5 guidelines for a more inclusive house
Hello, and thank you for joining me on our first blog entry of October.
We may think about October as the last month before Thanksgiving and the holiday season, or for those with young kids or young hearts, it is also costume and candy time. But October is also the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). “NDEAM is held each October to commemorate the many and varied contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and economy” (1). This year the theme is “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.”
Inclusion, what a beautiful and powerful world. It has made echoes as we move forward from a global pandemic, where we were forced to isolate, and we have learned to keep our distance. But we have also learned that we are much stronger when we have communities and help each other.
Inclusion is at the core of accessibility, but so is Universal Design. Let’s start with the basics by exploring what Universal Design is and how it differs from accessibility.
Universal Design is the “design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design” (2)
Accessible Design is the design that prioritizes the needs of people with disabilities. Accessible design is sometimes confused with ADA (American Disabilities Act) or used interchangeably, but there are some differences. Accessible design is a design application, and ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability on employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state or local government programs and services.
Universal Design, therefore, could be understood as a lifestyle adaptation of accessible design, where we plan and design the living environment in such a way that everyone can enjoy it.
For private residential projects, like single-family residences, accessible design is not required by the building authorities. Still, as we all age and evolve in place, there are specific characteristics around our homes that can be almost invisible when we have full use of our abilities, but that also can be so helpful to have around when we or someone close to us needs it.
A house designed using principles of Universal Design can be beautiful, more welcoming, and supportive to us or people around us that may need that extra help. It can support us during different life stages, like growing children or aging parents. It also can come in handy during transient life situations, like pregnancy, a broken bone, or sometimes even a sore muscle.
A whole Universal Design plan and strategy is strongly encouraged as you develop your project, and here are 5 things to take into consideration:
1. Define an accessible route for your house.
In a perfect world, all house areas would be completely accessible to anyone, but in practice, sometimes it is not possible. At a minimum, all areas of the house that people most frequently use, like the kitchen, living and dining areas, and at least one bedroom and bathroom, should be not only accessible but also interconnected by an accessible route that ends at one exterior door or exit.
In a two-story house, make sure that at least one bedroom and a bathroom are located on the first floor. You can use this bedroom as an office, which can be easily converted if needed. You can also plan for an area that could easily become an elevator or a stairlift in the future.
2. Avoid Obstacles
There are many details to take into account while designing an accessible route. In general, be careful to avoid obstacles, like stairs, steps, or even changes in floor level over ½ inch.
Many homes in California have a raised foundation, which leads to having stairs close to the entrance. This is not ideal, especially for a house where a person with mobility challenges lives. At a minimum, consider adding handrails and paying extra attention to the stair design. Handrails could be incorporated into your facade or landscape concept and help frame the house.
You could also replace the front entrance stairs or steps with a raised walkway in the front area. The walkway could be incorporated into your front landscape design. A 1:20 slope is recommended (Check your local Building Department for guidelines).
3. Circulation areas.
An open-plan design that minimizes hallways and doorways is optimal. However, hallways and doorways are important elements to connect and limit spaces, but make sure that they are appropriately sized and detailed, especially along your accessible route.
As a general rule of thumb, doors should have a clear opening of 32” minimum. 34” to 36” is best. Please note that this dimension is the clear space of the door opening, without counting the door thickness and hardware. For a 32” opening, it would require a minimum 2’-10” door.
Hallways also need to be properly designed to be 36” wide minimum. 42” is best.
Pay attention to the floor and walking surface materials. Consider using non-slip walking surfaces like wood and a dense weave, low pile (less than half an inch) carpet floors.
4. Showers
Have at least one full bathroom along your accessible route. There are many details to consider when planning and designing a Universal Design bathroom. Today we will cover a small portion: the showers.
There are two different types of accessible showers, the roll-in shower and the transfer shower. Today we will cover the latter in more detail.
The transfer shower requires less space but should be carefully designed. The transfer shower should have a minimum interior dimension of 36”x36”, with a minimum of 36” wide entry on the face of the shower compartment. At a minimum, a folding seat must be provided, but you can also incorporate a built-in bench. The bench will increase the shower size, but it can be a beautiful design element.
5. Use various heights of kitchen counters.
Kitchens are probably the room that requires the most attention to design. Besides its primary use of meal preparation, it is the gathering spot for everyone in the house.
There are many considerations when designing an Universal Kitchen, but two of the most important are the circulation space and the countertop heights. The optimal circulation space that allows you to use the space wisely is tricky because it will depend on the kitchen length, location of appliances, presence of an island, etc. A general rule of thumb is to provide a clear floor space of at least 30”x48” for each kitchen appliance.
It is also important to consider having variable height work surfaces. Countertops can vary from 28” to 42” and may be mechanically adjustable in 2” increments. They can also be electrically powered.
As an extra tip, you can design some flexible spaces that can be easily adaptable in the future if needed. This works the best when it is thoroughly thought out from the beginning.
Universal Design is something that usually you don’t know you need until you need it. Being proactive and implementing as many concepts of accessible design in our daily lives is essential. When it has been part of the design process since the beginning, it is easier to implement. Do you want to make your house more inclusive and accessible? Have fun, and let us know your questions!
In the meantime, I will leave you with a city map
of Los Angeles, California, in 1984 (1)
As always, thank you for your support, and please help me share this content with your friends and family that could enjoy this content. To know when a new blog post is out, you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Gracias!
Citlalli
Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.
-Verna Myers
References:
(2) Universal Design” Housing for the Lifespan of all People by Ron Mace for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1998.
Residential Remodeling and Universal Design. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development. Office of Policy Development and Research.
Universal Design in Housing. The Center for Universal Design. North Carolina State University, College of Design.
NKBA Kitchen and Bathroom planning guidelines with access standards. Wiley, Second Edition.
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Special thanks to my editor, Ilya Godes!
Citlalli is an architect and a mom who enjoys finding the extraordinary around us and understanding what makes each person thrive.
She believes that art and good design should be accessible, and her motivation is to help build a better world for the next generations.
She has worked on residential and commercial projects for over 15 years. She decided to open her studio in Los Angeles, California, to make great design available and affordable to more people.
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