By Craig A. Shutt
Baby boomers are coming to the shocking realization that they're aging. In many cases, this epiphany strikes because they're caring for their parents and helping them understand that they can't continue to live in their homes, because the spaces aren't friendly to the mobility impaired. Boomers don't want to face being forced out of their own homes by infirmities that otherwise leave them capable of functioning, and they're considering how best to prevent that possibility.
Landscaping around the home was cleared and the entrance was opened up (below) to make it more accessible.
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That was the dilemma faced by a Raleigh, N.C., woman in her 60s, who cared for her mother and saw the difficulty she had in maneuvering in her home. The daughter, who liked the location of a duplex she owned, decided to turn the property into her own single-family home—and ensure she could remain there through her life. To achieve that, she called on Quality Design & Construction Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., and talked with the owners, president David J. Mackowski, a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS), and vice president Peggy Mackowski.
The homeowner's goal was to create "the home of her dreams" for today but ensure that she could live in it even if she required a wheelchair or live-in help, explains Peggy. "She wanted a home that included hand holds and other elements to aid mobility, but she didn't want an institutional look with grab-bars," Peggy says. To provide the design that was required, the remodelers gutted the two-story duplex down to its foundation, retaining the original footprint but reinforcing the foundation with helical screws and rebuilding from there.
The kitchen was designed with lots of additional space around the center island, pullout cabinet shelves and other accessibility-enhancing features. (Photo by Ray Strawbridge, www.StrawbridgePhoto.com).
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The floor plans were devised so rooms flow into each other, eliminating hallways. Note the pocket doors, which alleviate the need for doors that could swing into someone opening them.
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The home's basement level was designed so it could be used by a live-in caregiver. It includes a full kitchen and bathroom plus two bedrooms and a living room, which currently are used for other needs. The first floor features a large, open kitchen, accessible master bedroom and bathroom, another half bath, living room, study and laundry room. Both floors in the 3,500-square-foot home offer the same square footage. They are connected by an elevator adjacent to the stairway in the foyer.
The shower stall in the master bathroom features a curbless design to allow wheelchair access, a handheld shower sprayer and a seating bench (not visible).
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The laundry room includes front-loading washer and dryer units.
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Rooms flow into each other through wide doorways and arches, with no hallways connecting the rooms, ensuring easy access for wheelchairs. Doorways are at least 36 inches wide, and many of the rooms feature pocket doors, alleviating the need for room to open the door in either direction. The study features double French doors that lead onto a back deck overlooking the yard.
The design provides sumptuous quality and elegant touches while adding details that ensure the homeowner will be able to stay in her home even if she becomes disabled sometime in the future.
For more on CAPS and adapting homes for accessibility, see "Taking the 'Dis' out of Disability."
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