Lens Masters: Do you hire professionals to shoot your projects?
Daily 5 Remodel
“We are all photographers, or at least photo-takers, these days. For remodelers, the development is helpful: It’s easier than every to document projects before, during and after construction. But does amateur photography come with a risk to remodelers?”

Can Architecture Help the Elderly Age Gracefully?
Fast Company
“Architecture and aging. It seems like the only connection between the two would be some vague master’s thesis. But a multidisciplinary field involving sociologists, urban planners, and psychologists has sprung up to answer questions of whether architecture can aid the elderly, one of the fastest growing demographics in the developed world.”

FourPlans: Best Sellers Under 2,000 Square Feet
Builder Magazine
“The ongoing popularity of small floor plans is evidence that small is the new big. In response, here are four of today’s bestsellers. Small enough to sell, eye-catching enough to garner major attention, these plans shouldn’t be underestimated.”

Consider these findings from a recent study of older Americans (age 55 and up) by the Mature Market Institute:

• Nearly two-thirds (63%) plan to stay in their current home as long as they can. That number rises to 78 percent for those aged 75 and older
• Eight in 10 prefer a single-story home to a two-story or split-level, with 75 percent preferring to have the master bedroom on the main floor
• Windows that open easily rank among the top features that consumers said would help them remain in their homes longer, with 81 percent of consumers citing them as important. Other key desired features include a washer/dryer (90%), ample storage space (84%), and an easily operated thermostat (73%)
• Energy efficiency also ranked high on the list of desired features, with 73 percent of consumers saying that features such as windows with low-emissivity glass and EnergyStar-rated appliances are important to them

Those findings highlight why more than 80 percent of the builders surveyed in the same study indicated that they included Universal Design features in their 55+ community homes.

These features include:

• Wider doors and hallways
• Lever door handles
• Lower kitchen cabinets
• Larger medicine cabinets
• Attached garages with garage door openers
• Non-slip floors
• Larger medicine cabinets
• Easy opening windows

Recent census data shows that more than 29% of Americans aged 64 and over suffer some form of physical disability that makes it difficult for them to climb stairs, open doors and windows, or use a historically designed bathroom. That number reinforces the need for Universal Design when it comes to home building and remodeling for an aging – yet still independent – population.

For more information on Universal Design, visit the Center for Universal Design.

Photo courtesy of Susan Serra Associates via Flickr.