The User Friendly Home clearly illustrates the minor modifications to common building practices which can extend the time in which a family may live in and enjoy their "once in a lifetime" purchase.

It is obvious we need to develop housing which reflects these changing demographics within our society. In other words, we need to make invisible design changes that will:

A well built home is a thing of joy -- it should remain as a valuable contribution to the neighbourhood and the community. Homes may become outdated or outmoded. They may require a stylistic and functional updating to take advantage of today’s conveniences. But, the well built home does not wear out! Only the occupants tend to grow out of the house. The stairs become too much, the front door lip keeps tripping the baby carriage, the kitchen counters are too high, or too low. Storage space is inadequate and so the die is cast.

The cost, to build it right the first time using the principals of universal design, is rather trivial. For example, to remove an obstacle to an external doorway during the building phase is some twenty to thirty dollars. As a retrofit this cost will not only escalate to several hundreds of dollars, but will entail a phenomenal amount of mess, confusion and a fair amount of frustration.

Suppose you need to install a grab bar with reinforcements around the bathtub. The current retrofit cost is approximately $250.00 per running foot. If the reinforcements had been put INVISIBLY in place during original construction the cost would only be about $2.00 per foot -- the cost of the grab bar itself and the labour to install it. No need to rip out or replace the tiles that you spent days or weeks finding and can never replace.

Universal design is simply the Boy Scout method of building. Be prepared for everything, especially a future for ourselves and our families in the home and the neighbourhood we choose for life. If you’ve ever tried to replace a light bulb in the centre of a cathedral ceiling you will understand the need for practical planning. Common sense applications are not so common in the homebuilding of the past.

Builder Leigh Grelish      leigh@trademark.ca
Trademark Homes Phone 590 1155        www.trademark.ca

Set peep holes at child height

Consider how you will change the lightbulbs in ceiling fixtures

Plan your fireplace hearth to avoid tripping hazard

Allow for a natural place to rest parcels and/or groceries as you hunt for your keys or deal with alarm key pads

Don’t forget to pre-plan where that six foot long chest freezer is going to be placed

The kitchen island. Removing it creates a completely different space. It could be a portable bar on the patio or in the family room

You’re surely going to control the cable and telephone pre-wiring. Don’t neglect retaining control over the security pre-wiring. Even if you don’t want to implement it now, be prepared for the future.

Provide for emergency lighting on stairways and in hallways. This can be integrated with your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Plan to run wiring for your stereo system throughout the house

Light switches should be easy to use. We recommend lowering them from the standard height by six inches

Lever action handles should be the choice on absolutely everything from faucets to bedroom doors

A medicine cabinet does not keep things away from children. So there is no reason not to make it at a height that everyone can reach. Keep prescription drugs and other dangerous materials secure someplace else in your home

We lowered the light switches, now let’s do the same thing with: thermostats and other heating and air conditioning controls, alarm keypads etc. TIP leave extra wire in the wall for adjustment over the life of the home

Pre-planning is key to those little items like a built-in ironing board in the laundry area

Winter survival items like:

Heated walkways and/or driveways for safe footing
Extra outlets to support the in-car heater, the block heater, the battery blanket and the pre-warmer
Circuitry to support the heater cables to eliminate ice-damming
Support for the pipe-wrap which you install in your crawl space or garage
Install a freeze proof faucets

... And there are a lot more User Friendly Ideas to be shared in Patrick Simpson’s book, USER FRIENDLY HOMES - Building for Your Future.
Review copies available 604 264-8878

The USER FRIENDLY DEMONSTRATION HOME
Opens November, 1999
may be viewed by reservation only
Reserve NOW!    Call       604  264  8878

More Details    --   Who's Involved?
Associations       Management Team       Suppliers         What is a User Friendly Home         History of User Friendly Homes
HOW TO GET INVOLVED   Order the Book   Demo Home Floor Plans         Photo Gallery         News Release        Articles   
User Friendly Home Page   

Other Unique Housing Ventures.... Envirohome     Japan Home Automation

  HOME