RSMeans book offers home design guidance to make life easier at any age
(Kingston, MA)A new book, Universal Design Ideas for Style, Comfort & Safety, illustrates how “easy-living” principles can be integrated into a home while maintaining up-to-date style and beauty. The book shows how to add comfort and accessibility for people of all ages – tips that will make life safer for children and easier for parents, but also comfortable for seniors and soon-to-be-retiring “Baby Boomers” who want to stay in their homes well into the future.
Each chapter explains how a dwelling can be more comfortable and accessible for every person, regardless of age, height, weight, and physical ability. Beautiful, full-color photos on every page provide expert design ideas for room layout and furniture arrangements, materials, fixtures, storage and appliances. These attractive solutions offer high function, but not a hint of the institutional look that some people may associate with accessibility.
The book also provides inspiration and tips for accessible patios, decks, landscaping and entryways. Most of the projects involve items that can be obtained from home centers like Lowe’s and Home Depot. Further information is provided for specialty items. Resources include industry leaders such as the Center for Universal Design the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The book also presents practical information on how readers can move from the “dream” stage to the initial planning stages for these improvement projects. Tools include sample cost estimates for more than a dozen projects to help readers plan and budget, and a checklist of desirable features for purchasing a new home.
The book was developed by Lexicon Consulting, contributors to more than 45 books and magazines on topics related to home design, decorating and building, —and also by RS Means, North America’s leading publishers of construction cost and reference information.
Universal Design Ideas for Style, Comfort & Safety can be viewed and purchased online at the RS Means Bookstore
Reed Construction Data, a division of Reed Business Information, is a leading North American provider of construction information through a diverse portfolio of innovative products and services. Reed offers its customers construction project leads, building product information, construction costs, market analytics and construction news through a suite of online and print references — all valuable resources for architects, engineers, contractors, manufacturers, distributors and other professionals in the construction industry. For more information, visit www.reedconstructiondata.com or call 877-REED411.
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