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An accessible home
There are two points from which to create an accessible home: as a renovation or the design of a new home, perhaps focused on individual need.

Designing a new home Ideally, select a level or near level site. Such a site allows the construction of a home with a single floor level and facilitates design for access. It is possible to build an accessible house on sloping land but the design may need ramps to enable changes of level.

If the land is not perfectly suited to an access-friendly home, there are architectural techniques that can be employed to ensure the house design is easy to live in and can be navigated by all. If the land is on a slope, it may be possible for the house to sit near the top of the slope with a driveway leading close to the front door, so the car does all the climbing.

Attention needs to be paid to access to and around the home at the time it is being designed. Functional and recreational parts of the site need to be easy to move between. This includes paths of access to clothes drying space and outdoor living areas.

Renovating or extending
If the house exists but needs to be renovated, it is a good opportunity to enhance access. We can provide ideas about the design of many aspects of a home that can make a new house or renovation more accessible for everyone.

Indoors User-friendly housing should be both aesthetically pleasing and functional. To achieve this the spaces inside a house need to be easy to move around. The layout needs to make life easy by connecting functional destinations such as laundry and clothesline, or carport and kitchen.

These logical connections are usually made in home designs but often the corridors and other circulation routes are too narrow or have pinch points that restrict access. One of the most effective ways to solve these access problems and to maximise the use of available space is to employ an open-plan design.

Room to move A home designed with good access in mind is more liveable for everyone and is likely to meet the needs of its inhabitants as the years pass. The improved access will benefit children, elderly people and those with disabilities. Specific provision may be needed for a person with a particular disability. For example, a person using a wheelchair may need greater clearance between items of furniture and doorways that are designed to enable their passage.

The goal is to plan the space well for its function and intended users.
The most accessible layout for a house is one with generous open spaces and as few passageways as possible. Hallways, especially narrow corridors, can be difficult for many people to navigate.

Bathrooms
For its area, the bathroom is often the most expensive room in a house to construct and furnish. It is also one of the most important rooms to get right. The functional value of a house is greatly diminished if the occupants cannot comfortably use the bathroom and toilet. A successful bathroom will be designed to enable access to fixtures and facilities even as the users' needs change over time.

Bathrooms involve complex issues and should not be constructed without reference to the Australian Standards.

A bathroom built with universal access in mind will benefit all users. Allowing enough room for a person in a wheelchair to manoeuvre adds to the comfort of all users. Installing a shower with a level entry means clearer access for everyone and makes it possible for a person in a wheelchair

to use the shower if the need arises. As bathrooms and toilets are expensive to renovate, it is worth considering how they may be adapted to provide support for future users and their needs.

Kitchens
The kitchen is perhaps the most welcoming part of a home. Extend the welcome. The kitchen is not just a place where food is prepared. The kitchen's comforting tastes and aromas invite people to gather and share. If a kitchen is to be truly welcoming surely it must be accessible to everyone in the house.

A kitchen may be designed to be generally accessible by integrating well considered spaces for preparing food and dish washing, effective lighting, well placed storage facilities, and handles and controls that are easily operated.

An accessible kitchen is more likely to suit a family's needs as they change over time and to meet the unforeseeable needs of future home owners.

Alternatively, a kitchen may be personalised to the needs of a particular individual. The bench-tops may be lower than average for a person who uses a wheelchair, contrasting colours may be used to assist those that are vision impaired.

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