A Checklist for Universal Design and Livable Homes


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Accessible Pathways & Entrances:

___	Provide a clear obstacle free walkway of at least 36” width to front doorway from the vehicle parking area, and sidewalk, if present.
___	Provide at least one no-step entrance to the home which may be accomplished with careful grading of the walkway run.
___	Walkway grading should not exceed a pitch or angle producing 1 foot of rise for every 20 feet in length.
___	Install handrails on steps and porches where needed.
___	Covered overhang at entranceway for inclement weather protection.
___	Optional package shelf at front entranceway for parcels, groceries, etc.
___	High-visibility address numbers, illuminated if possible.
___	Front door should be 36" wide with a maximum ½" high threshold with beveled edges.
___	Lever-set easy to grasp front door handle with dual-function release deadbolt preferred.
___	Provide a 5'x 5' level clear space both outside and inside of main entry doorway.
___	Full-length sidelights(s) at entry, or window in door to see visitors, or double peepholes one at normal height and the second at 42" height.
___	Install a front doorbell able to be heard throughout house.

Interior Features Throughout:

___	In multi-story homes consider locating a bedroom & bathroom on the ground floor , and also stacking two closets for a future elevator install.
___	All doors to rooms and closets to be 34” to 36" minimum width.
___	All floor thresholds should not exceed ½" height and have beveled top edges.
___	Provide easy-to-grasp lever style door handles throughout @ 36”ht.c.c
___	Use lightweight interior doors with about five-pounds of force to open.
___	Provide 18" minimum space beside in-swing latch side of doorway.
___	All hallways to be at least 42" to 48" minimum clear width.
___	Use commercial grade, non-slip, easy to maintain flooring surfaces and low pile or loop carpeting over thin dense commercial type padding throughout the home. (No VOC materials are preferred).
___	Avoid small throw rugs. Large area rugs should have anti-slip backing.
___	Window sills in living, dining, and bedroom areas should be 30" height maximum from finished floor.
___	Install non-glare skylights to provide daylighting wherever possible.
___	Thermostats should have large print easily readable numbers and controls, and mounted at 53" height from finished floor to center of thermostat (48" height for wheelchair user).
___	Provide adjustable height poles and shelves in all closets.
___	Avoid floor elevation changes whenever possible.
___	Select furniture that has rounded corners , and properly scaled for each room to allow easy movement. Select furniture of the correct firmness, and easy to get in and out of.
___	Employ the use of color contrast between door jambs & adjacent walls. Use light colors, or off whites on all walls. Avoid dark colors.
___	Install automatic-on night lights in bathrooms and pathway leading from bedrooms to bathrooms.
___	Select high energy-efficient appliances and products throughout the home.
___	Choose all products and finishes that minimize maintenance and upkeep. Select materials that do not produce volatile organic gases.

Lighting and Electrical Throughout the Home:

___	Provide good lighting to illuminate exterior paths to entrances and especially at all entrances.
___	All areas and rooms to have high quality Energy Star rated fluorescent general illumination and task lighting. Light fixtures to have electronic ballasts, and linear or compact fluorescent lamps in 3500k color range.
___	All electrical wall outlets to be grounded type and mounted at 14” to 18" height from finished floor to center of outlet.
___	All light switches to be large rocker-type, preferably illuminat ed. Locate at the entrance of each room, within easy reach, and mounted at 42" height from finished floor to center of switch.
___	Install energy-saving "automatic vacancy sensor" wall switches in bathrooms and closets with a manual-on and automatic time-delay off feature when the room or closet becomes vacant. This also applies to exhaust fan switches in bathrooms and laundry.
___	Provide telephone jacks in all rooms mounted at 14" to 18" height from finished floor to center of outlet. Consider a wall mounted phone in bathroom, laundry, and kitchen for convenience and safety .
___	All light fixtures and window treatments should provide glare-free lighting.
___	Install automatic-on night lights in bathrooms and pathway leading from bedrooms to bathrooms.
___	Consider installing glare free skylights & light tubes to bring in natural daylight.

Kitchen:

