Aging In Place, ADA Compliance & Universal Design

Home Sweet Home – nothing beats being able to come home, cook up a quick meal or even a gourmet one, take a nice relaxing shower, and then just relaxing. Most of us plan on staying in our houses for as long as possible (if not forever); do you really plan on just moving into a nursing home when you reach some magical age?

So what does Aging-In-Place mean?

Aging-In-Place is quite simply the ability to live in one’s own home for as long as it is comfortably and safe to do. With a little planning one can extend the amount of time that’s possible through the incorporation of universal design principles, and sometimes other assistive technologies.

What is Universal Design aka Adaptable Design?

Universal Design is a concept to make ones home usable by the greatest amount of people as possible, whatever their age or physical ability may be. These design principles also include making everything look aesthetically pleasing to the eye, while minimizing the cost upfront, and helping to eliminate the need for adaptation or specialized design that would be required later on a standard house. One quick example is specifying 36” doors instead of using the standard mish-mash of smaller doorways. This one item alone allows a wheelchair or crawler access to all the rooms without requiring major remodeling later on, while allowing easier access for the movement of furniture and other items.

Does a residential property have to meet Federal ADA compliance guidelines?

In short, generally no – the ADA guidelines were mainly designed for businesses and government buildings, not residential structures – however, many of the guidelines are definitely worth considering and looking at.

If your home needs to be modified; whether making it wheelchair accessible by widening a bathroom door, installing a roll-in shower, or simply just adding safety/grab bars, pull out shelves in your cabinets, etc… SLS Construction is here to help. We offer universal design services and can incorporate many barrier free modifications into your next remodel, or addition.