Home Sweet Home . . . For Everyone

COLLEGE STATION, Tex. – If universal design sounds like another controversial approach to teaching grade school science, guess again. It is actually one of the latest, most practical trends in home design and one that is gradually gaining widespread support.

Universal design refers to buildings that are made to be accessible for people of all ages, regardless of their physical condition. A growing number of cities across the country now require that homes be constructed with this principle in mind.

For example, according to the most recent issue of Tierra Grande, the quarterly journal published by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, many homes now feature smooth ground surfaces at entryways, wide interior doors and hallways, handles with levers rather than knobs, and at least one full bathroom with maneuvering space on the first floor.

It’s all a part of what is known as ‘visitability,’ says Dr. Jennifer S. Evans-Cowley, assistant professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State University.

“If a home meets visitability standards, people with mobility impairments can live in or visit the home without encountering obstacles and inconveniences,” she said.

Incorporating these features allows a person with a sprained ankle to recover in the downstairs of a home without having to climb stairs to use the restroom or sleep. A grandmother’s visit is made easier by an entrance with no steps and wide doorways that accommodate a walker or wheelchair.

While visitability does not guarantee complete access within a home, Evans-Cowley says it does ensure that public spaces — entrances, hallways, bathrooms — are accessible to someone in a wheelchair. It would also allow a nondisabled person to continue living in a home if he or she became disabled.

Evans-Cowley points out that people without disabilities can also benefit from these standards. For example, wide, level entrances make moving furniture in and out of buildings easier, and doors with lever handles make it much easier to enter a house with an armful of groceries or while carrying a child.

“Whether it’s an entire home or just a kitchen or bathroom, incorporating universal design and visitability improves living spaces for all people throughout their lifespans,” Evans-Cowley said.

For more information on universal design, read “Me, You and Grandpa, Too: Designing Homes for Life”.

The Real Estate Center (recenter.tamu.edu) has been providing solutions through research for 35 years. Funded primarily by Texas real estate licensee fees, the Center was created by the state legislature to meet the needs of many audiences, including the real estate industry, instructors, researchers and the general public.

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