Have you considered all things around your home, both inside and outside?

Yesterday I was about to start writing my series of posts describing how, room-by-room, Universal Design makes homes livable for a lifetime when I had the most exasperating phone call. I was attempting, obviously unsuccessfully, to describe the importance of considering UD components NOW before problems arise when the person skeptically and somewhat sarcastically cut me off mid-sentence, “So that’s great, you help OLD people stay in their homes.” NO, all people! I wanted to shout but didn’t. Recycling houses isn’t about waiting until the last minute.

After ending the fruitless conversation, I thought, “That person totally didn’t get it”. It’s so ingrained in people’s minds the assumption that an owner or tenant must eventually adapt to their housing (i.e. move or stop using areas of the home) rather than modify the house to suit their circumstances. Even better, design and BUILD the house so anyone can visit or remain independent, safe and comfortable regardless of age, income or ability.

So while reviewing what went wrong during the call and why I failed to express myself, I decided to postpone describing specific UD solutions in the home until defining concretely what’s meant by aging-in-place. I’ll start by describing what it’s NOT, aging-in-place isn’t DYING-in-place. That would be a nursing home.

Aging-in-place means remaining in one’s CURRENT home safely and comfortably throughout multiple life stages and circumstances. Imagine suffering a sports injury and being on crutches, could you get upstairs or take a shower? How would you get into and out of bed if you were in a wheelchair? How much fun is it carrying luggage into your home? These hassles don’t necessarily have anything to do with a person’s age, yet typical building code sows a harvest of inconvenience and obstacles.

Then again, nobody is getting any younger and it’s demographic fact that our population of people over 65 will double over the next decade. National Public Radio ran a four-part series during their afternoon broadcast All Things Considered which concluded with “Building Homes to Age In”. You can access Jennifer Ludden’s series through that link, including this interactive tour of a home designed with UD features. Notice the convenience for anyone of any age and that the purposeful design is not noticeable!

I’ll conclude with personal finance and law. Everyone has to live somewhere and assisted and related health care costs continue higher so planning financially will happen sooner or later. Toward that end, localities and states realize the costs associated with the coming Age Wave and are already incentivizing residents, with tax breaks and fewer regulatory restrictions, to help themselves to relieve the crush on social services. Two new laws took effect in July pertaining to Universal Design including this one requiring Virginia’s Department of Aging to develop guidelines.

So Universal Design isn’t “just for old people”, you’ll save more money planning now and every single one of us is aging-in-place so why wouldn’t we build houses that enable us to stay put no matter our personal circumstances?

On my morning jogs during family vacations in Hilton Head Island, I enjoy gazing at the multi-million dollar homes. As I run, each vacation or retirement home seems more luxurious than the ones I’ve passed and I can only imagine what they’re like inside.

But now that I know the the principles of Universal Design, I view those fancy houses from a different perspective. I see owners who will either spend big bucks to retrofit or eventually they’ll be forced to move because they built a dream home without considering accessibility and usability for decades down the road. For example, many of these gorgeous homes have grand staircases leading to the front entry or from the foyer to the second floor. How will the occupants navigate with large luggage or when they become elderly and begin to lose mobility?

Why would someone in their peak earning years, typically early forties, build a dream home or “the last house I’ll ever own”, decked out with all the latest features, and not consider how they might age? Obviously, they’re either not considering or they’ve chosen to worry about it later when it becomes a burden.

But when you understand Universal Design and regardless of whether you’re living in an expensive home, you appreciate the primary UD principles of simple, intuitive, flexible use with low physical effort and tolerance for error as simply good design, period. If you were carrying a stack of boxes, golf clubs or pulling a baby stroller or luggage, would you prefer to climb steps or move inside through a zero clearance entry? Would you prefer to bend over to plug your vacuum into an outlet that is one foot or two feet off the floor? Same with landscaping, would you prefer to tend a raised flower or vegetable garden or the traditional ground level?

As the media gives more attention to aging-in-place and Universal Design, there’s a tendency to view these convenient and smart features ONLY from a perspective of curing a deficiency or limitation, “Oh, that’s for people in a wheelchair.” BuilderFish wants everyone to know about these alternatives as the “best practice and preferred way”, which will keep people in their homes longer. Our mission is to help people avoid assisted care facilities. If you eventually need assistance, you can get care providers to visit your residence. Doesn’t it seem silly to build a nice home you’ll eventually out-live?

Over the coming weeks, I’ll describe room by room ideas for Universal Design. If you’re building new and not tearing into existing walls, certain aspects of UD, like raising the height of outlets and switches, doesn’t add a single cent to project cost. Other UD components can be implemented after a trip to the hardware store (e.g. swing-away door hinges for increased clearance). In other words, existing owners should look around their homes, gauge how many more years they think they can stay and make corrections or modifications now before something becomes an urgency.

