I feel the information contained within my book, "Age In Place At Home"  is so important for families searching to find answers concerning their traditional home once any family member has experienced health changes interrupting the family's daily cadence. These changes might include a broken limb, the affects of a constantly degenerative disease like MS, or a stroke, just to name a few. Once the afflicted person can no longer enter their bedroom or have adequate use of at least one bathroom's facilities, the family is aware their home has an architectural problem. The interrupted family becomes aware they need some sort of home modifications to help cope with the personal changes of the affected family member, but do not know where to turn for help. This is where the book comes into play. The news of my book's availability warranted reposting because it is an invaluable reference tool for any family unit going forward in reference to their home's possible modifications to increase accessibility. After over a year of writing to fulfill my customers' requests, my new book, "Age in Place At Home," is available for purchase from Amazon. Go to the link below to order my paperback book, which was released in late November, 2022. It provides a great guideline for using the principles of Universal Design in new home construction and/or remodeling for every room in your home to accentuate universal accessibility for those needing it the most. Get your copy today.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?C=2Z24ENUUAEWUK&K=13Y7YU7PKKYAC&M=urn:rtn:msg:20221010201802eb9acb7b24004a4785cd2ec1d4f0p0na&R=3R6MK9WDXJPH7&T=C&U=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0BHTV28RV%3Fref_%3Dpe_3052080_276849420&H=7FWEPMGCH0TT8LN6SKPMUOCVJNYA&ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

A home's adaptability is one of the most desired qualities within a person's home during some point in their life as their or their family's physical needs change. The need for specific modifications to enhance accessibility can be short term while recovering from an accident or illness at any age, or  these home alterations may become permanent. The special individual needs within a family may concern an adult or a child. Universal design principles don't discriminate between any family members regardless of age, size, or ability because they are inclusive. Hence, every family member is accounted for. Learn how to adapt your home environment to satisfy your family's needs in David Traut's new book, "Age in Place at Home".

T-Square Company, in Austin, Texas, practices Universal Design/Build ideas for accessibility to seamlessly segue into what is generally needed for Aging in Place. The essence of my book is to advise people so they understand why our traditional homes are obsolete to us, the homeowners, the minute they are completed and we take possession. The book offers advice to overcome these overwhelmingly problematic areas of the home. This understated and overlooked fact is represented by the methodology used to create the traditional home. These homes are built to satisfy our immediate lifestyle and physical needs on the day we close on the house, with no regard for the future. The new home lacks adaptability to satisfy our needs once our bodies physically change beyond the purchase date. If we had incorporated the Universal Design principles into these new homes, those same homes would adapt to our changing family needs including every inhabitant regardless of age, size, or ability. The lack of home adaptability is not the consumers fault, they have always been unaware of how to reference the problem and accepted what the housing market produced. They were unaware of what to ask for. Hence, the status-quo of homebuilding has been perpetuated  for over a hundred years.

T-Square Company offers all types of Universal Design home modifications to better prepare you and your family for your unforeseeable future home accessibility needs on a design/build basis. It is a fact, existing, traditional homes must be modified to increase their accessibility using correct designs. Become aware and embrace the knowledge that the principles of Universal Design offer greater home accessibility for every one of your home members, from your father to your son. This is why the process is known as inclusive design. 

David L. Traut, CAPS, has been involved with accessibility for nearly thirty years for the VA, HUD,  and private residences. He is nationally certified in Universal Design in the United States and Australia. Contact him at 512-444-0097 for a professional home assessment to guide your future accessibility needs or at www.tsquareco.com. Simply fill out your information on the contact us page.

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Are You And Your Family Prepared For The Future?

The sudden onset of a disability can significantly impact a family's daily lifestyle in various ways:

• Changes in caregiving responsibilities: Family members may need to take on caregiving roles to support the disabled individual, which can require time and adjustments to daily routines.
• Financial considerations: The cost of medical expenses, assistive devices, and home modifications can strain a family's finances.
• Mobility and transportation: Depending on the disability, transportation options may need to be adapted, which can affect school, work, and social activities.
• Home modifications: The need for wheelchair ramps, accessible bathrooms, and other modifications may be necessary, impacting the home environment.
• Emotional and psychological impact: Family members may experience stress, emotional strain, or guilt as they adapt to the new circumstances.
• Social life: The family's ability to participate in social events and outings may change due to the disabled family member's needs.
• Education and employment: Family members may need to adjust their work or school schedules to accommodate caregiving responsibilities.
• Healthcare management: Coordinating medical appointments, therapies, and medications becomes a part of the daily routine.
• Community support: Families may seek support from local disability organizations or support groups to help navigate these changes.
• Recreation and leisure: Finding accessible recreational activities can be a challenge, impacting the family's leisure time.

