Builder Roy Wendt, head of Wendt Builders Inc. in Grayson, Ga., near Atlanta, estimates that the universal design features he includes in his adult active ranch homes add only $500 per house. Will Johnson, a builder based in Pittsboro, N.C., near Chapel Hill, agrees that $500 can buy numerous universal design features, but he also says that certain items will up that number such as zero-steps from a garage into a house if there's a steep grade, a curbless shower, and any cabinetry modification. "The price can sometimes go up to $5,000," he says.
Johnson has found that a bit of creativity also helps. He became interested in the universal design field 12 years ago when his father had a stroke. "He was living in an older home and couldn't get to the upstairs master bedroom or use the powder room since the doorway was only two feet. The house was unlivable for him but it was too expensive to retrofit," he says.
Johnson's solution was to build a new one-level house for his father with an elevator. "It's totally accessible but you'd never know. We even painted rugs on the hardwood floor since we couldn't have rugs with the wheelchair. It's a joy to have wide hallways and no steps and not just for him—for all of us to be able to maneuver," he says.
By incorporating universal design features from the beginning rather than as a retrofit, costs go down remarkably—about one-third less, says Rebecca Stahr of LifeSpring Environs, an Atlanta consultancy for the 50-plus market.