How is an aging baby boomer generation changing the design of homes?

Universal design is based on several concepts:

[source: Connell et al.]

To see what this looks like in practice, let's take a virtual tour of a home that incorporates universal design. Stepless entry is a hallmark characteristic of a universal design home; it's easy for anyone to enter. When you open the door, notice the lever door handle. It's much easier than a door knob when your hands are full of groceries or if you have arthritis.

On the ground floor, you should find everything you need, from the kitchen to a bathroom, but most notably, at least one bedroom should be on the ground floor. It will probably be the master bedroom, so that when the occupants can't climb stairs anymore, they'll be able to live on just the first floor.

Just because everything's on one floor doesn't mean that boomers won't have two-story homes; rather, guest bedrooms or home offices might be upstairs. If a home does have more than one level, stairs should be stained slightly different colors to aid someone with poor vision. Another option might be to install stacked cabinets, which can be converted to install an elevator when you need one to get from floor to floor.

No matter which room you head to first, you'll be walking in wide hallways -- everything should accommodate a wheelchair's turning radius. Not in a wheelchair yet? Everything will just look spacious and open. You're likely walking on hardwood floors as opposed to movement-restricting carpet. Light should be abundant throughout the home, and light switches, as well as outlets and thermostats, should be no higher than 48 inches (1.2 meters) off the floor [source: Perkins].

In the kitchen, everything is placed for easy use by both a person in the wheelchair and a standing person. The microwave is on the counter as opposed to mounted within the cabinets, and the countertops and cabinets are a bit lower than in some houses.

Nature's calling, so let's check out the bathroom. The toilet is higher, and the countertops are set at different levels to accommodate different users. Instead of a bathtub, there might be a walk-in shower, which could become a "wheel-in" shower if necessary. The wall of the shower has been reinforced so that a grab bar can be added for someone who needs help getting in and out of the shower. And don't think that a grab bar will look straight out of the nursing home -- many companies are now making more stylish accessories for aging baby boomers, including designer shower chairs and grab bars.

On the next page, we'll learn about incorporating universal design.

Incorporating universal design may only add about 5 percent to the costs of building a home, compared to building a similar home without universal design features [source: Taylor]. Sometimes there may be no cost difference at all, representing a tremendous savings from a retirement community.

It is, however, much more expensive to remodel an existing home to incorporate universal design than it is to build a universal design home from the ground up; some features put in as part of a retrofit may cost 20 times more than if they'd been put in at the start [source: Dupes]. For example, installing a wider doorway during home construction may only cost $6 more than a conventional home, the cost of a bigger door. If done as part of a remodel, it may cost $650, to account for the reworking of the doorway [source: Burney]. Installing an elevator in a home with stacked cabinets could cost about $20,000; the same project from scratch is closer to $50,000 [source: Burney].

But whether you're building a new house or remodeling, you shouldn't wait until you need universal design features to start incorporating them. If you're interested, it's time to start planning -- it's too late if you've fallen and your home doesn't accommodate a wheelchair.

It's never too early to start thinking about universal design, either. As you might have picked up from our home tour on the previous page, not just the elderly will benefit from the features, and they're not noticeable unless you need them. A wide hallway will help a young mother with a stroller and lowered light switches will be reachable for children.

Incorporating the features may also increase the value of your home, because anyone can live there. By 2030, 70 million people will be over 65 -- that's 20 percent of the U.S. population [source: Gardyn]. Neglecting universal design features may cause many potential buyers to overlook your home, and as more boomers demand these features, universal design may become mandatory. Already, the state of California has a voluntary universal design code, and some cities and counties are creating zoning categories to encourage universal design construction.

If you're not sure which features you'll need, help is available. While more contractors are becoming familiar with these concepts, you might look for one that's been specially trained. In 2002, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) created the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) program in association with the AARP. The program trains professionals on how to design and create a home that meets the needs of the aging. During the course, contractors and designers step away from the drawing board to experience moving through a home in a wheelchair and trying to open a door while holding tennis balls to simulate arthritis. To find a CAPS professional, check out the NAHB's directory.

You can find more stories and links on aging, baby boomers and housing on the next page.