It is essential for families, prior to facing such life challenges, to take proactive measures toward universally preparing their inaccessible home for future evolving personal needs. Therefore, all periodic home remodels should include elements of Universal Design in every area of your home. This positive action will alleviate or lessen the affects of many of the sudden impactful changes brought about in the aforementioned list. The family should also communicate openly, seek external support, and work together to adapt to the new lifestyle and ensure the well-being of all members. 

The constantly evolving concept known as Universal Design for home building and remodeling is catching on nationwide and has been for several years as a sign of the times. Universal design in housing refers to the concept of designing living spaces and homes to be accessible and usable by people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. The goal is to create environments that accommodate a wide range of individual needs and preferences without the need for costly or specialized modifications. Universal Design techniques used in building or remodeling makes a home more accessible to all regardless of their mobility or adaptive abilities and at any age.

An evolution of new products used for disability home modifications is making Universal Design homes more accessible and has finally come about in the remodeling industry. These new advances in accessible home remodeling not only keep the living environments safer but will not compromise the home's aesthetics or resale value. Furthermore, this new way of thinking offers flexibility to add accessories now and later to those planning ahead or to the end user. It also provides for a wide range of human performance characteristics for the way people use spaces within their homes including well integrated usability features.

There are seven criteria which must be met to be considered a Universal Design no matter which area of the home you are referring to. Any design must be equally useful to everyone, have flexibility in usefulness, be simple and intuitive, be perceived by everyone, have a tolerance for error, require little physical effort, and it must maintain an adequate area for approach and use. Any complexity or discriminating attribute to a design will doom it in terms of being considered universal in nature.

Universal Design Is Inclusive Design For All!

Universal design aims to create inclusive living environments that promote independence and quality of life for everyone, including individuals with disabilities, older adults, and families with young children. It's an important concept for promoting accessibility and social inclusion in housing design.

While Universal Design is a human centered concept making up an overlapping design philosophy, this concept of design came about by the recent disability movement of our aging population and the quality of life created by an increased user concept. An evolution in building ideas which deals with a larger all-inclusive society rather than a select group will make our homes more livable and sustainable in the future. Small changes can make a great difference with practice and understanding of the antiquated architecture which has evolved as the norm. It has been demonstrated that a need for functionality and usability has been lacking within our existing home inventory and the standards and codes from our municipalities must catch up with the needs of our society as a whole. When everyone can benefit it just makes common sense. Observing other aging groups in our society and the personal perils they face has finally brought about a new way of thinking about the living environment. Universal Design is beneficial to all abilities and ages offering practical solutions for specific differences in people. We have long needed a new vision representing a home that works for everyone and this attitude is becoming the new reality stemming from a revolution.  This new building revolution, using Universal Design, is helping to create new accessible homes along with ways to make the older homes more accessible. 

Universal Design does not equate to accessibility design even though they both are concerned with ergonomics and human function issues. The ADA guidelines for accessibility were created as a means to help those people with extreme disabilities within our society who are a narrow and specific cross section of the masses. A Universal Design approach proactively takes into account moderate impairments or disabilities, temporary health conditions, and the varying abilities of anyone within a home regardless of their age or size. In other words, an ADA accessible home is designed for the one person exhibiting a disability, whereas a Universal Design home is designed for everyone and avoids kneejerk reactions to later seen health issues. Features like one story design, bedrooms and bathrooms on the ground floor, natural day lighting through larger windows and skylights, and wider doors and hallways appeal to users of all ages. With baby boomers eyeing a future where they'll Age in Place and younger people renovating older homes, the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies is anticipating healthy growth for the U.S. home improvement market through 2025.

T-Square Company in Austin, Texas has been offering design/build accessibility projects to their clients incorporating the principles of Universal Design for over twenty-five years. We specialize in Universal Design Ideas. David L. Traut, CAPS, the owner-president of T-Square Company is certified in Universal Design. He has published a book entitled "Age in Place at Home :Adapting the Home Environment for All Generations" which is available through Amazon. The book covers identifying and overcoming common accessibility shortcomings within a traditional home. Within it's pages, David takes you through a home interior showing you how and where to apply Universal Design aspects in every room. Since Universal Design seamlessly segues into Aging in Place needs, it is a how-to book worth reading. Incorporating Universal Design principles into your home facilitate future Aging in Place goals, while comfortably addressing the diverse needs of all ages and mobility levels living within your home at any time. This book is a great reference for aging homeowners, parents of special needs children, homeowners moving in their elderly parents, and multi-generational living situations. Always remember, home accessibility is not exclusively age-related, but it must be appropriate for those needing it the most. 

