Inch Ada Grab
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"Accessibility" as regards the design of buildings, is a term most of us are familiar. The Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (the "ADA") mandates that most buildings used by the public being designed to facilitate use by people with many kinds of disabilities. We've all seen the accessible parking spaces, ramps, and restrooms in retail stores, airports and office buildings.
Homes must also incorporate design features and products that are easier to use by people of all ages and abilities. It is a concept called "design universal ". For most people however, the image of affordable housing is one of the fluorescent lights, wheelchair ramps, and plumbing fixtures White porcelain – more like a clinic of a house.
But a house does not have to be accessible like that at all. In fact, the design features and accessories that work well for accessibility are also very suitable for almost anyone. Accessible design is often simply a good design – a well-integrated design house accessible can and should extend the usefulness of a home through more than just a phase of family life.
Start in the kitchen
Make a more affordable home is not particularly difficult or expensive. It might even be some universal design principles at work in the kitchen now.
"Side-by-side" refrigerators are easier to use by a person in a wheelchair – Unlike a unit with the freezer mounted on top. Inside the refrigerator, sliding shelves eliminate the need to reach all the way to the back to retrieve what he wants.
A very common disabling condition associated with aging is reduced physical strength, which can make cooking in a large pot difficult if you have to be lifted in and out of the sink to fill with water. Instead of a standard kitchen faucet, installing a "gooseneck" bill that allows the pot to be filled without lifting the sink. And the place near the stove for the boat can be easily slid across the counter of the burner – No lifting required.
The latest design of dishwasher is the "box" of type, such as Fisher & Paykel and KitchenAid. Drawer dishwashers do not require much bending for loading and unloading and because there is no gate on the road, which are easier to use of a sitting position.
Staying home
As the aging U.S. population and prices housing will increase, many owners are trying to stay in their homes longer. Too often, however, are designed family homes mainly for young families and quickly become obsolete when they can no longer provide the comfort and security needed by senior citizens. It is a consequence harmful to the house of a "throwaway" mentality – but that's a topic for a future article!
A few simple design changes can make almost any home in a better position to support new life styles, such as ease of use and security become major issues. One of the easiest is to install Lock grab bars in appropriate places in the bathroom when the house was built. These structural supports simple and inexpensive installation used for future grab bars, which provide greater security in the showers, tubs, and in the toilet.
Another change is easy to use "lever-type hardware Door – popular because of their appearance and ease of use but also a requirement for people with reduced strength or restricted mobility. It opens the door a few inches also can extend the life of the house. Standard thirty-inch doors are not wide enough for wheelchairs and can be difficult for anyone with problems walk. Thirty-six inches wide door solves both problems, and make moving furniture easier, too.
Ups and downs
Stairs are the biggest obstacle to making any home accessible. Typically, a home must be fully accessible to all on one level – no stairs, step-downs, or doorways. However, one level house is more expensive to build than a two-story and may require a larger property.
A better solution is a residential elevator. Sound expensive? Compared to the cost of a two-storey house in a much larger, an elevator is a very reasonable cost. Just add some sixty square meters of the plant, and allows easy access to first floor, second floor and basement. Even better, the elevator shaft only needs to be installed now – The team has no real lift to be in place until needed, perhaps many years down the road.
Easier than you think
In most cases, accessible and universal design is simply good design sense and a desire to make the houses can be used by all – Not that a worthy goal for any home, regardless of the current occupants? Our houses are sometimes a little too disposable – that could easily make them less making them more functional for a wide range of homeowners with and without disabilities. Everyone is going to benefit design that helps people stay in their homes longer.
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