With the population aging, universal design has become a hot topic. Seniors want to  stay in their homes and age in place rather than be segregated in older adult communities or assisted living centers. How does universal design help them do so? By creating a home environment, both inside and outside a home, as well as a host of products, which make it more possible for everyone to use their home comfortably and safely. Examples abound:

• An entry without steps makes it easier and safer to gain access, whether the person is in a wheelchair or using a walker or cane.
• A kitchen with mostly undercounter cabinets helps someone short and frail avoid having to step on a stool to reach high cabinets. 
• Lighting along a hallway floor can provide a clear path to a bathroom in the dead of night when eyesight is failing.
• Curbless showers with a bench allow someone to roll a wheelchair in and bathe.

While some developers, builders, architects, designers, and even homeowners have resisted incorporating universal design from fear that it will increase costs, most in the field say the expenses are fairly small, compared with overall housing costs and paybacks.

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 2 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.

Room-by-Room Assessment

Almost every room and area of a house can be adapted for universal design. Certain features should be used throughout the home such as light switches no higher than 48” so everyone can reach them, at least 32” to 36” clearance for doors so wheelchairs can maneuver fully, and outlets no less than 18 inches from the floor, says Nanette Overly, vice president of sales and marketing for Epcon Communities in Dublin, Ohio, which focuses on condo communities in 32 states.

In addition, window treatments can be installed with a remote control device so shades don’t have to be raised and lowered or pulled side to side, which can add strain, says Markman-Stern. Abundant lighting should be included since low-vision seniors may require up to five times the amount of light for “average” tasks, says Brooke Ziccardi of Ziccardi Designs Inc. in Costa Mesa, Calif.