Homebuilders, Architects Offer Lessons in Universal Design

Proponents of universal design say that incorporating even the most basic elements of the concept into your projects will result in homes that are more comfortable, user-friendly and appealing to a much broader buyer market. So how do custom builders familiarize themselves and their clients with the positive benefits universal design features? The best way, experts agree, is to start by taking a close look at successful projects that have already been built. Networking is important, too, "particularly through programs offered by national organizations such as the NAHB where they can connect with others who are already doing what they are trying to do and who are willing to share the lessons they've learned along the way," says builder Jo Theunissen, current chair of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 50+ Housing Council.

Designing and building a home to accommodate its owner's physical needs for today and into the future does not mean that it must have obvious entry ramps, sterile institutional bathrooms and unsightly wall-mounted grab bars, as the builders' stories below show. "When done well," says Theunissen, "universal design can be a completely invisible part of the home's design."

Some of the building industry's strongest universal design advocates say they have been inspired

A well-executed universal design can include a wide hallway, barrier-free transitions between living areas, smooth flooring and easy-to-reach lighting controls. Photography by Laurin Trainer Photography.

For Theunissen, who co-partners Howling Hammer Builders, a central Michigan design-build firm that specializes in custom homes for move-up and high-end buyers, the inspiration came after she had to address accessibility issues in her own home after injuring her back. Karl Keyes of Grampa's Homes in Bountiful, Utah — whose first universal design home received accolades from NAHB's Blake Smith of the joint selection committee of the NAHB/AARP 2007 Livable Communities Awards Program — has a son who has been disabled since birth and a business partner who developed multiple sclerosis.

All say the time has come to design and build homes that are more in line with accommodating the immediate and future lifestyle requirements of the people who live in them.

"My experiences have opened my eyes to this whole other side of life," says Keyes, who has worked for more than 40 years in production residential and commercial construction in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area.

Theunissen agrees: "I suddenly realized that if I were to develop a long-term physical malady, I may have to make the decision to leave my home. This is something that other people have to face every day and that I had not really thought about before."

She sees this same attitude of acceptance in everyone who works for her firm, also the first certified green builder in Michigan's central region. "I've had lots of discussions with my guys about the merits of some elements of green building, but have never had a single trade or sub not immediately see the sense in any of the universal design features we are incorporating."

Although Adaptive Architecture specializes in custom residential design, Rosenblum has also developed a niche clientele who seek him out for his expertise in accessible design. "My percentage of these types of projects varies from year to year, but on the whole I have seen a growing trend of people asking about universal design features. I believe that I have a personal responsibility to make my clients aware of the possibilities that are out there."

Theunissen agrees that builders should address lifestyle requirements with their clients. She avoids using the term universal in favor of easy living design. "We don't focus on building homes that are so accessible that they would be the equivalent of ADA compliant; instead, our goal is to build homes that are more comfortable and practical for how their owners want to use them."

Lewis Reeves, a custom builder headquartered in Norcross, Ga., constructs $2 million-plus homes and is currently co-developing an accessible model home in the Atlanta area. He extols the benefits of universal design. But Reeves is also pragmatic about how quickly the concept will be accepted by his peers and integrated into the business of building homes. Until the client challenges the builder to produce a certain kind of product, it won't get done, he says.

Geographic location plays an important role, says Rosenblum. "In areas where there is a proportionately larger aging population, such as in the South and Southwest, builders will be more willing to experiment with universal design because their clients want it."

"Universal design will, first and foremost, be most popular and most readily accepted by specialty-type age groups such as empty nesters and retirees because they have an immediate need for

A popular and practical amenity, today's residential elevator provides access to every level of a home and can also boost marketability and resale value later on, says the experts. Photography by Hawkins-Welwood Homes.

"But the reality is that we all need to anticipate that we will need universal design features later on in our lives," he adds.

The aging baby boomer population will continue to be the market that drives how builders perceive universal design, say the experts.

According to the most recent report from the NAHB 50+ Housing Council, the 55-plus population will continue to increase by more than 2 percent every year over the next 7 years, reaching 85 million by 2014. The report also goes on to state that by the year 2012, the share of U.S. households age 55 or older will pass the 40 percent mark for the first time in history.

