WE ARE COMMITTED to creating buildings and gardens that shelter, support and empower the people who work, play, and live in them. WE ARE DEDICATED TO HELPING our neighbors prepare for their changing housing needs as they age by offering our experience in design and construction in the following ways.
STRATEGIC REMODELING
Forward-looking clients who are old enough to realize that the house they are living in may not be ideally suited for them through retirement and into old age, yet young enough to be pro-active in preparing for change.
This often involves a major “final” fix-up of the family home, addressing deferred maintenance issues, acknowledging that the kids are now guests from time to time and no longer in residence, accommodating interests and activities of early retirement yet anticipating that needs will change with the inevitable diminishment of physical capabilities.
MERGING HOUSEHOLDS
Many clients find that the best option for housing their own parent’s housing, at some point, is living together. This can present both architectural challenges –accommodating wheelchair usage, for example- and social challenges which have design implications- such as privacy.
Conversely, it could be the parent’s or grandparent’s making room for adult children and grand-children to join their household for assistance, economic reasons, or just pleasure in family. This too may well require some social engineering through renovation to be successful.
ACCOMMODATING AGING
Many of our community members are already deeply embedded in a house with features which threaten their safety, comfort, or curtail the scope and level of their activity. Here are issues of mobility, fall hazards, housekeeping difficulties, self-care challenges and any number of obstacles and irritations resulting from loss of strength, agility, vision, or energy.
In situations where the neighbors call for change themselves, work can go ahead smoothly. Many of the improvements are surprisingly easy and inexpensive. But things can get complicated when someone else is calling for the work –usually, others in the family—and the elders don’t believe there is a problem that needs fixing, don’t care, of think that concern for their circumstances is meddling, an assault on their autonomy, or dismissive condescension.
EMERGENCY MODIFICATIONS
A common scenario with the elderly is when a client breaks a hip or suffers a stroke, is hospitalized, released to convalescent care, but can’t return to home until certain things are in place: grab bars, a roll-in shower, a wheelchair ramp are some examples. But of course, accidents, both temporarily or or permanently disabling, can happen to anyone of any age.
We stand ready to respond quickly to accomplish the immediate goal of homecoming. From there, we decide with client whether more-permanent and far reaching work is required.
GARDENS & THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
It is easy to forget when immersed in the pragmatic concerns cooking, bathing oneself, or using the toilet unassisted that the point of all of this to enjoy the benefits of being in one’s own house, surrounded by familiar and pleasurable things, engaged in the activities one enjoys: knitting, reading, entertaining, gardening.
It is our intent, in every project, to preserve, respect and, to the greatest extent possible given the scope of work, to support the activities, views, sounds, art, architecture, objects which are part of that particular experience of home.
One of the potentially richest environments is the garden. It offers a sensory pleasure and stimulation, a chance for a bit of exercise and, for those who can work it, exercise and the satisfaction of growing things. We offer full garden design and installation, with an emphasis on low-maintenance and drought-resistance. As desired, the garden and yard can be wheel chair accessible, or walker friendly, with places to rest. We can build raised beds that can be worked on from a sitting position. We have even incorporated container gardens into wheel chair ramps.
ELDER FRIENDLY DESIGN
Our work is based on elements of Elder Friendly Design which we have developed over the last 30 years, drawing on Universal Design and Accessibility Standards but also on our extensive experience building and rebuilding houses, gardens and other places where people define their private lives. On site, we always employ Elder Friendly construction practices to ensure the safety and guard the sanity of our clients when their home becomes a construction zone.Mostly it is just good common sense coupled with sound design and service practices and a respect people’s intelligence, preferences, and their own knowledge of what they desire.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ELDER FRIENDLY DESIGN.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ELDER FRIENDLY CONSTRUCTION
WE INVITE YOU TO EMAIL OR CALL: (888) 850-5051.