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book cover for The Accessible Home

The Accessible Home

Designing for All Ages and Abilities

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Pub Date Oct 23 2012 | Archive Date Sep 14 2013

Taunton | The Taunton Press


Description

The definitive guide to Universal Design. Create beautiful, comfortable, and functional spaces that are safe and accommodating for every person, regardless of age, ability, or life stage.

A truly great home is one that adapts as life changes. The Accessible Home moves beyond basic compliance to embrace Universal Design—a philosophy that results in seamless spaces easier to navigate and more enjoyable for everyone.

This comprehensive resource is essential for anyone planning a renovation, building a new home, or committed to allowing loved ones to comfortably "age in place."

This book provides the practical, detailed guidance necessary to make your home function efficiently for maximum independence. It covers:

  • Whole-House Mobility: Expert strategies for optimizing layouts, floor transitions, and circulation paths, including essential information on ramp placement, stair lifts, and appropriate door widths.
  • Key Room Functionality: Detailed plans for creating truly accessible kitchens and bathrooms, including specialized fixtures, adjustable-height counters, roll-in showers, and easy-access storage solutions.
  • Aesthetic Integration: Techniques for incorporating necessary features—such as grab bars, accessible hardware, and lighting controls—so they blend beautifully and enhance the overall design of your home.
  • Long-Term Value: Guidance on smart home technology integration and making cost-effective choices that ensure your home provides lasting independence and adaptability.


This is the essential resource for architects, designers, builders, and homeowners committed to building a safe, stylish environment that lasts as long as you plan to live in it.
 

The definitive guide to Universal Design. Create beautiful, comfortable, and functional spaces that are safe and accommodating for every person, regardless of age, ability, or life stage.

A truly...


Advance Praise

Deborah Pierce tackles the small problems along with the large in her quest to make wonderful places where people with disabilities can live comfortably and safely. Her thoughtful case studies are full of helpful ideas, many of them little things that make a world of difference to a disabled person. More than that, however, she sets her sights on creating houses that are beautiful, comfortable, and convivial for the entire family and their guests. That is one of the most gratifying accomplishments for any architect. I commend her on this insightful book, which will prove useful--and accessible--to the public and professionals alike. --Michael Graves, FAIA

The home of the future will be a place for people of all ages and abilities - designed with transparent functionality and an inviting, universal aesthetic. Until then, The Accessible Home stands as the roadmap to the universal home. Deborah Pierce presents an elegant overview of the accessibility basics to show homeowners a menu of options -- urban, suburban and even rural. The book celebrates independence, comfort and graceful living; it empowers people to become involved in the evolution of home design. Sam Maddox, Knowledge Manager, The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation

Deborah Pierce has created an inspired, beautiful, and practical book. The Accessible Home will be appreciated by the person/family newly struggling with the realities of changes in her, his, or their abilities as well as the experienced designer needing guidance. I've been reviewing and critiquing books on accessible design for 30 years; this is the most complete home design book I've ever seen. It illustrates the alchemy that occurs in a respectful partnership between designers and their clients. --Elaine Ostroff, Hon. AIA, Founding Director, Institute for Human Centered Design (Adaptive Environments)

Inspiring, visionary, and yet totally down to earth. This is a must-read for anyone designing the home of a lifetime. --Hugh Delehanty, co-author of "Caring for Your Parents: The Complete AARP Guide


This book shows us that an accessible house can incorporate beautiful design and meet the functional needs of the people who live there through their lifespan. It's refreshing to see that access is interpreted widely and includes design for better hearing. 17% of Americans have hearing loss and they will love the acoustical treatments, natural light, round tables, and looped spaces that make communication easier and entertaining fun again. --Brenda Battat, Exec. Dir, Hearing Loss Association of America

The Accessible Home is a comprehensive approach to designing living spaces for people with disabilities from an individualized perspective. It is especially gratifying to see detailed attention paid to the often misunderstood or overgeneralized needs of active lifestyle wheelchair users. I've been waiting to see a book like this for a long time. --Tim Gilmer, Editor, New Mobility magazine.

With The Accessible Home, Deborah Pierce has delivered the evidence that well-designed homes can integrate function without forfeiting style. She not only shares a practical framework for thinking differently about how our homes can minimize limitations, she also inspires us with detailed case studies from across the nation. We all relish the fantasy of a home that expresses our best selves. In The Accessible Home, Deborah Pierce delivers abundant proof that the dream is very much available for anyone with a functional limitation. She illustrates the practical steps to guide a fresh way of thinking and shares the details that are key not only to homes that work but also delight. --Valerie Fletcher l Executive Director, Institute for Human Centered Design

Architect Deborah Pierce gives us a book full of beautiful photographs and creative plans that heralds an exciting future for home design. She dispels many misconceptions and explains clearly how accessible homes are elegant, more functional, and safer for people of all ages
and abilities. --Laura Montllor, Architect, AIA, Executive Director, HomeFreeHome.org

This book is a gem. It provides an excellent framework for the design of living spaces that accommodate the practical needs of people with various special needs in a dignified, functional, and stylish manner. The case studies presented are inspiring examples of how creative, thoughtful design can be both beautiful and empowering for individuals with physical and other limitations. --Eileen Komanecky - Founder, simpleHome, technology resources for smart homes

Deborah Pierce tackles the small problems along with the large in her quest to make wonderful places where people with disabilities can live comfortably and safely. Her thoughtful case studies are...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781600854910
PRICE $39.99 (USD)
PAGES 224