___	Provide a 5' diameter clear open space in kitchen.
___	An L or U-shaped counter with the sink, cook-top, and oven works best and allows moving heavy or hot items safely. Countertop should be 34” to 36" height from finished floor.
___	Vary kitchen counter heights when applicable, for easy use by both tall and short people.
___	Use easy to maintain countertops such as laminate , granite, quartz, or other durable materials. Try to avoid very dark colors, and ceramic tile as the tile grout collects mold and is difficult to maintain.
___	Radius or bevel all counter corners for safety and consider contrasting border edge color.
___	Provide at least 18" to 24" of clear countertop surface at both sides of cook-top and sink, and at least 24" of clear countertop surface at one side of refrigerator and built-in oven.
___	Cabinets should have VOC free box construction. Avoid materials containing Formaldehyde. All lower cabinets to have full extension drawers instead of doors and fixed shelves, except under sink and cooktop which should be finished and fully accessible.
___	Cabinet doors and drawers should be easy to open and easy-to-grasp handles.
___	Use 170 degree hinges on cook-top and sink cabinet doors to allow maximum barrier-free access.
___	Sink & cook-top lower cabinets to have a clear open space underneath approximately 30"wide x 27"high x 19" deep.
___	Heat insulate all exposed waste and hot water lines.
___	Mount upper cabinets at 15" height from counter top instead of standard 18".
___	Consider the option of glass door upper cabinets for good content visibility.
___	Dishwasher unit to be elevated at least 6" to 9" height from finished floor.
___	Wall-mounted oven should be installed at height so that center of control panel is about 48" from finished floor, and center shelf is about level with adjacent countertop. Select self-cleaning and convection features, and oven should have easy to read and operate controls.
___	Provide heat resistant surface counter-top adjacent to oven for easy and safe transfer of hot dishes from oven.
___	Consider using a free-standing microwave unit set on counter-top for ease of use. Over-range units are too high and potentially dangerous.
___	Cook-top to have easy-to-reach, see, and grasp front located controls.
___	Floors, walls, and cabinet sides under sink and cook-top to have finished surfaces.
___	Sink should be 18 gauge stainless steel with 6" deep basins and drains offset to rear..
___	Faucet to be single-lever, or ergonomic dual handle, high arc type with pull-out spray head.
___	Install anti-scald valve at outlet line side of main hot water heater, set at 120 degrees maximum.
___	Install exhaust fans with correct airflow capacity, very quiet operation features, and Energy Star rating.
___	Mount kitchen exhaust fan control switch at front of counter or where accessible for easy reach when seated.
___	Provide electronic ballast fluorescent lighting under upper cabinets.
___	Provide fluorescent recessed or surface ambient lighting fixtures with electronic ballasts and lamps in 3500k (preferred) to 4100k range in kitchen for good even general illumination.
___	Select easy-to-maintain, water and slip resistant floor surface materials in light color preferred for kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms.
___	Mount a grease fire fighting type fire extinguisher in an easy-to-reach location in kitchen. Have unit periodically serviced.

Bathrooms:

___	Bathroom entry door should be 36” width.
___	Provide a 5' diameter clear space in bathrooms, or a T-shaped 3'x 5' with 2'x5'-T space.
___	Resilient floor surface material is recommended such as contract grade, no-wax, slip-resistant sheet vinyl in light color. Try to avoid using ceramic tile for floor, counters, and shower walls.
___	Provide in-wall plywood or blocking reinforcement to allow later installation of grab-bars with 250# load support capacity around all tub, toilet, and shower walls.
___	Install heavy duty towel bars securely mounted in case of need to grasp during a fall.(250# minimum load support)
___	Bathroom sink cabinets to have 30" wide x 27"high x 19" deep clear open space underneath to allow a seated person to easily use.
___	Insulate exposed hot water and waste lines under sink, or hide behind easily removable panel.
___	Single lever or ergonomic dual lever sink faucet with anti-scald valve in hot side set at 120 degrees maximum. (If not already installed in main hot water heater outlet line)
___	Mount mirrors and medicine cabinet with bottoms directly above sink rear backsplash height to allow easy use when seated.
___	Bathtub to have non-slip bottom, and a 24" minimum full length seated drying space alongside when possible.
___	Offset mount bathtub lever type controls near to the entry side of the tub, when possible to facilitate use.
___	Install an anti-scald valve set at 120 degrees maximum for hot water line in tub. (If not already installed in main hot water heater outlet line)
___	Provide a curb-less shower unit with minimum 36" wide by 60" long non-slip base, and sufficient room for an optional 48" x 60" unit.
___	Offset mount single lever type shower control mounted near entry to shower. Mount control valve at 36" height measured from center of control knob or handle to finished floor.
___	Shower spray unit to have a 6' long flexible hose and detachable hand held shower with water shut-off button or lever on head. Mount on a secure HD vertical slider bar unit, able to support a 250lb load.
___	All shower walls to have "in-wall" plywood or blocking reinforcement to allow later installation of grab-bars ( minimum 250lb load support capacity).
___	Avoid using ceramic tile in bathrooms to prevent grout mold buildup, especially shower, and tub surround. Select materials that facilitate ease of cleaning and maintenance.
___	Bathroom to have a 60" diameter clear open space, or t-turn space per details.
___	Install exhaust fan with correct airflow capacity, and quiet 1.0 or less sones noise level operation, controlled by a separate vacancy sensing switch with a "manual-on and automatic timed-delay off feature".
___	Lighting: Linear or compact fluorescent fixtures using 2-lamp, 48" long surface mounted wrap around acrylic diffuser light fixture, with electronic ballast and T8, 3500k lamps, or decorative wall mounted compact fluorescent light fixture using a minimum of (4) - 13 watt compact fluorescent lamps. Mount directly above vanity mirror. Recessed "can" type light fixture above shower and/or tub light fixtures to be moisture resistant type with compact fluorescent lamp.
___	Toilet to be 16-1/2" to 17-1/2" height, elongated "comfort height" type unit.

Bedrooms:

___	All closets should have height adjustable poles and shelving
___	Provide good fluorescent lighting in all closets . Mount switch directly adjacent to and outside the closet doorway for ease of use
___	Closet doorway should be at least 36" clear opening width minimum.
___	Provide high quality fluorescent ceiling mounted general illumination light fixtures in each bedroom in addition to table-top and wall mounted task lighting. Energy Star fan/light combo units.
___	Provide 36 "clear space on two sides of the bed and 60" clear on the closet side.
___	Provide a telephone jack near the bed in the master bedroom.
___	Bed mattress height should not exceed 22" from finished floor to mattress top for easy entry and exit.

Laundry & Utility Room:

___	Select a washer and dryer with front-load and front mounted, easy-to-use and read controls. Platform mount the washer and dryer approx. 9" from finished floor.

The end....

974 Bremen Way
Alpine, CA. 91901

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