Have you recently become handicapped or disabled or had your mobility impaired? If so, you’re probably finding it something of a struggle adjusting to your home. Of course, your home has not changed, and that’s precisely the problem. Your house probably used to be a place of comfort and security, but because it cannot adapt to your situation it has become a hassle, a hurdle, and right now you’re probably thinking about what your options are. You could hire a live-in nurse, but that would mean bringing a stranger into your home and would rob you of a great deal of privacy. You could move to an assisted living facility, but that would mean you would have to leave your home and give up the idea of independent living almost entirely. Or, perhaps, you could adapt your home to meet your needs. This process seems like it might be complex and expensive, but it’s actually more cost effective than either of the other two options described above.

Community Renovations is a commercial and residential contractor located, conveniently for those who live in West Bloomfield, MI in Grosse Ile. Though we take on an extremely wide range of projects every year, we are perhaps most proud of (and well known for) our barrier-free program. The main concept of barrier-free is that homes can be constructed or adapted to be fully handicap accessible. However, our barrier-free program is based around the principles of universal design, which means that the barrier-free buildings we built or redesign are just as usable, comfortable and functional whether you’re disabled or not. Universal design states that buildings should be made ideal not just for one subsection of the population but for as many members of that population as possible. Universal design is built around seven guiding principles. Here is a short guide to them:

1. Everyone should be able to use a universally designed building equally. No changes which benefit one group to the detriment of the other should be made.

2. There should be some flexibility to the building’s design. You want the design to be streamlined so that navigation is easy, but at the same time you don’t want to make it so rigid that the homeowner is afraid to move a piece of furniture.

3. All appliances and tools within the building should be simple and intuitive to use.

4. Any information needed to live comfortably within the building should be obvious or, at the very least, easy to identify through the user’s perception.

5. There should be some room for error. Things can and probably will go wrong at one time or another and you don’t want the space to lose all of its functionality just because one fuse blew.

6. The use of devices and appliances within the building should require as little physical effort as possible.

7. There should be enough space to live comfortably, whether the homeowner is a wheelchair or are able to walk normally. Everything in the home should be accessible to as wide a range of people as possible.

If you’re interested in implementing universal design in your home and you live in the West Bloomfield area be sure to contact Community Renovations today.