Universal Design: Home Design Ideas for Aging in Place
Find ideas for making your home more accessible and comfortable now and for years to come.
Over the years, homeowners, architects, and builders have put more thought into how to design and build houses that will remain comfortable and accessible as people’s physical abilities change. The primary emphasis has been to help people to remain in their homes through retirement, but the design principles can also apply to homes of people with physical disabilities and even to homes of physically fit people who just want a house that is more efficient to live in and easier to take care of.
Some of the design concepts may be obvious to you, such as single-floor living, wide doors and hallways, and large handles and switches on doors and appliances. But there are many nuanced ideas, such as using contrasting colors to call out transitions between surfaces, and installing modular cabinet systems that are easily modified to meet changing needs.
At Fine Homebuilding, we’ve been showcasing homes with accessible designs—and focusing on the useful lessons they teach—for years; now you can find all of those homes in this collection of articles from our archives.
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Design
1
3-Tiered Checklist for Aging in Place -
2
Small-Home Harmony -
Design
3
Downsizing From Suburbia to an Urban Bungalow -
Design
4
2012 HOUSES Awards – Best Retirement Home -
Design
5
Redefining Retirement -
Design
6
Best Retirement Home: Stress-Free in South Texas -
How-To
7
Retrofitting a Home Elevator -
Design
8
The Ever-Evolving House -
Design
9
Universal Appeal in Accessible Design -
Design
10
Desert Sculpture: A Beautiful Arizona Retirement Home -
Design
11
A House for Now and the Future -
Design
12
A Home for the Next 50 Years -
Design
13
A House in Hiding -
Design
14
Small & Spacious -
Design
15
House Marries Site -
Design
16
A Tranquil Hill Country Homestead