After over a year of writing to fulfill my customers' requests, my new book, "Age in Place At Home," is finally available for purchase from Amazon.  Go to the link below to order my paperback book, which was released in late November, 2022. It provides a great guideline for using the principles of Universal Design in new home construction and/or remodeling for every room in your home. Get your copy today.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?C=2Z24ENUUAEWUK&K=13Y7YU7PKKYAC&M=urn:rtn:msg:20221010201802eb9acb7b24004a4785cd2ec1d4f0p0na&R=3R6MK9WDXJPH7&T=C&U=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0BHTV28RV%3Fref_%3Dpe_3052080_276849420&H=7FWEPMGCH0TT8LN6SKPMUOCVJNYA&ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

A home's adaptability is one of the most desired qualities within a person's home during some point in their life as their or their family's personal needs change. Specific needs to enhance a home's accessibility can be short term while recovering from an accident or illness at any age, or  these home alterations may become permanent. The special needs may concern an adult or a child. Universal design principles don't discriminate between any family members regardless of age, size, or ability. Every family member is included. Learn how to adapt your home environment to satisfy your family's needs in David Traut's new book, Age in Place at Home.

T-Square Company, in Austin, Texas, practices Universal Design accessibility to segue into Aging in Place seamlessly. The essence of my book is to advise people so they understand why our homes are obsolete to us, the homeowners, the minute they are completed.  This fact is represented by the methodology used to create the traditional home. They are built to satisfy our immediate lifestyle and physical needs on the day we close on the house, with no regard for the future. The new home lacks adaptability to satisfy our needs once our bodies change beyond the purchase date. If we had incorporated the Universal Design principles into these new homes, those same homes would adapt to our changing family needs including every inhabitant regardless of age, size, or ability. The lack of home adaptability is not the consumers fault, they have always been unaware of how to reference the problem and accepted what the housing market gave them. They were unaware of what to ask for. Hence, the status-quo of building has been perpetuated  for over a hundred years.

T-Square Company offers all types of Austin Universal Design home modifications to better prepare you and your family for your unforeseeable home accessibility future on a design/build basis. Existing, traditional homes must be modified to increase their accessibility using correct designs. Become aware and embrace the knowledge that the principles of Universal Design offer greater home accessibility for every one of your home members, from your father to your son. This is why the process is known as inclusive design which is a part of our universal design/build ideas. Furthermore, T-Square Company specializes in Austin elder living solutions and Austin senior home modifications. 

David L. Traut, CAPS, has been involved with accessibility for nearly thirty years for the VA, HUD,  and private residences.  T-Square Company offers a complete assortment of Aging in Place services in Austin. Contact him at 512-444-0097 for a professional home assessment to guide your future accessibility needs or at www.tsquareco.com. Simply fill out your contact information on the "contact us" page.

.

After over a year of writing to fulfill my customers' requests, my new book, "Age in Place At Home," is finally available for purchase from Amazon.  Go to the link below to order my paperback book, which was released in late November, 2022. It provides a great guideline for using the principles of Universal Design in new home construction and/or remodeling for every room in your home. Get your copy today.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?C=2Z24ENUUAEWUK&K=13Y7YU7PKKYAC&M=urn:rtn:msg:20221010201802eb9acb7b24004a4785cd2ec1d4f0p0na&R=3R6MK9WDXJPH7&T=C&U=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0BHTV28RV%3Fref_%3Dpe_3052080_276849420&H=7FWEPMGCH0TT8LN6SKPMUOCVJNYA&ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

A home's adaptability is one of the most desired qualities within a person's home during some point in their life as their or their family's needs change. These specific needs to enhance accessibility can be short term while recovering from an accident or illness at any age, or  these home alterations may become permanent.  The special needs may concern an adult or a child. Universal design principles don't discriminate between any family members regardless of age, size, or ability. Every family member is included. Learn how to adapt your home environment to satisfy your family's needs in David Traut's new book, Age in Place at Home.

T-Square Company, in Austin, Texas, practices Universal Design accessibility to segue into Aging in Place seamlessly. The essence of my book is to advise people so they understand why our homes are obsolete to us, the homeowners, the minute they are completed.  This fact is represented by the methodology used to create the traditional home. They are built to satisfy our immediate lifestyle and physical needs on the day we close on the house, with no regard for the future. The new home lacks adaptability to satisfy our needs once our bodies change beyond the purchase date. If we had incorporated the Universal Design principles into these new homes, those same homes would adapt to our changing family needs including every inhabitant regardless of age, size, or ability. The lack of home adaptability is not the consumers fault, they have always been unaware of how to reference the problem and accepted what the housing market gave them. They were unaware of what to ask for. Hence, the status-quo of building has been perpetuated  for over a hundred years.

