When you are designing a new home, or doing alterations, consider features that will improve access and ease of movement for people with mobility problems and for everyday activities, such as vacuum cleaning.

Making homes accessible

When considering your house design, keep in mind ease of movement in a variety of situations, allowing for:

• Ease of shifting furniture around.
• Access for prams.
• Access for people who are temporarily disabled – such as being on crutches after breaking a leg.
• Access for people with more permanent disabilities, such as those requiring assistance to move around, or those using a wheelchair.
• People who may have trouble opening doors and windows (due to arthritis, for example).
• People who have sight loss.

Designing for movement doesn’t necessarily mean making the house larger. It does mean using the available space wisely, for example, doing without passageways, or having wider doorways, or rounding off corners.

There are requirements in the Building Code (Clause D1 Access) providing for the safety of people, including those with disabilities, moving into and around buildings. The council must be satisfied that these provisions will be met when you apply for building consent.

Keeping access-ways level to allow ease of access in and out of the house needs special design to ensure the water doesn’t also find a way in - for example by providing wider than normal eaves over the entrance or extra waterproofing at the door.

An excellent source of information about building accessible homes is a BRANZ publication Homes without Barriers. It is full of diagrams and advice for anyone involved in the design or alteration of houses to accommodate those with disabilities and the elderly, and is equally useable by building professionals and homeowners. For more information contact BRANZ on 04 237 1170 or branz@branz.co.nz or go to their website: www.branz.co.nz.

‘Knock-proofing’ surfaces

Consider these ideas for protecting walls and other surfaces from wear and tear:

• Consider using wall linings that are more resistant to knocks and hard wear in hallways and other high use areas.
• Consider using paints that are scratch resistant and washable.
• Consider solid timber around the doors and in the skirtings for longer life.
• Use hard-wearing floor coverings.
• Install doorstops to stop door handles breaking the wall linings.
• Consider rounded corners on wall linings to avoid chipping from vacuumming and normal traffic, especially in hallways, entrance ways and main living areas.