodeling, and consulting services we offer, please call us at (540) 384-2064 or visit our website at www.solidrockenterprises.com.  

Over the last few years as I have worked to help people remain in their homes for the course of their lives, there has been a lot of confusion about exactly what products and services I offer. First and foremost, I am a contractor. I have been building and remodeling since 1986.  The type of building and remodeling that I have been focusing on for the last five years or so has been creating living spaces that work for all people through all stages of life. Variations of this type of design have been called by various names including universal design, accessible design, adaptable design, easy living design, multi generational design, and aging in place. The trouble with all of these terms is that most people don’t know what you are talking about when you use them. They tend to make the whole subject appear to be some complicated, esoteric theory that you need an advanced degree to understand. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that the bulk of the modifications I make to people’s homes as well as the features I incorporate into new homes are simply common sense solutions for life. If I use a 3’ wide door instead of a 2’ wide door into a bathroom, that just makes sense. If I install an electrical outlet at 2’ off the floor instead of near the baseboard, it makes it easier for everyone to reach it, not just someone with a disability. A home designed with a wide front door with a covered, well lighted zero step entry accessed by a wide, gently sloping walk makes life easier for everyone. Many times when I am having conversations with people about their homes, people will say, “What a great idea! That is so simple!” Most of the features I suggest are simple, but they can make all the difference in the world in the comfort and convenience you experience in your daily life. If you or a loved one are having difficulty with any area of your home or would simply like to update your kitchen, bathroom or any other feature of your home, inside or out, give me a call at (540) 384-2064. I would be happy to come and take a look at your home and see what kind of common sense solutions could make your life easier. You can also read past editions of Housing Matters and find lots of information about common sense solutions for life at www.solidrockenterprises.com.