High Design With Solar Panels
Houzz.com
“Living off the grid may not be as easy as slapping some solar panels on a roof or side of a building, but it definitely helps reduce those electricity bills. But if one decides to add solar panels to a house, how to do it? While the panels have slimmed down in size and are making strides towards looking less solar-panel-like, most homeowners do not want to call attention to them. And integrating them into an existing house requires some consideration and skill. What follows are some examples of various ways solar panels are being integrated into home design.”

Six Sensational Seaside Bedrooms
Curbly.com
“From straight up modern to a little bit British Colonial, bedrooms by the sea rank up there with some of the most romantic imaginable. And, yes, sometimes it’s more about the view than the decor!”

Breaking design rules
Centsational Girl
“A reader recently wrote in and asked an important question when it comes to designing a space. Leah W. wondered whether some design rules were made to be broken and were there a few examples or illustrations for successfully breaking those rules?”

Builder Magazine Presents Universal Design Must-Haves
Charles and Hudson
“The great thing about Universal Design is that it’s smart, functional design that makes sense–whether you’re aging or not. We’ve talked about UD before here at C&H, and with the latest round-up of UD-friendly products released by Builder magazine, we thought it was prime time to revisit the subject. If you’re looking to incorporate UD into your home, this list provides an excellent starting point–and much of it is DIY-friendly, too.”

With the real estate market slowly springing back, there is an underlying issue: your homes worth. Chances are there is a home — or several homes — in your area that has been foreclosed on. It’s not only sad for the person or family that lived in that home but sad for you, as well, as it pertains to the overall value of your home.

The best option for many of us is to stay put, invest in what we have, and in doing so, increase your home’s value.  Maybe more slowly than in the past 10 years, but it will go up. Consider also a recent AARP survey that found more than 85 percent of people age 65 and older would prefer to stay in their current homes as long as possible. Many choose to remodel their homes to suit their new life style like a first floor master bedroom or a new gourmet kitchen.

Some older homeowners may develop a disability that limits their activities, which is another reason to renovate and adapt their homes to their needs.  In fact, a recent Department of Housing and Urban Development study showed that more than 1 million households with a disabled older resident need some type of renovation to make their home a more livable environment — like an access ramp or lever handles on the doors.

Before considering these modifications, a cost analysis needs to be done to weigh the remodeling cost to that of building a new home that will accommodate these features. In the long run it may be easier and less expensive to build a new home in your same neighborhood.

For many, their homes are right where they want them. Close to family and friends.  The idea of moving as earlier stated is just too much to handle. Some homeowners are tearing down their three-bedroom bungalows and building their dream home right in the same spot. Nowadays, staying near family is of growing importance to today’s retirees, and it just makes sense to live in an environment in which you are comfortable.

One of the other trends in remodeling and building for retirees is the concept of universal design. Once thought of as a design that was for the benefit of persons needing assistance with their homes, universal design is slowly becoming a mainstay in construction practices. Wider doorways, light switches at lower heights, levered door handles all are for the benefit of whom ever lives in the home both young and old.

Experts in housing trends predict that as the baby boomers age more and more are going to stay put and invest their money right at home. And why not? For years, people say that location is key. That is true, but now, we must add comfort.

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The Universal Design Living Laboratory is a demonstration home in Columbus, Ohio, built to illustrate the power of universal design. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project.

The home is the brainchild of Rosemarie Rossetti, whose lower body was paralyzed after an accident. According to the group’s statement:

Life in a wheelchair inspired her to build home based on the concept of universal design, which makes a facility’s level of livability beneficial to the widest possible range of people in the widest range of situations without special or separate design. The home will be able to accommodate people of all sizes, ages and abilities.

I encourage you to check out the project’s progress in the UDLL’s photo galleries and this “virtual flyover” video:

For more information on the project, visit www.udll.com.

Today’s article is a guest post from Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., project leader for the Universal Design Living Laboratory. The UDLL is a demonstration project built to illustrate the power of universal design. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project.

This article, written by Rosemarie, was previously published on the UDLL website and appears here courtesy of Action Magazine and the United Spinal Association.

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Residential Design for Aging in Place by Drue Lawlor and Michael Thomas is a comprehensive book written by two seasoned interior designers to show that universal design is good design. The book is well organized so readers can pinpoint a specific topic to learn about; however, I found myself so drawn into the information that I read the book cover to cover!