T-Square Company offers all types of Austin Universal Design home modifications to better prepare you and your family for your unforeseeable home accessibility future on a design/build basis. Existing, traditional homes must be modified to increase their accessibility using correct designs. Become aware and embrace the knowledge that the principles of Universal Design offer greater home accessibility for every one of your home members, from your father to your son. This is why the process is known as inclusive design. 

David L. Traut, CAPS, has been involved with accessibility for nearly thirty years for the VA, HUD,  and private residences.  Contact me at 512-444-0097 for a professional home assessment to guide your future accessibility needs or at www.tsquareco.com. Simply fill out your information on the contact us page.

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Perhaps you haven't personally experienced a problematic living situation concerning your home yet, but you might know someone who has. It could concern a family member, a friend, or just a person in your neighborhood. These unfortunate scenarios are too common in our society, as everyone is living longer due to modern medicine; but this situation is not age-related. Health problems can appear unexpectedly at any age. Our traditional homes commonly lack accessibility for any residents or their visitors who are even slightly challenged. The truth is, all of our houses are built for unchallenged, healthy people of a "normal" size. The moment any diversity to what each of us knows as near perfect health expresses itself, the realization we need a better and more adaptable "mousetrap" comes to mind in regards to our home. The doors in the house aren't wide enough, the rooms are too small, the hallway is too narrow, the floors aren't level or are slippery, the stairs aren't negotiable, the bathroom facilities aren't useable, and the kitchen is not user- friendly. The list goes on-and-on when you are living in a status-quo home. But now people can become educated and know what to ask for before a life-changing problem arises. Rest assured, you have the ability to proactively prepare your traditional home for future life changes before they happen. Hence, there is no need for you or your family to suddenly become trapped inside it's walls! Let's come to understand a design solution exists which has been stigmatized because of it's decades-long association with disability. Learn to ask for it by name.

Universal Design, also known as barrier-free design and design for all, refers to broad-spectrum ideas meant to produce buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to non-challenged people, older people, people of any age who are mentally or physically challenged, and people overcoming an illness or physically-altering accident. In general, it represents a universal need in future housing and pertains to adding safety and accessibility in an existing home for all people regardless of their size or physical well being at any time. The purpose of the design is to provide equal access to anyone into and throughout the home. Universal Design adaptations have a broad market appeal to everyone for achieving ease-of-use and convenience accommodating a certain reality. The reality is that all people exist along a continuum of human performance as per their personal traits and characteristics regardless of their age. A universal approach to design takes into account that everyone has varying degrees of ability and disability; rather than someone is either fully-functional or disabled. Universal Design is neither a design style or trend but is an approach to designing home access for as wide a range of diverse people as possible.

As a solution to our inaccessible housing predicament, applying Universal Design is important because current design standards for housing do not address the design needs of more than one-third of our population. Too often, the designers of homes allow the built environment to define the capabilities of the resident, rather than the opposite being true. That has always been the problem evidenced by the current inaccessible housing inventory. People typically purchase a house according to their needs of the day, never considering their future needs. This way of thinking has perpetuated the problem of inaccessibility within traditional homes. Incorporating Universal Design principles into today's houses allows for our antiquated architecture to be redefined by both our changing human needs and abilities. It has the ability to span all generations of inhabitants. The sooner the principles exist in a home, the longer it can be enjoyed by everyone; because no one is excluded. Home accessibility should be a concern no matter what your age. If your concerns are not for you, barring any life changing accident, they could concern the accessibility and safety for another generation's independence. As we become more life-experienced, our society is beginning to realize our homes should be flexible to accommodate future life changes. This benefit alone will afford adapted housing the ability to conform to our needs. Hence, society will understand the significance of a forever home. The physical life changes involved can be long-term or of short duration while recovering from an accident or disease. Regardless, the home is prepared for what comes next through the use of Universal Design.

The recent Aging in Place phenomena deals with reactive home modifications to existing homes due to health changes of one or more residents. The adaptations allow the inhabitants to remain within their home safely as they age. A planned Universal Design home quietly and proactively addresses abrupt issues without calling attention to anyone. The design simply anticipates the homeowner's changing needs. The modifications can be performed room by room overtime or all at once. Furthermore, Universal Design segues seamlessly into what is required for Aging in Place. However, we cannot conceive or solve all future situations for everyone because we all age differently with our own list of specific needs. In extreme cases, a specialized accessibility design comes into play customized around a single person's needs.

