Home Barrier-Free Home
Originally published in Arthritis Today

By Beth Blaney

The Design Elements
An accessible home does not have to look institutional, says Mark Dinges, a Des Moines, Iowa-based architect who specializes in designing barrier-free homes. An attractive, bungalow-style home designed by Dinges and built in his hometown illustrate his point: The exterior and interior features are practical yet stylish. The house is designed so that adaptations can be made easily - and inexpensively - either as its residents age or need special modifications as a result of physical limitations from an illness such as arthritis.

In the Kitchen

• The oven is separated from the cook top, and the height for each is lower than usual. (The same goes for the microwave.) These design features provide easier accessibility for someone who can't reach far because of limited range of motion.
  
• The kitchen bar features knee space and foot space to accommodate diners on one side, and cabinet space on the opposite side in order to provide additional storage at lower heights than usual.
  
• The kitchen features a total of three large pantries. The generous storage space is helpful for people with limited range of motion who can't access higher kitchen cabinets.
  

In the Bathroom

• The ramp to the shower is movable, and can be removed if desired. 
  
• The shower can accommodate two people, whether it's a couple or a person and his or her caregiver. 
  
• The assist bar and the freestanding, movable bench are made of nylon-coated steel, which provides more slip resistance than metal grab bars and benches. (The manufacturer, HEWI, is a German company that offers accessible products.)
  

Around the House

• The wide doorways throughout the house are cased in wood. Aesthetically, this adds a more finished look. Practically speaking, wood is more durable than sheet rock. Wide, wood trim is not as likely to get damaged over the years as sheet rock. 
  
• The roof trusses for the bedrooms are designed in the event someone needs to add an overhead lift to help themselves or another family member out of bed.
  
• The door out to the deck is aesthetically pleasing, but more importantly, it was designed with safety in mind. In an emergency situation, it provides direct and quick access out of the house.
  
• The manufacturer of the French doors (Andersen Corporation) offers a threshold kit for $500 that can be added to their line of doors, if necessary, to provide wheelchair access outside.
  
• In lieu of movable furniture, the designers added built-in cabinetry, such as built-in drawers on either side of the gas fireplace and built-in bookcases above them. This provides greater "circulation" space, or space to move around in.
  
• The windows (manufactured by Andersen Corporation) feature optional cranks with large handles that are easy to grasp making the cranking motion easier on the hands and wrists.
  
• This horizontal band around the room features recessed cove lighting. Such lighting is designed to minimize glare, handle higher wattage light bulbs and work well with dimmers. It's ideal for people with impaired vision, or for those who are planning to build their final home. 
  
• The engineered wood floors (Genu-Wood II made by Perma Grain) throughout the house have a better commercial-wear rating (as opposed to a residential rating). As a result, they're low maintenance. All you need is a damp mop to clean them, no wax or refinishing needed - and they're sturdy enough to handle wheelchair traffic.

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