Universal design definitely makes sense for builders in empty nester or retiree markets who know who their primary clients are, says Rosenblum. "Baby boomers are getting older. Over the past 20 years I have seen a definite shift in home buyers asking for universal design features, and more and more builders are beginning to provide them. As its use becomes more widespread, the costs associated with it will continue to come down."

His advice to builders? "Re-evaluate the designs for the homes they already build looking for ways to improve accessibility," he says. He recommends custom builders work with their architect to make a percentage of stock plans feature universal design principles. "It just increases the markets they can reach."

But it is not only home buyers with disabilities or those looking to age in place who recognize the practicality of universal design. Theunissen made this discovery almost by accident when a young couple with very young children purchased her first universal design spec-built home rather than the retirees she expected.

The home featured a full basement; zero-step threshold entry in the garage; a main-floor master bedroom and bathroom; and a kitchen designed with safety in mind, including a counter-height microwave oven, an elevated dishwasher and plenty of clearance around its center island.

"Through the design phase and our marketing materials we focused on the boomer buyer for this home, but it was a much younger buyer who immediately recognized the value of its design for her own family," she says. "We were completely surprised."

Keyes' first universal design-oriented residential project was a spec-built home in Lehi, Utah, that was completed in 2006. Not only did he rely on his past experience as a builder, he also solicited input from local real-estate agents on what features they thought buyers would appreciate. He invited them into the home throughout its construction to reinforce what it was that made this home different from the rest. It sold after he finished it.

Theunissen says that through experience she has learned two very valuable lessons: to be successful, universal design must be part of the upfront design process for a spec-built home, and it also has to be part of its tail-end marketing. "Your Realtor or sales person has to understand and appreciate what it is that you have given them to sell. And then they have to know how to sell those features to the customer."

All project managers and designers at Dallas-based builder Hawkins-Welwood Homes are Certified Aging in Place Specialists, says the company's director of design, Steve Burke. "We want to be sure that our staff understands what the opportunities are for incorporating universal design features into a build-to-suit home so that they can pass this knowledge along to our clients."

Hawkins-Welwood builds everything from $300,000 townhomes to $4 million-plus custom-designed residences for high-end buyers in the Dallas area. The firm is also the region's largest spec builder.

"In a down market such as we are experiencing now," says Burke, "everyone is looking to cut costs. And the reality is that certain universal design features can add significantly to the cost of a home at the very same time when buyers are trying to stay under a specific price point."

In this economic climate — particularly when it comes to spec-built projects, says Burke — builders will avoid doing anything they perceive will drive up costs or make the home more difficult to sell.

Now may be exactly the right time, however, to consider including features that don't cost more money, but do increase the perceived value or future marketability of the home.

An elevator, for example, can add anywhere from $18,000 to $25,000 to the cost of a home. But designing that same home with stacked closets that can easily be converted into an elevator shaft may add pennies on the dollar or less while it increases its future value.

Hawkins-Welwood lead designer Stacey Brotemarkle lists a number of low- or no-cost universal

One of the most important features of a universally designed is that it has an accessable entrance that everyone can enter the home easily. Photography by Hawkins-Welwood Homes.

Building homes with barrier-free entrances is an important element of universal design that may be affected by the project's location. In the South and Southwest, where the majority of homes feature slab-on-grade foundations, creating an aesthetically pleasing, no-step entrance into a home is more acceptable and not particularly difficult or costly.

In northern climates or situations where the home is built on a basement foundation, creating a barrier-free entry can be more challenging and sometimes more expensive, says Rosenblum, due to the necessity to design for water and snow infiltration issues and handling mechanicals such as water and sewer runs. His firm has developed a proprietary foundation design for a stepless entry for homes built on basement foundations.

Howling Hammer Builders, which includes a poured-wall, basement foundation with all of its homes, has also developed its own technique for creating barrier-free entrances.

"We had to put our heads together with our subcontractors to get it right, but in the end, it turned out to be pretty simple stuff," says Theunissen. She suggests that builders place the highest priority on having a zero-threshold entry in the home's garage, with access to the outdoor entertaining space being the next entry to address.

"In my opinion, having this type of entry at the front door is less important because this is the entrance that is least used by the homeowners themselves."

As more homes are built that demonstrate what universal design features can be incorporated into any new home without negatively affecting aesthetic appeal or amenities, the more receptive the rest of the building community will become to the concept, says Keyes. "Universal design needs a spokesman with a tremendous voice to educate the building community and the general public about the importance of building for the 'what ifs' in life."