But what about the costs involved in a home using Universal Design? Utilizing Universal Design in a new build home isn't necessarily more expensive than a status-quo traditional inaccessible home. It generally approaches a three-to-four-percent overall increase. The same building techniques are involved in both; but the Universal Design home is designed with more forethought and expertise to improve safety, accessibility, and comfort. Consequently, if you are remodeling an existing home, incorporating the principles of Universal Design, it is more costly on the order of fifteen-to-twenty-percent because you not only have the updated building costs to consider but the demolition costs as well. The same remodeling costs for the preparation of a revised layout are involved with any type renovation prior to the modifications beginning, whether the final appearance is traditional or universal in nature. 

Basically, Universal Design principles involve 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. Using Universal Design, there are seven design criteria which must be met to be considered a Universal Design no matter which area of the home you are referring to. Any design must be (1) equally useful to everyone, (2) have flexibility in it's usefulness, (3) be simple and intuitive, (4) be perceived by everyone, (5) have a tolerance for error, (6) require little physical effort, and (7) it must maintain an adequate area for approach and use. Any complexity or discriminating attribute to a design will doom it in terms of  being considered universal in nature. However, what better way can you improve on a home's total visitability?  The term visitability pertains to anyone entering freely into a home, having unrestricted maneuverability throughout the home, and having the ability to enter and utilize a bathroom's facilities without assistance. 

Whether you refer to this needed housing revolution today as accessible design, inclusive design, or Universal Design, it is all about making a home safe, attractive, and easy to use for all residents. It has nothing to do with the age, agility, or status of life for anyone living within the home. The main intent of this way of thinking is to be sure the inhabitants and their visitors are equally able to enjoy their home throughout their entire lifetime. This way Aging in Place can be accomplished without the expense and hassle of having to make periodic or interfering abrupt changes to the home to meet a person's ever-changing physical needs. With Universal Design, you have the ability to proactively plan for all stages of your life cycle using forethought which, once discovered, you ultimately find is just common sense. Even if you are in perfect health, you can be disrupted by a minor mishap. A more serious injury changes things forever once you no longer have all your abilities.  Universal design ideas do not strictly deal with accessibility or Aging in Place design and does not implement precise ADA standards; but it does offer flexibility to add accessories now and later to those planning ahead or to the end-user. It also provides for a wide range of human performance characteristics for the way people use spaces within their homes including well integrated usability features. Hence, a Universal Design/build project is appealing to all users.  

Can you envision building a house as a young adult that you can live in safely and comfortably while you age no matter what your basic physical needs require? In this home, visitors are never problematic if they exhibit limited mobility or other issues. This flexible Universal Design home contains wider doorways of 36-inches or more and adequately lit hallway widths of 42-48-inches to accommodate a stroller, wheelchair or walker. There is a wide-open feeling of comfort throughout the house's main living areas in the bathroom, kitchen, and living area that do not restrict moving about. A five-foot turning radius is observed throughout the home. Wood blocking is installed behind the finished walls in all wet areas to accommodate secure grab bar installations at the proper time. The towel racks in the kitchen are installed so they can double as grab bars once you become unsteady from lack of balance. All the no-step entryways from the front door to the shower entrance are smooth to prevent tripping from high thresholds and all flooring transitions are level. Non-slip flooring is installed, especially in wet areas, using cork or smaller floor tiles which in turn increase friction from the grout lines. All doors and faucets are controlled by lever hardware. Sinks inside the bathroom and kitchen have roll-under capability. Within the sink base cabinets, doors or roll-out shelving are installed until the roll-under design is needed. Full-extension drawers and pull-out shelves are installed in lieu of doors. The cabinet tops and work areas throughout the house are placed at varying heights to promote adaptability. This universal designed home is barrier-free without looking modified and is accessible to everyone no matter their age, size, or capability of movement. Furthermore, this home is usable by everyone from your father to your son.

David L. Traut, CAPS the owner of T-Square Company in Austin, Texas is one of the select group of professionals to earn the Certified Aging In Place Specialist (CAPS) designation, identifying him as a home remodeler and builder with the skills and knowledge necessary to remodel or modify a home to meet the unique needs of the older population, disabled owners, or their visitors. Consequently, David is certified in Universal Design in the US and Australia. T-Square Company is a Universal Design contractor offering a full compliment of Aging in Place services including bathroom modifications for elderly clients with special needs. Each design/build project contains the principles of Universal Design. The modifications will be customized to fit your personal needs while increasing your accessibility. Call 512-444-0097 today to begin the accessible second chapter of your life while remaining safe and secure in your existing home. CAPS #1636580

As an answer to his clients requests over the years, David has recently published a book entitled "Age in Place at Home: Adapting the Home Environment for All Generations". The book reflects on thirty years of accessibility improvements and identifies why our traditional homes specifically lack this very basic need. It is available on Amazon and stands as a reference book for increasing home accessibility using the principles of Universal Design in every room of the home. The book dwells on this inclusive design concept as a solution to our current housing dilemma.

