Universal Lite

Home Care by Moen

Consumer interest in universally designed homes is growing as the baby boomers enter their golden years and as those with disabilities demand accessibility. Today, it’s easier than ever to accommodate universal demands with stock products and a little creative forethought.

In fact, it’s so easy that some designers create universal design by accident. "It’s funny, I’ve never done universal before, but in one bathroom, it just kind of worked out because a lot of design features we liked also happened to be universal," says Siri Evju, a certified kitchen and bath designer in Bend, Ore. Her design for a couple not far from retirement was first and foremost supposed to be beautiful; secondarily, the owners wanted her to address their future needs.

The bathroom features a no-curb shower with a bench seat, an edge on the bathtub from which someone could sit and swing their legs into the tub, a raised vanity that can accommodate a wheelchair, and storage within easy reach. Evju says that in an accessible bath, simple things go a long way. These include handheld sprayers and products that boast multiple shower heads at different heights – simple add-ons for builders.

Simple fixes
Mary Jo Peterson, a certified kitchen and bath designer based in Brookfield, Conn. (www.mpjdesign.com), offers several ideas that builders can incorporate in their homes without too much effort. She organizes them by fixture:

1. The shower: "The interest in oversize luxury showers is a big opportunity in universal design," Peterson points out. "The shower should have a no-threshold entry, be large enough for a person with a mobility aid, and have a bench seat." She advises builders to install marine-grade plywood behind the wet boards so that buyers can install grab bars anywhere on the wall in the future. In fact, she thinks builders should view grab bars as a design feature. "There are attractive grab bars today. Moen makes one that matches one of its strongest-selling lines of faucets."

2. The vanity: "Today, there are a huge variety of beautiful vanities available that offer knee-space opportunities," says Peterson. You don’t have to use custom cabinets to get the high countertop needed for wheelchair access, says Peterson. Instead, use different height toe kicks to raise the counter. She says that builders should make sure storage is within arm’s reach. "There are so many options for designing bath space so that it simplifies the area. It has to do with creative ideas of where you can put things, like furniture pieces next to the vanity, for example," she says.

3. The Lights: Peterson reminds builders to think of the task that each light fixture is designed to illuminate. "There needs to be a flexibility and variety of light. It is a work area, and you need task lighting at eye level around the mirror. There should also be ambient light in the room (on dimmers)," she adds.

4. The toilet: Tall, "comfort height" toilets will soon become standard offerings, especially as they continue to become more attractively designed. She recommends placing an electrical outlet close to the toilet. "If I were a builder of even moderately priced homes, I would install an outlet in the area so I could offer upgrades like a toilet with a personal wash system, self-closing toilet seats, heated toilet seats, and power-assisted flush."