Universal design allows baby boomers to stay in their homes

From the Austin American-Statesman:

Hey, baby boomer. Yes, you — the one nearing retirement. Have you noticed your eyesight isn't what it used to be — and sometimes you don't negotiate stairs as well as you used to? Have you thought about what kind of home will suit your needs during your "golden years"?

It's something to consider if you're one of the 70 million Americans age 55 or older. That number has jumped from 52 million in 1990, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and is expected to reach 85 million by 2014.

As a result, building industry professionals increasingly are designing and constructing homes that allow homeowners to "age in place," with features such as main-level master suites with wide doorways, curbless showers and bathtub grab bars.

Homes are being built to be barrier-free or to provide ease of mobility and access to a person who is physically challenged or in a wheelchair.

Going one step further is the concept of "universal design," a term used for designing homes that are user-friendly for a large range of age groups, physical abilities and needs. That includes children, the elderly and people with physical challenges such as arthritis, hearing or vision problems or limited mobility.

Building a home with universal design elements from the get-go is much less expensive than adapting the home later, says Susan Welker, an architect and interior designer with Harris Welker Architects in Austin. And now that grab bars, handrails and other products are shedding their institutional look, it's possible to incorporate them without sacrificing aesthetics, she says.

A home built by Doug Connolly Builders in 2007 illustrates what's possible in universal design. Entering the stone-and-stucco house at 7808 Lynchburg Drive in the Belvedere community, you'll immediately notice the breathtaking outdoor living spaces, infinity-edge saltwater pool, casita and expansive Hill Country views.

What you might not notice — until it's pointed out to you — are the universal-design features that garnered the house an award in 2008 from the Texas Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.

"The original motivation for the overall design was to create a series of buildings which would be multifunctional, flexible, easy to maintain and still beautiful," says Susan Connolly, an interior designer who worked with her builder husband, Doug Connolly, on the house. "An important goal was to incorporate universal design whenever possible. All of the doors and entries are at least 3 feet wide, the main living quarters and the cabana are single-level, and the guest and master baths in the main house are handicap-accessible."

The property is on the market for $1,225,000 and consists of three separate buildings with a total of 4,315 square feet. The 3,250-square-foot main house features an open floor plan with a spacious living/dining/kitchen area with four sets of sliding doors that open up to the courtyard and back loggia/pool area for easy access.

The main house, which also houses two bedrooms, a library, two bathrooms and a powder room, "is geared toward accessibility," she says. "I know that it is negotiable for people in a wheelchair."

The house was built with wide doorways, oversized walk-in closets, lever door handles, "comfort height" toilets (which are taller to allow access from a wheelchair and are more comfortable for most adults), and "an overkill of lighting," Connolly says. Showers have benches and handheld showerheads and bathroom walls have been reinforced in key places to be "prepared for a grab bar," she says.

Above the three-car garage is a 498-square-foot space with a bathroom. Out back, overlooking the pool, is a separate structure that adds another 567 square feet, with a bedroom, bathroom and sauna.

Each building has its own heating and cooling unit; the two smaller structures were built to be flexible enough to serve any number of functions, from a pool house to game room to guest quarters, Connolly says.

Another home in Belvedere, located at 18200 Flagler Drive, also features an open, barrier-free living/dining/kitchen combination with accessible features such as tile floors, no or low thresholds and a spacious master bathroom shower with bench and handheld showerhead.

The classic Spanish Revival house, listed for $1.25 million, was designed to be comfortable for empty nesters as well as families, says builder John Hagy of Hagy Custom Homes in Austin.

The 3,948-square-foot residence with four bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms features a split plan and includes a second-story flexible space just off the front courtyard that could serve as a guest suite.

Flexibility is important because it's difficult to design a house to suit everyone's specific lifestyle and physical challenges, says listing agent Jana Birdwell, with Coldwell Banker United.

There are guidelines, however, on how to build a house to compensate for a reduced range of motion or to be accessible to wheelchair users. Doorways need to be at least 32 inches wide and hallways at least 42 inches wide to accommodate a wheelchair, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

A kitchen can be designed with easy access to elements such as the dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator drawers, rolling carts under counters, pull-out shelves and adjustable-height cabinets and closet shelves. A prep island and cooktop can be lowered, with either empty space underneath or retractable doors that open to accommodate a stool or wheelchair.

Also, it makes sense to lower thermostats, electrical switches, closet shelves and front-door peepholes to put them within reach of everyone, which is what they've done in homes at the Oaks at Wildwood, an active adult community in Georgetown.

The single-story, condominium-style homes in this 55-or-older community were designed with handicap accessible floor plans and features such as grab bars, strobe-light smoke detectors, barrier-free showers, bathroom vanity cabinets with knee spaces and kitchen ranges with front controls.

The two- and three-bedroom homes have verandas, cathedral ceilings and two-car attached garages. Prices start at about $184,000.

Houses built using the universal design approach work especially well for the aging population, but they make sense for everyone, Welker says.

"People can make their life easier now and in the future. That's the whole purpose of universal design," she says. "It makes it easier for mothers with strollers. And everyone knows someone who has had a shorter-term disability, who has hurt themselves or had back surgery and they cannot function short-term. Even pregnancy will be somewhat debilitating. Having a grab bar to help you get up when you're nine-months pregnant is great."

Homes built with universal design concepts such as wide hallways and no-threshold entries will be "more attractive and definitely great for resale," she says. "All these things are just much easier for people and (homeowners) can market (their homes) that way."