Universal Home Design

Universal design is all about designing for everyone, including those of us who become less able either through disability or as we age. It's something that concerns us all. If you are designing a home that you plan to be living in into your old age, then thinking about aging in place in advance is a must.

It's like future proofing your home.

You also never know when you might become injured and really appreciate the convenience of some accessible home features while you heal.

It doesn't mean that all the modifications have to be built in now, but the planning needs to be in place so that they can be easily added when the time comes. With good design you can make your life at home easier and safer, allowing you to live independently for longer.

Aging in place is a fantastic resource, particularly this page on home modifications.

Universal home design and building codes

At time of writing (end 2024), universal design principles are not required by the building code for single dwelling residential homes in most countries including the United States.

Universal Design is part of the code in many countries for multi-family housing, publix buildings and workplaces.

Other good resources are....

Homemods.org - here you can find tips about modifying your home and find a contractor that can do the modifications for you.

USC (the group behind homemods) also have a useful pdf which gives design suggestions and other technical info such as key dimensions.

The AARP also have a useful pdf with a few extra suggestions.