Letting the light shine on universal design

From the Allentown Morning Call in Pennsylvania:

When Curtis E. Schneck's mom was 84, he built her a new home in Neffs that featured universal or barrier-free design. At the time, she was in good health and did not need to worry about stairs or wheelchair accessibility.

However, when she was 90, she fell and became disabled. ''The house turned out to be perfect,'' says Schneck of Schnecksville, a longtime Lehigh Valley builder. ''She was able to stay there until the day she passed away.'

'The personal experience made Schneck an advocate of universal design, and he has been building homes where the occupants can age in place for some time now.

In December, the 2,527-square-foot ranch home on Elmhurst Drive in Schnecksville that he built with barrier-free design won the universal design category of the Lehigh Valley Builders Association's annual awards for excellence.

This is the first time in the awards' 18-year history that it offered a prize for the category of universal design, says Chuck Hamilton, executive officer of LVBA. It just shows how much interest has grown in homes that are barrier-free so that its occupants can age in place, he says.

Hamilton says the category had a competitive number of submissions including the 2,393-square-foot home built by the students from Lehigh Career & Technical Institute in cooperation with the Lehigh Valley Alliance on Aging and the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. The LCTI home, also in Schnecksville, sold at auction in June for $344,000.

Schneck's universal design home is the model for his Fairlawn Farms development. The development is 147 homes, of which about 20 lots still are for sale. Schneck started building homes in the development in 1995.

The award winning brick and engineered stucco home that sits on a 3/4-acre lot is for sale. The asking price is $525,000.Its universal design features are subtle, not something that anyone would notice unless they were pointed out.

''When you go into this home, you can forget the word 'handicapped.' You don't know it's happening,'' Schneck says.

Among the design features that make it handicapped accessible and easier living for those with physical disabilities:

• All the doors are 36-inches wide to allow for wheelchair access; standard
  doorways are 30 inches wide.
• Doors open with levers, rather than knobs, providing easy gripping.
• Kitchen countertops are waist level.
• Cabinet drawers pull out so items that are stored are easily reachable.
• The bathroom is larger, making it easier for someone who is in a wheelchair
  to move around.
• The home is built with low-maintenance materials and easy-to-clean surfaces.
• The house is also well-lit with lots of natural light.

Probably, one of the most important features, Schneck says, is that it is step-free.

''There are no steps leading into the home from the front door, garage or patio,'' he says.Again, he adds, it's a difference that isn't noticeable unless you're in a wheelchair.

Schneck says building the home to be barrier free doesn't cost much more than it would to build a conventional home.A ranch requires a larger footprint than a two-story home.

''So you're looking at a couple thousand dollars more for the foundation,'' Schneck says. ''But the difference between 36-inch and 30-inch doors is a couple dollars and the rollout drawers maybe a little more.''

Larger bathrooms add to the square footage, ''but it's not a major cost,'' he says. Besides, he adds, ''it's something that pays for itself in the long run,'' and could be worth it to the buyers if they don't have to move to a nursing home should they become disabled or have trouble walking.

Also, Schneck says, a barrier-free home doesn't necessarily have to be a ranch home. ''You could have a two-story with the master bedroom and bath on the floor.''

Schneck says demand for homes with barrier-free features has been increasing, especially over the last 10 years. ''We've built a dozen homes or more with some of the barrier-free features in them. We're trying to push it more all the time.''

A survey by the American Association of Retired Persons last year found that the overwhelming majority (87 percent) of people with disabilities age 50 and older want to receive long-term care services in their own homes if they can.Universal design is not only for aging in place but for those who might have some physical disabilities, says Schneck, who has advised the Housing Research Center at Penn State University on aging-in-place design.

Schneck says he has had interest in the home and its design features from people of all ages and with a variety of physical concerns.

''We've talked to so many people who are interested because they can't do steps. It's good for people of all ages. You break a leg and one step can be a big deal,'' he says.

Schneck's universal design model also features three bedrooms, 2 1/ 2 baths, an oversized family room with a gas fireplace, and a screened-in patio with solar tube skylights. The house has hardwood and tile floors and some carpeting. The master bath has a soaking tub and shower.

The dining room has a vaulted ceiling and the master bedroom a cathedral ceiling. The home also has a full basement.