LOUISVILLE, Colo. — The day before the Marshall Fire, Louie Delaware and his family threw a party to celebrate his daughter’s engagement.
It was a great celebration of memories in his Louisville home. The next day, the home burned down. Now, Delaware and his family look to the future as they rebuild, aiming to make their new home completely accessible – built for living and aging in place.
“We’re basically making this so this house is ready for anybody’s needs,” Delaware said. “From somebody maybe in a wheelchair or a walker or somebody who may have had a temporary setback in their life.”
Delaware is the founder of the Living in Place Institute, where he teaches builders and designers how to create spaces that are accessible for people of any age.
His new home will include a lot of features common in spaces where people age in place:
- You won’t be required to use steps to access the front door.
- Outlets on the walls will be higher so people don’t have to bend down to plug things in.
- The faucet for the hose in the backyard will be raised, as well.
“The sort of features we’re putting into this house should be in every house,” Delaware said. “Basically making the house so it functions for you instead of against you.”
To see a walkthrough of the design of the bathroom in Delaware's new home, click here.
Delaware called his new home an “Idea Home” and said he will offer tours to industry folks after the home is completed later this year or next year. He said he hopes to create models like this across the country, where builders, designers and even potential homebuyers can try out the features and see how they work.
He said the cost of the improvements adds about 2% to the cost of building a new home.
“Yes there is a bit of an incremental cost to doing this, … but if you can save money by not having to go into, let’s say, assisted living and be in the place you want to be … the payoff is huge," he said.
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