Two Atlanta-area developers have won national awards for their age-friendly homes designed to meet the needs of the growing 50-plus housing market.
Nine out of 10 Americans who are 50 and older say they hope to stay in their current homes and communities as they age, according to the AARP, the nation's largest organization for that age group. For this reason, builders and developers have been incorporating "universal design" features into their plans, such as step-free entryways, extra-wide hallways and showers, and bend-free kitchens.
This is an example of the easy-living brick houses in old-town Grayson, with slip-free wood floors and comfort-ease toilet seats.The AARP and the National Association of Home Builders this week announced their first Livable Communities Awards to "celebrate the ingenuity of the winners in meeting the growing need and demand for user-friendly homes and communities designed to meet the needs and abilities of all residents," said Elinor Ginzler, director for Livable Communities at the AARP.
The awards were made in five categories:
Home larger than 2,500 square feet
Roy Wendt, of Wendt Builders, won for his easy-living brick houses in old-town Grayson, which he calls "the homes of the future."
Oversized kitchens with task lighting in each cabinet, slip-free wood floors, spacious showers, comfort-ease toilet seats, and washers and dryers on raised platforms to eliminate bending are just a few of the design features in Wendt's houses.
A switch that automatically dials 911 is included in case of a medical emergency.
Apartment development, more than 250 units
Vicki Lundy Wilbon, of the Integral Group in Atlanta, said her company's senior living community at College Towne at West End tries to create intimate spaces for its residents.
The diversified-income community is a joint project of the Integral Group and the Atlanta Housing Authority and features a music room, library, wellness center, worship room, and movie theatre. Three months after opening, every easy-living unit in the community was sold, Wilbon said.
"We now have a long wait list, because no one is going anywhere," she said.
Home up to 2,500 square feet
The founder of the John Wesley Miller Cos. in Tucson, Ariz., said he began using universal design elements in the mid-1950s after observing the obstacles a Vietnam War veteran faced upon returning home in a wheelchair. Miller said he soon realized that "everyone liked those features, not just people in wheelchairs."
In addition to standard universal design features, Miller's homes in the historic Armory Park del Sol community are pre-wired with fiber optic cables for high-speed Internet access and feature a central vacuum system to eliminate bending in hard-to-reach areas.
By installing solar roof panels and using a thermal mass storage system — installing insulation on the outside of a home instead of the inside — to heat and cool his houses, Miller has lowered average energy costs to $10 a month.
Apartment development, up to 250 units
When the city of Madison, Wis., decided to sell 31 acres of land, residents banded together as the Madison Area Community Land Trust to prevent overdevelopment. The result was a multi-use community with affordable housing and apartments built to meet the highest accessibility standards.
Before construction, the Land Trust sought buyers with disabilities in order to adapt the designs to suit their specific needs. All units are wheelchair-ready and all primary pathways are wheelchair-accessible.
As a bonus, residents can bike into town or take a bus that stops nearby.
Remodeling project, more than $25,000
Since fewer than 10 percent of adults aged 60 and over moved last year, according to the AARP, many seeking to incorporate universal design elements opt to renovate. The husband-and-wife team of David and Peggy Ann Mackowski of Quality Design and Construction in Raleigh transformed a neglected duplex shared by a mother and daughter into a bright, easy-living cottage.
This bath was remodeled by Quality Design and Construction of Raleigh and given more amenities for the 50-years-and-older set. "We wanted the house to be easy to maintain," said Mrs. Mackowski. So they opted for durable windows and siding with lifetime guarantees.
One of the most unique features of the remodeled home is its lack of hallways. An open "morning room" connects the dual master bedrooms to the rest of the house.
© 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