I am reposting this invaluable announcement of my book's availability in an effort to help many struggling families who have discovered their home no longer fits their personal physical needs. Sudden or mounting changes among any family members affects how livable and accommodating their present home truly is. Once a major change occurs, modification of your residence must be undertaken or you will face moving to a more accessible home. A home's newly-discovered architectural barriers are represented by problems entering the home, difficulty in using the bathroom or its facilities, or merely maneuvering throughout a familiar residence. My book acts as a guidepost for perplexed homeowners and caretakers trying to determine their family's next immediate direction and imminent future. The first half of the book explains why homes have always been inaccessible, except on the day they were purchased. The second half takes you room by room through the home as I explain how applying the principles of Universal Design for Aging in Place makes the home comfortable and accessible for the largest number of people. 

After over a year of writing to fulfill my customers' requests, my new book, "Age in Place At Home: Adapting the Home Environment for All Generations" , is available for purchase from Amazon.  Go to the link below to order my paperback book, which was released in late November, 2022. It provides a great guideline for using the principles of Universal Design in new home construction and/or remodeling for every room in your home. Get your copy today.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?C=2Z24ENUUAEWUK&K=13Y7YU7PKKYAC&M=urn:rtn:msg:20221010201802eb9acb7b24004a4785cd2ec1d4f0p0na&R=3R6MK9WDXJPH7&T=C&U=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0BHTV28RV%3Fref_%3Dpe_3052080_276849420&H=7FWEPMGCH0TT8LN6SKPMUOCVJNYA&ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

A home's adaptability is one of the most desired qualities within a person's home during some point in their life as their or their family's needs change. These specific needs to enhance accessibility can be short term while recovering from an accident or illness at any age, or  these home alterations may become permanent. The special needs may concern an adult or a child. Universal design principles don't discriminate between any family members regardless of age, size, or ability. Every family member is included. Learn how to adapt your home environment to satisfy your family's needs in David Traut's new book, Age in Place at Home.

T-Square Company, in Austin, Texas, practices incorporating Universal Design for accessibility to help their clients segue into Aging in Place seamlessly. The essence of my book is to advise people so they understand why our homes are obsolete to us, the homeowners, the minute they are completed.  This fact is represented by the methodology used to create the traditional home. They are built to satisfy our immediate lifestyle and physical needs on the day we close on the house, with no regard for the future. The new home lacks adaptability to satisfy our needs once our bodies change beyond the purchase date. If we had incorporated the Universal Design principles into these new homes, those same homes would adapt to our changing family needs including every inhabitant regardless of age, size, or ability. The lack of home adaptability is not the consumers fault, they have always been unaware of how to reference the problem and accepted what the housing market gave them. Buyers were unaware of what to ask for. Hence, the status-quo of building has been perpetuated  for centuries.

T-Square Company offers all types of Austin Universal Design home modifications for Aging in Place and Aging in Place design to better prepare you and your family for your unforeseeable home accessibility future on a design/build basis. Existing, traditional homes must be modified at some unknown point in time to increase their accessibility using correct designs. This collaborative effort is undertaken in order to help the residents who need better accessibility the most. Become aware and embrace the knowledge that the principles of Universal Design offer greater home accessibility for every one of your home members, from your father to your son. This is why the process is known as inclusive design. 

David L. Traut, CAPS, is an Aging in Place specialist and has been involved with accessibility for over thirty years for the VA, HUD, various counties, and private residences.  Contact David at 512-444-0097 for a professional home assessment to guide your future accessibility needs or at www.tsquareco.com. Simply fill out your information on the contact us page.

.