The uniqueness of this book is the thorough research that Lawlor and Thomas conducted. They focus on designing homes that people can live in safely and independently throughout their lifetimes. With extensive footnotes throughout the book, readers will be guided to other documents on the subject.

The authors looked at critically important issues of space design, product selection, and lighting design. The reader will be well informed on how to approach their next remodel or new build project. The chapters clearly describe how to create spaces including the: living area, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, laundry, home office, and outdoor patio. Throughout the book, there are natural and artificial lighting recommendations. The chapter on accessible exteriors illustrates how to make the approaches to the home more level, as well as the doors wide enough for wheelchair access.

I found the sections throughout the book, “Case in Point,” to be especially helpful. These short stories from the perspectives of interior designers and home owners’ gave real world examples and insights on why homes should be designed with aging in place features.

The authors draw upon their expertise as interior designers, certified aging in place specialists, and adult children with aging parents who acquired diseases that limited their mobility. Thomas and Lawlor have created real world solutions for their parents, as well as their numerous professional clients. In addition, they included projects from their peers to showcase in the many photos used to illustrate the concepts highlighted. The homes in these photos are exquisitely designed and detail the principles contained in the chapters.

This book is timely and will serve others for years. The book contains an extensive wealth of information in the appendices, such as names and Web sites of manufactures of specialty products. It also includes a list of professional design organizations, groups, and associations who serve as specialists in aging, interior design, and the disability community.

Thomas’s motivation to write this book was the realization that he might need to secure a place of his own, one that would provide a safe, accessible harbor during his later years. His mother’s fight with cancer and subsequent fall getting out of the shower and breaking her neck, gave him the sudden realization that age can bring on expected physical challenges. As a designer, he wanted to integrate changes to the built environment that might provide a greater sense of self-control and independence, despite a disability.

Because of their membership in the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Thomas and Lawlor became friends. They built on what they knew about interior design, but more importantly, what they wanted others in the profession to know about barrier-free living.

Thomas participated in an ASID survey about baby boomers 15 years ago. The focus was to understand what the needs might be for housing for the 76 million boomers who at the time, were just beginning to contemplate their retirement and perhaps already taking care of an aging parent, family friend or relative.

The survey clearly identified a need for much more barrier-free design in work and home environments. In an ASID white paper study that followed, the research indicated that universal design was one of the essential components to building greater independence for the “boomer” clients of ASID members.

Thomas and Lawlor asked for submissions of interior design projects to include in their book as example case studies through their ASID member network, as well as included their own projects.

Thomas commented about his book:

While there are many books on universal design, accessible interiors and barrier-free design, the book is more about realizing that independence is a part of the American culture. We are brought up in this country to believe that with the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, all Americans are guaranteed a measure of personal independence. That is, until a physical disability begins to erode our choices of freedoms and we realize that many of our ‘freedoms’ begin with having a home that can impede the independence that we all take somewhat for granted.

Today’s article is a guest post from Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., project leader for the Universal Design Living Laboratory. The UDLL is a demonstration project built to illustrate the power of universal design. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project.

This article, written by Rosemarie, was previously published on the UDLL website and appears here courtesy of Action Magazine and the United Spinal Association.

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Anyone planning to remodel or build a home should pick up a copy of Wendy Jordan’s new [new at the time this article was originally published] book, Universal Design for the Home. Whether you are old or young, single or with a family, working or retired, with or without a disability, it makes sense to borrow a few good ideas from this book.

Based on the premise that universal design is good design, Jordan put together a beautiful high-quality photo gallery of diverse homes and apartments throughout the country. She points out the space design features and products that make each room work so well for the occupants. She also highlights the universal design specifications for each project featured. As a bonus, readers will also learn about lighting a room for functionality, safety, and to create the right mood.

The interior designers, builders, remodelers, and architects who crafted each of these homes and apartments really knew how to meet the needs of the occupants. Jordan gives a short history of the family to help readers appreciate the reasoning behind the design.

Jordan includes many brilliant ideas among the pages of the book. You may find yourself saying, “I want that in my home!” The Photographer Credits and Manufacturers sections in the back of the book will help you identify many of the product manufactures. If you still have a question about a particular product shown you can contact Jordan at wendyajordan@hotmail.com.

