Universal Design

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    Flexible design keeps homes functional

    Remodeling is a sign that a home isn't meeting its owners' current needs. But, that doesn't mean the design update ends when those particular needs are met.

     
  • Raising awareness and expanding knowledge of universal design

    The Universal Design Alliance (UDA), in Suwanee, Ga., is a nonprofit group committed to raising awareness and expanding knowledge of universal design.

     
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    Remodel for Change

    Flexible design comes from the understanding that homes outlast lifestyles. Family configurations change. Technology changes. “Things that suit our lifestyle today may not suit it 15 years or 150 years from now,” says Fernando Pagés Ruiz, owner of Brighton Construction in Lincoln, Neb., who...

     
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    Accessibility products come with style

    Homeowners with physical disabilities, or baby boomers intent on “aging in place,” shouldn't be relegated to medical supply stores when remodeling their homes. Many manufacturers are introducing stylish fixtures to suit numerous kitchen and bath aesthetics.

     
  • Understanding what boomers want in universal design and luxury

    When the pre-boomer generations hit their 60s and retired, they substantially cut remodeling dollars. Will 76 million boomers do the same?

     
  • Putting universal design to work

    Putting universal design principles to work can make houses more livable and comfortable, and more welcoming to all guests, regardless of age or ability, according to Kansas State University universal design experts, who offer the following ideas for applying universal design at home.

     
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    Universal Principles

    “It was good timing,” says Peggy Mackowski, since her husband and company co-owner David Mackowski was working on his CAPS (Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist) designation through the National Association of Home Builders.

     
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    Selling the Better Life

    Remodelers don't usually think of aging-in-place modifications as a chance to upsell, but Dan Bawden does. Earlier this year, his Houston-area company, Legal Eagle Contractors, opened The Idea Center: a home remodeled into an office/showroom equipped with aging-in-place innovations, from the front...

     
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    Working through obstacles to deliver universal design bath

    Remodelers Robin Burrill and Rob Mathews of Curb Appeal Renovations in Haltom City, Texas, were asked to remodel a couple's master bathroom to accommodate the husband's disability.

     
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    Before+After: Second Chance

    Homeowner John Carmean and his wife, Chris, are no newcomers to tragedy. Their daughter, Kerry, was just over a year old when a car accident in 1974 broke John's back, paralyzing him from the chest down, putting him in a wheelchair for life.