While Universal Design is a human centered concept making up an overlapping design philosophy, this concept of design came about by the recent disability movement of our aging population and the quality of life created by an increased user concept. An evolution in building ideas which deals with a larger all-inclusive society rather than a select group will make our homes more livable and sustainable in the future. Small changes can make a great difference with practice and understanding of the antiquated architecture which has evolved as the norm. It has been demonstrated that a need for functionality and usability has been lacking within our existing home inventory and the standards and codes from our municipalities must catch up with the needs of our society as a whole. When everyone can benefit it just makes common sense. Observing other aging groups in our society and the personal perils they face has finally brought about a new way of thinking about the living environment. Universal Design is beneficial to all abilities and ages offering practical solutions for specific differences in people. We have long needed a new vision representing a home that works for everyone and this attitude is becoming the new reality stemming from a revolution.  This new building revolution, using Universal Design, is helping to create new accessible homes along with ways to make the older homes more accessible. 

There are seven criteria which must be met to be considered a Universal Design no matter which area of the home you are referring to. Any design must be equally useful to everyone, have flexibility in usefulness, be simple and intuitive, be perceived by everyone, have a tolerance for error, require little physical effort, and it must maintain an adequate area for approach and use. Any complexity or discriminating attribute to a design will doom it in terms of being considered universal in nature.

The new (but old) evolving concept known as Universal Design for home building and remodeling is catching on nationwide and has been for several years as a sign of the times.  Universal Design techniques used in building or remodeling makes a home more accessible to all regardless of their mobility or adaptive abilities and at any age. An evolution of new products used for disability home modifications is making those homes more accessible and has finally come about in the remodeling industry.  These new advances in accessible home remodeling not only keep the living environments safer but will not compromise the home's aesthetics or resale value. Furthermore, this new way of thinking offers flexibility to add accessories now and later to those planning ahead or to the end user. It also provides for a wide range of human performance characteristics for the way people use spaces within their homes including well integrated usability features.

Universal Design does not equate to accessibility design even though they both are concerned with ergonomics and human function issues. The ADA guidelines for accessibility were created as a means to help those people with extreme disabilities within our society who are a narrow and specific cross section of the masses. A Universal Design approach broadly takes into account moderate impairments or disabilities, temporary health conditions, and the varying abilities of anyone within a home regardless of their age or size. In other words, an ADA accessible home would be designed for the one person with the disability whereas a Universal Design home is designed for everyone. Features like one story design, bedrooms and bathrooms on the ground floor, natural day lighting through larger windows and skylights, and wider doors and hallways appeal to users of all ages. With baby boomers eyeing a future where they'll Age in Place and younger people renovating older homes, the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies is anticipating healthy growth for the U.S. home improvement market through 2025.

T-Square Company in Austin, Texas has been offering design/build accessibility projects to their clients incorporating the principles of Universal Design for over twenty-five years. David L. Traut, CAPS, the owner-president of T-Square Company is certified in Universal Design. He has published a book entitled "Age in Place at Home :Adapting the Home Environment for All Generations" which is available through Amazon. It covers identifying and overcoming common accessibility shortcomings within a home.  Within it's pages, he takes you through a home interior showing you how to apply Universal Design aspects in every room. Since Universal Design seamlessly segues into Aging in Place needs, it is a book worth reading. Incorporating Universal Design principles into your home facilitate future Aging in Place goals, while comfortably addressing the diverse needs of all ages and mobility levels living within your home at any time. It is a great reference book for parents of special needs children, homeowners moving in their elderly parents, and multi-generational living situations. Always remember, home accessibility is not exclusively age-related, but it must be appropriate for those needing it the most. 

After over a year of writing to fulfill my customers' requests, my new book, "Age in Place At Home," is finally available for purchase from Amazon.  Go to the link below to order my paperback book, which was released in late November, 2022. It provides a great guideline for using the principles of Universal Design in new home construction and/or remodeling for every room in your home. Get your copy today.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?C=2Z24ENUUAEWUK&K=13Y7YU7PKKYAC&M=urn:rtn:msg:20221010201802eb9acb7b24004a4785cd2ec1d4f0p0na&R=3R6MK9WDXJPH7&T=C&U=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0BHTV28RV%3Fref_%3Dpe_3052080_276849420&H=7FWEPMGCH0TT8LN6SKPMUOCVJNYA&ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

A home's adaptability is one of the most desired qualities within a person's home during some point in their life as their or their family's needs change. These specific needs to enhance accessibility can be short term while recovering from an accident or illness at any age, or  these home alterations may become permanent.  The special needs may concern an adult or a child. Universal design principles don't discriminate between any family members regardless of age, size, or ability. Every family member is included. Learn how to adapt your home environment to satisfy your family's needs in David Traut's new book, Age in Place at Home.