For the next edition of this book, I suggest that the universal design products in each photo be identified by manufacturer’s name and website.

I recently spoke to Jordan to find out what motivated her to write this book. She told me that though she has known about and admired universal design for quite some time, she decided to write the book when good friends went through the process of using universal design principles in their home a few years ago.

“Designers and builders were not attuned to the idea of beautiful universal design,” Jordan said. There were no readily available examples of attractive universal design homes, and information on design features and products was hard to find. “I knew the ideas and products were out there,” she continued, “it’s just that they were, to coin a phrase, ‘inaccessible’ to the consumer.”

Jordan said she wanted to write a book that would bring together the best, state-of-the-art ideas in beautiful universal design; serve as a guide for homeowners, their designers and contractors when researching guidelines; and ease the process of locating attractive, effective universal design products.

Jordan doesn’t have a disability, but she is aware of the difficulties many building designs pose for those who do. She says that universal design makes sense for so many people, whether they have limited mobility now, want to age in place in their homes, or want to accommodate visitors young and old. Many people, such as families with young children, are attracted to universal design because these homes are open, bright, safe, and livable, she adds.

Jordan heard about universal design years ago in her work as a remodeling and home design journalist. An award-winning writer and editor, she has covered remodeling and home design for more than 25 years, both as editor-in-chief of Remodeling magazine and the author of 11 books on the subject. She also has earned a CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) designation from the National Association of Home Builders.

Jordan contacted me in September 2006 after learning about my new home, the Universal Design Living Laboratory. I gave her permission to include our house floor plan and architect’s renderings of the wardrobe and front elevation. In the book’s four-page section, “The Ultimate Livable Home,” Jordan describes the universal design features in our future home, including a few selected specifications.

I asked Jordan how she selected all the projects that are featured in her new book. She said she wanted to include projects that represent a variety of housing types, sizes, price points, and occupant needs. Above all, she was looking for projects that look great and incorporate great universal design ideas without sacrificing style or drawing attention to the accommodations made. She included many floor plans along with room photos in this book.

Jordan indicated that her book brings together the tools needed for homeowners, their designers and contractors to plan beautiful, well-equipped universal design homes. Readers will find creative and attractive designs for every part of the home including kitchens, baths, entries, and the landscape. The back of the book also contains a section on basic universal design standards.

Jordan did extensive research and studies to put together this book. She has given consumers, interior designers, remodelers, architects, and builders something to strive for in their future projects.

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Today’s article is a guest post from Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., project leader for the Universal Design Living Laboratory. The UDLL is a demonstration project built to illustrate the power of universal design. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project.

This article, written by Rosemarie, was previously published on the UDLL website and appears here courtesy of Action Magazine and the United Spinal Association.

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Louis Tenanbaum, certified aging-in-place specialist, recently wrote an article, “Benefits of Universal Design Model Homes.” He wrote, “If a picture speaks a thousand words, a walk-through is worth a million pictures. Universal design model home projects offer that walk-through experience. They provide shared context so the universal design discussion can be rooted in a ‘bricks and mortar’ experience.”

If you’re near Wausau, Wisconsin, you have a chance to see such a model home for yourself on the campus of Northcentral Technical College. Its purpose is to demonstrate accessible house modifications and related furniture, fixtures, appliances, equipment and technology in a true residential living environment where visitors can take home information about everything in the house.

The Wausau house and surrounding landscape demonstrate numerous state-of-the-art accessible design and adaptive technologies that can be used to build or remodel a house to make independent living possible for people who might otherwise have to move to an assisted-living facility.

Wayne Geurink, a retired insurance executive who sustained a spinal cord injury from an automobile accident, is the project leader. With the help of others, he oversaw the design and construction of the home, known as Choices for Independent Living. The vision for the project was formed during a series of spinal cord injury support group meetings. The home is operated under the charitable nonprofit corporation, the Chairs & Cares Model Accessible Home, Inc., where Geurink serves as the president.

