Universal Design Has Future Payoffs
When it comes to choosing one new house over another, many buyers ask themselves: “Will I love this house in 20 years as much as I do now?”
If you’re pushing 50, though, you should also ask: “Will I still be able to live in this house 20 years from now?”
At some point, if you live long enough, you will face the inevitable: declining physical health. To remain in your house, some modifications might be required. Incorporating such universal design modifications when you build the house ensures that they will be in place when you need them.
But they also allow everyone in the house to benefit from the day you move in: the very old (perhaps your parents), the very young (grandchildren), the short adult who can’t reach the second shelf in the kitchen wall cabinet without a stool, the tall adult who detests bending over to load and unload the dishwasher and the average-sized adult whose job is physically strenuous (for example a hairdresser who bends his or her back all day on the job).
If you elect to wait until the modifications are needed, you may not make them. They can be depressingly expensive, and, when hurriedly installed during a health crisis, ugly to boot.
Even when they look good, many seniors regard such modifications as loathed symbols of their reduced abilities and choose to do nothing, even if this means having access to a very small part of their house.
Fortunately, many home builders are aware of the need for universal design features, and most features can be so seamlessly incorporated you won’t even notice them, said Brookfield, Conn., kitchen and bath designer Mary Jo Peterson, who has written and lectured on universal design.
Some universal design features, such as a first-floor master bedroom, make obvious sense.
But less obvious details, such as 36-inch-wide doorways throughout the house so that every room with a walk-in closet can be accessible to someone in a wheelchair, are also important. Though some buyers may fret that universal design features will raise the price of a house, many cost nothing or very little.
For example, raising electrical outlets to 18 to 24 inches above the floor to ease use is “cost neutral.” The added cost to install light switches with a night-light feature so you can easily find them in the dark is insignificant. Levered door handles, which make opening a door easier whether you’re carrying a bag of groceries or have arthritis, can be selected to suit any buyer’s budget.
The two rooms in the house where universal design features are most useful are the kitchen and bathroom, Peterson said.
In the kitchen, the easiest thing to change and one of the most necessary is the level of light. Though most people won’t admit it, visual acuity is lost long before they reach age 65. By the time you’re 60, you will need three times as much light for the same task as you did when you were 20, Peterson noted.
Depending on recessed ceiling lights, especially in kitchens with 9-or 10-foot ceilings, “is like trying to chop things by the light of the moon,” she said. Adding a fixture over the kitchen sink and under-cabinet lights for food prep areas are a must.
If the kitchen is large enough, two sinks will be handy when two people cook at the same time. When one sink is lower with knee space underneath and a faucet to the side, it will be easier for a person seated in a wheelchair to use. It will also be easier for anyone who wants to sit while preparing dinner after a long and tiring workday.
Other modifications include varying counter heights to accommodate taller and shorter household members, raising the dishwasher to make loading it easier, and installing a wall oven (actually standard in most new houses today), which requires less bending to use than a range oven. When the aisle in the kitchen is 42 inches wide, there’s more room for two people to work at the same time, and you can easily get around someone seated at a sink.
The master bathroom is typically large in new houses, so the overall dimensions are rarely the issue; it’s how the space is allocated. A separate toilet compartment is a must for many people, but it will be impossible to use if you’re in a wheelchair or need assistance. Should that happen, you will have to remove the wall, but this will be less difficult and less expensive if you tile the floor first and then build the wall over it, Peterson said.
The tub should have a seat so you can sit down, swing your legs over and slide in, rather than having to step in. This sounds awkward, but it is possible to get a large soaking tub with a built-in seat that can also double as a shelf for a book, a glass of wine and anything else you want when taking a long, leisurely bath.
The shower will have a fixed showerhead, but you should also get a hand-held one because it allows you to stand or sit and have the water where you need it. Another plus with the hand-held shower head is you can clean unsightly soap scum off the glass shower enclosure more easily. A shower without a lip, so that a wheelchair could be rolled in, could also be handy in the future.
A common modification is a “speed bump” made of small tiles and a shower floor that slopes down to a drain; a second drain in the bathroom floor should also be installed, Peterson said.
Eventually a grab bar will be essential.
This can be done when the time comes, as long as you have installed wood blocking under the tile during construction.
If you’re looking at new houses in conventional subdivisions and want to assess how livable they will be in 20 years, bring along a yardstick, center it at your waist and try to move around the house.
You’ll quickly know how easily you could get around and which rooms you might get trapped in, said Ann Arbor, Mich., geriatric social worker Kathy Supiano, who makes frequent house assessments for elderly clients.
If you’re looking at active adult retirement communities, you should still bring the yardstick. Some of them have incorporated universal design features in all units, but others offer these as optional upgrades.
And don’t expect the universal design features to be touted as “features for your old age.” Knowing that even the most realistic buyers prefer to address the subject obliquely, these will be billed as “lifestyle enhancements.”
Raised toilets that are easier for an older person to use are “comfort height models.” The bright-colored plastic grab bar in the shower that wiggles up the wall makes it “easier for grandchildren to use the shower” rather than “with this to grab on to, you will never break a hip in the shower.”
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Additional References For more information on universal design:
Books: “Gracious Spaces,” by Mary Jo Peterson; “Universal Kitchen and Bathroom Planning: Design That Adapts to People,” by Mary Jo Peterson; “Products and Plans for Universal Homes,” published by Home Planners, LLC.
Home plan services: Phillip Steven Company, https://www.udhomes.com, based in Roseville, Minn., sells plans with universal design features. This firm is now working with Homestyles (https://www.homestyles.com) and, for an additional charge, will modify any of the more than 10,000 plans in the Homestyles portfolio.
Active adult retirement communities: Villas of America, https://www.villasofamerica.com; Del Webb, https://www.delwebb.com; US Home, https://www.ushome.com, click on “active adult”; and Leisure World, https://www.idigroup.com.
General information: AARP, a nonprofit for people 50 and older, has useful consumer information on its Web site, https://www.aarp.org; click on “life transitions,” then click “independent living.”
-- Katherine Salant