T-Square Company, in Austin, Texas, practices Universal Design accessibility to segue into Aging in Place seamlessly. The essence of my book is to advise people so they understand why our homes are obsolete to us, the homeowners, the minute they are completed.  This fact is represented by the methodology used to create the traditional home. They are built to satisfy our immediate lifestyle and physical needs on the day we close on the house, with no regard for the future. The new home lacks adaptability to satisfy our needs once our bodies change beyond the purchase date. If we had incorporated the Universal Design principles into these new homes, those same homes would adapt to our changing family needs including every inhabitant regardless of age, size, or ability. The lack of home adaptability is not the consumers fault, they have always been unaware of how to reference the problem and accepted what the housing market gave them. They were unaware of what to ask for. Hence, the status-quo of building has been perpetuated  for over a hundred years.

T-Square Company offers all types of Austin Universal Design home modifications to better prepare you and your family for your unforeseeable home accessibility future on a design/build basis. Existing, traditional homes must be modified to increase their accessibility using correct designs. Become aware and embrace the knowledge that the principles of Universal Design offer greater home accessibility for every one of your home members, from your father to your son. This is why the process is known as inclusive design. 

David L. Traut, CAPS, has been involved with accessibility for nearly thirty years for the VA, HUD,  and private residences.  Contact me at 512-444-0097 for a professional home assessment to guide your future accessibility needs or at www.tsquareco.com. Simply fill out your information on the contact us page.

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After a Year of writing to fulfill my customers' requests, my new book, "Age in Place At Home," is available for pre-order from Amazon.  Go to the link below to preorder my book, which will be released on October 19, 2022.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?C=2Z24ENUUAEWUK&K=13Y7YU7PKKYAC&M=urn:rtn:msg:20221010201802eb9acb7b24004a4785cd2ec1d4f0p0na&R=3R6MK9WDXJPH7&T=C&U=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0BHTV28RV%3Fref_%3Dpe_3052080_276849420&H=7FWEPMGCH0TT8LN6SKPMUOCVJNYA&ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

T-Square Company, in Austin, Texas, practices Universal Design accessibility to segue into Aging in Place seamlessly. We offer all types of Austin Universal Design home modifications better to prepare you for your unforeseeable home accessibility future. The principles of Universal Design offer greater home accessibility for every one of your home members, from your father to your son. This is why the process is known as inclusive design. 

David L. Traut, CAPS, has been involved with accessibility for nearly thirty years for the VA and private residences.  Contact me at 512-444-0097 for a professional home assessment to guide your future accessibility needs or at www.tsquareco.com. Simply fill out your information on the contact us page.

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The garage is often overlooked when planning an Aging in Place project. A uniquely specified floor plan, special attention in how the house is entered from the garage and adequate lighting for safety encompass a Universal Design in the garage. Wider and higher clearances are required for greater accessibility. Universal Design for garages deals with the garage footprint and the associated maneuvering space around vehicles. The Universal Design garage floor plan includes a wide enough door to accommodate over-sized vehicles. A typical garage measures 22-24 feet in depth and 15-18 feet in width. Potentially accessible van storage changes a current double garage into a single car garage when the wheelchair user is entering or exiting the garage from a side door of the van. A clear five feet turning radius at the loading spot is observed allowing the wheelchair to freely move about. The single vehicle consumes the entire garage space since 15 feet in width is needed for van access on the side. Storage of a second vehicle resumes following the transport and unloading of the wheelchair user. Eighteen feet wide by eight feet tall over-sized garage doors are adequate for most any over-sized vehicle clearance. If rear vehicle ramps are needed for loading or unloading the disabled passenger supplementary space is needed.  The van is backed into the garage for this situation assuring the wheelchair user is underneath a protecting roof.

A typical garage has a 4 inch tire curb bump protecting the home from water flowing in.  This curb bump requires at least a 4 feet long ramp to overcome the change in elevation. The overall garage space is reduced using this accessibility aid. If the sunken garage has multiple steps, consider a space saving vertical platform lift as opposed to an extended ramp. This ultimately saves precious maneuvering garage space. Universal Design entries into the house require a no step entry through a 36 inch wide door. One major advantage concerning garage entries is they provide total weather protection for a disadvantaged person transitioning into the home heading toward the accessible route. To make entering the home even easier, install an electric door opener operated from a smartphone or keypad. It opens with the touch of a button and the integrated electric strike eliminates the need to fumble for keys. The opener has a built in safety delay allowing a person to pass clear of the door entrance before closing.

If adequate lighting in the garage was never a consideration it must be upgraded per Universal Design concepts. Proper lighting is one of the key components in Universal Design. It will help eliminate tripping and falling. At least one or more additional lights are installed where needed to overcome this problem especially in the direct vicinity of the home entrance door. These additional lights can be controlled by a motion switch causing them to come on automatically when anything enters the garage.