Universal Design at San Francisco Home
For general builder Jeff Kann, universal design goes beyond outfitting the space for wheelchairs. It is about allowing people take part in family and community life for much, more. Sound universal layout avoids early moves and generates safer and sustainable spaces, she states:”It is about making the living spaces easier and simpler for all ages.”
This remodel was conceived to make a comfy and expanded living space on the first degree of a two-story home in San Francisco’s Sunset district, creating an choice to get around the use of stairs entirely as the customers grow old. Meanwhile, the homeowners can use the remodeled first degree now as a guest suite for visiting family members and friends.
at a Glance
Who lives here: An active retired couple
Location: San Francisco
Size: 2,100 square feet
That is interesting: The home was part of a housing project done from the early 1920s through 1950 using a production technique modeled on Ford assembly lines.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
From the outside, this Sunset district home appears to be a typical home constructed on a 25-foot by 120-foot lot by Henry Doelger or the Gellert brothers — as were homes in the city between 1920 to 1950. But indoors, the active homeowners have remodeled with the intent of living out their lives here, and possibly giving the home another life as a multigenerational home for part of this year.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
“My customers know that lots of aging baby boomers will not wind up in a wheelchair, but it does not indicate they won’t need assistance sooner or later,” states Kann.
The design and construct contractor first dealt with the ease-of-use issues by making the halls and doors larger; doors were piled at 36 inches to allow clearance for any assistive devices. Having bigger hallways and doors also reduces injuries, which Kann points out may also benefit parents carrying infants and toddlers.
Kann addressed the other issue of allowing light to the first-level space using multiple broad, narrow windows along the upper portion of the wall (this picture), installing a skylight over the staircase and using plenty of LED lights.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
Universal design features allow the first-level toilet to work for anyone: a child, a teen, an adult and anyone with mobility issues. A number of characteristics make the room comfortable and safe: a barrier-free shower; a shower door that swings both in and out, making it easier for a caregiver to assist; and enough space for getting around with a wheelchair or a walker.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
Kann installed all lever-type door fixtures and pipes for ease of use.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
A curbless shower with a trench drain leaves the zero-threshold toilet and shower area safer; the homeowners do not have to step over a threshold or risk tripping over a sill.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
The bathroom floors are heated using a Nuheat radiant floor-heating mat and a programmable thermostat.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
Kitchen cabinets containing food items are 15 inches above the counter, at least 3 inches lower than the standard, for easier accessibility. Overhead lighting and the light across the bar area were improved to address safety issues; task lighting under the cabinets illuminates the sink space, making it safer for the customers to prepare and handle food.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
Kann modified the connecting stairs from the upper level to reduce their steepness and slope, added better lighting with skylights and artificial lighting, and put in a railing. The homeowners are extremely active and have no plans of installing a wheelchair lift on the stairs. “Again, [the additions] are part of a universal design strategy that rewards all ages,” states Kann.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
Kann opened up the limited mobility space in the laundry area by shifting the wall toward the living room in the laundry area to make enough room to walk around the drier, despite the door open.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
Kann’s customers might well remain mobile and active for a long time, without ever needing to use or live on the first floor. But by integrating universal design into their home, Kann worries, they’ve improved the home’s resale value, planned for potential future needs for customized and themselves their home to accommodate various lifestyles and life cycles.
See more universal layout ideas
More:
Bathroom Safety Features That Support Your Design