It’s Universal
Incorporating some basic design features in your next remodel makes sense in the long run
By Stacey Enesey Klemenc
A sloping walkway to the front door instead of steps is more convenient and in some cases is more economical to build. This walkway, designed by Troy Farnsworth of Troy Farnsworth Building Design and Planning, was featured in the 2003 Tour of Remodeled Homes
Universal design has been around since the early 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed requiring public spaces to be handicapped accessible. The whole concept was based on removing barriers which hindered some people’s mobility and access. Since then, the concept has slowly caught on in the residential arena. Today, people from all walks of life – from baby boomers and their parents to Gen Xers and Ys – showing an interest in “barrier-free” universal design because they like the idea of saying in a home indefinitely and “aging in place.”
“It’s all really about just being more comfortable”, says Lora Creswick, a designer in Portland who co-owns In The Works Construction & Design with her husband, Ron. “When people live in a house for a long time, they’re looking at different health situations that they may encounter whether it’s arthritis, knee problems or other physical limitations. We offer them features which make it easier to move about, reach, carry and find things throughout their whole house.”
Troy Farnsworth of Troy Farnsworth Building Design and Planning in Portland points out that the vast majority of houses and apartments built to date have the “old school” amenities influenced by century-old data based on when life expectancy was less than 50. “Today people are living well into their 80s. They’re living longer, are healthier and are enjoying ore independent lifestyles,” he says. And they’re healthy in numbers.
According to national statistics, people 50 years old or more comprise more than a third of the population and own 80 percent of discretionary income. This portion of the population is expected to double within the next 35 years.
“Typically, I ask clients how long they plan to live in their house and what their family history is in regard to health,” Farnsworth says. “Quite ofent they’re surprised [at the health question] but I bring to their attention that there may be a potential for mobility challenges. And if so, we need to approach the project from an entirely new perspective with the idea of incorporating universal design elements.”
Universal design features increase usability for everyone – young and old, with or without disabilities. Such features as low thresholds and low-pile carpeting not only make moving a wheelchair easier but are also less cumbersome for tricycles, baby strollers, movers’ dollies, handcarts and even for travelers pulling heavy suitcases, levers on doors instead of knobs can be opened with an elbow if arms are full or with an open hand if grasping is painful. Good overall lighting, especially on stairs to improve the contrast between treads and risers, makes it easier for people with impaired vision to see and improves nighttime safety and security.
Incorporating such concepts when you’re building a new home is well and good but what about those who like the homes they live in but need to make modifications if they want to stay put?
Retrofitting and redesigning an existing home tends to be expensive. It costs at least $150 to prepare the grading for a zero-step entrance to a new home, while it’d be roughly $1,000 to replace the front steps with a ramp. Wider interior doors for an entire home would add less than $100 to the total, while it runs about $700 to widen an existing doorway. It’s only a few bucks to add blocking for future grab bars in open bathroom walls but it costs a whole heck of a lot more if you had to rip the walls appart to do so. The list goes on and on.
In the long run, whether it’s for current residents or future homeowners, it makes “good cents” to suggest incorporating universal design features into a remodeling plan. And unlike what some may believe, the features are quite pleasing, fit right into today’s open floor plans and are a boon to resale value when the time comes.
“If you use the term ADA-compliant or handicap accessible, the homeowner visualizes something very institutional but it’s not. We’re more interested in helping people adjust their homes to fit their lifestyles as they change. We help them stay in their own home and avoid the expense of moving,” Creswick says.
Regardless of the name – ease of living, universal design, ADA-compliant – here are some “aging in place” concepts to consider during your next remodel:
Equipping the kitchen
In the kitchen, both Creswick and Farnsworth like to incorporate “more drawers than doors,” Farnsworth says. “They’re much more convenient for storage and access.”
The biggest hurdle to drawers, Creswick points out, is to get people to rethink where things go in a kitchen and to realize where things go in a kitchen and to realize plates and cups don’t have to go into a wall cabinet. “Older homes have too many places for things to get lost in, like corner cabinets where you have to get on your hands and knees and halfway crawl in to find something,” Creswick says, who does her share of restaurant remodeling. “Everything should have its own place be readily accessible.” If a drawer won’t fit into a design, she recommends a pull-out shelf.
Rather than installing a microwave high over a range, Creswick likes to locate the lower to make it within easy reach for children who want to fix a snack. This also makes the oven reachable from a seated position.
Farnsworth’s designs usually include a pass-through countertop from kitchen to dining room to save on walking, built-in cutting boards adjacent to staging areas such as the oven and refrigerator, and the range or cooktop in the same strip as the sink for ease of cooking.
“Whenevr applicable, if I have enough area for a kitchen island or peninsula with an eat-in bar I hold the bar at a 30 inch height to allow for standard chairs. It’s harder to climb up on a bar stool and it provides for accessibility as well,” Farnsworth says.
Creswick, who also includes different height countertops in her designs, notes “Laminates are often the best choice for countertops.” They’re not only economical but they are easy to clean and more “forgiving” than tile and granite. The latter “have no bounce,” she points out.
The eyes have it
In both the kitchen and bath, Creswick encourages the use of countertops with a darker contrasting color around the edge. It not only looks good, she maintains, but it makes it easier to distinguish where the counter ends.
Both Farnsworth and Creswick ephasize that good lighting is essential. Most people who have hit the 40 year milestone can relate to this: Be sure there is ample task lighting to properly illuminate those pesky cooking directions that seem to be printed small every year.
Lights controlled by dimmer swithches, Creswick adds, not only sheds more light when needed but they can be used to create different moods within spaces.
Outfitting the bath
Farnsworth and Creswick both stress the importance of lever-operated faucets – “those ball types are hard for everybody to use, especially when they’re wet,” says Creswick – and large roll-in showers.
“One thing we like to do is take out the bathtub and put in a shower without a threshold,” says Creswick. She also likes to include a handheld shower and a temperature-balance valve.
If there’s a soaking tub, Farnsworth recommends providing extra decking at one end to make it easier to get in and out. He also likes to mount the plumbing fixtures on the outside edge of the tub, rather than at the short end or on the wall, to allow for easier access.
And if a client isn’t interested in installing grab bars during a bathroom remodel at least insist on putting blocking in the walls to “future proof ” for bars later.
Make sure your designs measure up
In short:
• When redesigning a kitchen, allow at least 42 inches between countertops so someone can navigate in a wheelchair
• Make hallways a minimum of 4 feet wide
• Doorways should be 3 feet wide, Farnsworth says. “Most manufacturers charge the same amount of money for a 3 foot door as a 30 inch door. The extra width no only allows for a wheelchair but it’s also more convenient for moving furniture.”
• Put diagonal doorways into adjacent rooms off of a hallway vs. 90 degree corners for extra maneuverability
• Install electrical outlets 18-20 inches off the floor and light switches between 40-44 inches off the floor to make both more convenient to all
• Install two sinks in the master bath, with one sink at a 30 inch height with leg space below and a mirror above that extends to the countertop. This setup is ideal for both a wheelchair and a lady sitting down to apply her makeup.
• Install ADA- compliant toilets, which are about 17-18 inches tall depending on the manufacturer
The above suggestions are just a smidgen of universal design elements that could be incorporated into the next remodeling project. With just a little bit of thought, planning and awareness, universal design can be luxurious and transparent to everyone but the end user.
