Builder - February 2009 - (Page 18) BMAIL 72 years old and would like to find a home I could stay in for as long as possible, including when I might be confined to the use of a walker or a wheelchair. It has proven to be a daunting task; every home I have looked at has had obstacles that would be difficult to overcome. I am sure I am not the exception to the rule. Having this experience in mind, reviewing the latest single-family home plans in your December issue of Builder magazine has moved me to question why architects designing single-family homes, apartments, and condos have not recognized that they should be designing homes that have longer-term viability as a residence. Based on this short-sightedness, we are forcing elderly or handicapped persons out of their homes prematurely. Our population is growing older as we live longer. If we do not wake up to this fact, we will soon see a growing inventory of obsolete homes and a shortage of homes that meet the needs of our aging population. Below, I’ve listed eight major faults I find with current designs of single-family homes, apartments, and condos. I also believe homes, condos, and apartments designed to eliminate the faults I describe would be more marketable. Major issues regarding current residential design in conflict with our expanding aging population: 1. Barriers between exterior access and main living level (exterior steps to porch or stoop; entry-door width barring wheelchair access) 2. Interior steps between rooms or spaces on the main living level 3. Barriers to wheelchair access on the main living level (doorway and hallway widths) 4. Barriers to wheelchair access to the garage from main living level 5. Main living areas required by homeowner not on the main living level (master bedroom and bath, laundry room) 6. Barriers to outdoor living space (homes not provided with a deck on the main living level) 7. The use of doorknobs instead of door levers 8. Main living level bathrooms without grab bars or comfort-height toilets Sincerely yours, JAY W. ELDRIDGE President Covenant Development Co. Farmington Hills, Mich. Via e-mail Missing the Mark to my calculations, in A ccordingreach the price levels of July order to 2003, we will have another eight months [from end of November] of housing price drops. In order to reach the levels of January 2000, it will take us until early 2011. The question is, Will it be 2000 or 2003 levels? Or even worse, 1990s levels? As you said [“Calling the Bottom with Affordability Metrics,” BuilderOnline.com], the subprime bubble started to form intensely in 2004. So 2003 levels should be a fair bottom—that is assuming Obama can Go to http://builder.hotims.com for more info http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM http://www.LiteSteelbeam.com/builder http://www.LiteSteelbeam.com/builder http://builder.hotims.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.