Construction was started on August 29, 2006. This 4,600-square-foot, two-story home has a slab foundation with three bedrooms and five bathrooms. An elevator provides wheelchair access. The entry doors are step free with level thresholds. When the house was completed in October 2007, the general contractor Keller Builders, valued the home at $1.2 million. This cost was offset by an estimated $400,000 to $600,000 in donated labor, building materials, equipment, furniture, fixtures and appliances. Funding and in-kind contributions came from foundation grants, manufacturers, suppliers, a local commercial general contractor, and private individuals. The technical college provided the land.

This home never has and never will be lived in or sold. The Midstate Independent Living Consultants organization uses the house as its office and operates the house. Ongoing funding is needed for operation expenses.

This house includes many universal design features such as 36-inch wide doors; 48-inch wide hallways; lever door and faucet handles; casement windows with push-button, electronic openers; pocket interior doors; pull down cabinet shelf; roll in shower; walk-in bathtub; front loading washer and dryer; side by side refrigerator; microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator drawers.

A strong focus on assistive technology designed for independent living is showcased in the home. Among the technology products included are a ceiling lift system for use in bed transfers; a Hoyer lift; an adjustable bed; talking caller identification; motion-activated lighting; and a height-adjustable sink.

For more information about this project, visit www.choicesil.com. This website contains extensive information about the features and products used to build and furnish this home, and lists the supplier’s contact information and prices. Photos illustrate the construction process, as well as the completed home.

This house has served to educate hundreds of builders, architects, designers, consumers, and students. When people planning to build or remodel their next home see this house, they come away with new ideas they can incorporate into their design. Through demonstration homes like this one, as well as the Universal Design Living Laboratory (www.udll.com) that my husband and I will be building in Columbus, Ohio, people are noticing successful universal design projects and replicating the universal design features across the country.

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We’ll all get older, and along the way there may be some setbacks. With most people wishing to remain in their home as they age, or in case of a sudden disability, universal design is an important consideration when building, buying, selling or remodeling.

We’ve talked about it before, but let’s go into some tips on two of the most important and most-used rooms in the house: the kitchen and bathroom. Both are used regularly for basic activities of daily living, so it is of vital importance that their use be accessible to all.

Charles and Hudson had some tips by way of Susan Serra, CKD, of The Kitchen Designer. She reminds people of the following for universally-designed kitchens:

• Contrasting colors make it easy for visually-impaired people to see things
• Make sure that you can easily open and close cabinets and drawers with easy to use hardware
• Keep the things you use the most easily accessible
• Use rounded corners on counters to avoid injury

There are lots of other things you can do, but these easy tips can set you on your way to a universally-designed kitchen.

Kohler has a lot of bathroom expertise, and they have some practical tips for universal design in the bathroom.

• Make sure to install a toilet with a higher height
• Curbless showers are handy for those with limited mobility or who need help bathing
• Wall-mounted sinks look fresh and modern, plus they leave space underneath for a wheelchair user, unlike vanities and pedestal sinks
• Don’t forget to think about the things you can’t see — reinforced walls give the option of putting grab bars anywhere

With an eye towards universal design, you can live in and enjoy your house for many years to come.

Photo courtesy of Susan Serra Associates via Flickr

Universal design is a philosophy that, when practiced effectively, increases the usability of the home for people of all ages, sizes and abilities. Focusing on comfort, ease of access and maneuverability, a home is designed to increase the likelihood of people being able to live in their homes independently for as long as possible.

According to an AARP report mentioned in an article from Home Savvi, 89 percent of people aged 50 and over wish to remain in their homes indefinitely. What’s more, 75 percent of remodelers say they’ve seen an increase in demand for this type of design.

Easy first steps in universal design include installing lights strategically to create well-lit hallways, setting up cabinetry with roll-out cabinets, and replacing knobs with lever handles. Other tips include installing non-slip interior and exterior flooring and mounting adequate handrails for stairways and ramps.

Toolbase also offers a checklist of features small and large to consider for new construction and renovation projects that have universal design in mind. Among them: installing a main bath on the main floor and building lowered windows or taller windows with lower sill heights.

Marvin’s Ultimate Casement windows also are an excellent choice for any homeowner looking to incorporate universal design. These windows swivel 140 degrees, allowing you to clean the outside of the window from inside your home. No more climbing ladders, an activity that sent more than 220,000 Americans to the emergency room last year. For more information, check out the Web site for the Center of Universal Design.