As I jogged during vacation, I imagined how excited these owners must have been designing and moving into their beautiful homes and how sad it will be for some of them to be forced to move only because they didn’t account for life’s long haul or changing circumstances. Prevent that from happening to you by understanding UD and recycling your home to accommodate multiple life stages.

Are we there yet? Pretty close

While we cannot yet commute in hover craft, the Jetson’s home has mostly become reality. Technological advances make nearly any task in a home able to be automated and monitored remotely. I’d even go as far to say EVERY task but I’m not certain, although wouldn’t be surprised, whether that includes cleaning the bathrooms. (But won’t that day be glorious!?!)

Increased competition has driven down prices. I’m not exaggerating that, after installation, the recurring cost for even the most comprehensive home automation system is less than what many consumers shell out monthly for mobile phone service or cable/satellite television.

If you can dream it, there’s likely a system for anything you’re attempting to achieve. Home automation (also called domotics) complements Universal Design, particularly our mission of recycling homes to help people avoid the nursing home, because the technology helps people maintain independence longer by promoting ease, safety, accessibility and peace of mind. Depending on individual circumstances, home automation delays a forced move, or perhaps even postpones the need for assisted care, therefore preventing residents from out-living their homes.

But aside from supporting aging-in-place or livability for people with disabilities, automating a home also improves energy efficiency, security and simple convenience. For owners of vacation or second homes, these systems reduce the necessity of a physical presence and can be configured to accomplish everything from closing/opening drapes to regulating utilities and property access for maintenance people or grounds keepers.

But surely it’s complicated to operate, right? If you’re comfortable managing a cell phone or email, you can set up and monitor these systems, and some services even do that for you. The manufacturers and vendors absolutely must design their systems to be intuitive and user-friendly; they wouldn’t be able to sell very many if it were akin to launching the space shuttle.

To give you an idea of the possibilities, I’m posting a pair of links from The New York Times written about adult children and their aging parents. The articles, “Monitoring Mom and Dad” and “The Technology for Monitoring Elderly Relatives” include links to service providers which assist with everything from taking medication to activities of daily living.

Aside from the WOW-inspiring gadgets, I found most interesting the discussion about the balance between worried adult kids wanting to ensure safety and older Americans who don’t want their children incessantly pestering them. Funny how the tables turn in life from parents looking after children. I’m glad to know there’s middle ground which makes everyone happy.

photo courtesy Ruth Fremson The New York Times

First, Brendan Marrocco survived, just that was miraculous, now he is not only adapting and overcoming his circumstances, but succeeding better than others before him. Marrocco epitomizes determination. An indomitable spirit, he is willfully pushing himself toward renewed independence. The New York Times published his story over the holiday weekend and reading it affected me but that’s not why I’m sharing it.

Inspiring for many reasons my point here is to emphasize what our soldiers survive. Aside from his loss of limbs, note the blood loss and how quickly Specialist Marrocco was transported to world class surgical care. The now 23-year old is among nearly a thousand service members who have lost limbs in combat since the wars began in 2001. Traumatic brain injuries have also surged due to the terrible consequences of explosions. In past wars, these soldiers would’ve died but now they must prepare for a different future and reattain quality of life.

Today survivors rehabilitate, leave the military, regain their independence and begin new lives working or going to school. BuilderFish will serve them as an approved builder with the Veterans Administration (VA), designing, modifying and constructing accommodating features to help our veterans adapt, overcome and attain their wants, need and dreams.

We’ve been accredited by the Better Business Bureau. From the beginning we planned to join but I’ll admit the process was more    involved than I imagined. The BBB doesn’t simply collect dues and rubber stamp “membership”. They interview you about your  company and verify your credentials before an accreditation committee approves your application.

We hold dear transparency and delivering as promised so we’re pleased about the BBB’s serious approach to accountability. We  already practice their standards for honest dealing but it’s good to also have an accountability partner.

“How can we afford the cost?” Many families stare at their budget and wonder how they’ll pay to help care for a family member. According to the 2010 Genworth Cost of Care Survey, the median (half below/half above) annual rate for a private nursing home room was $75,190, the expense compounding annually 4.5 percent since 2005.

In many cases, budget-buckling cost leads to the early institutionalization of a loved one simply because family members don’t have homes equipped or designed to deal with health/mobility challenges, or extra occupants, and the parent’s home has become unsafe or unlivable for various reasons as simple as navigating between rooms. The “solution” becomes limited to selling the elderly owner’s home and using the proceeds to move them into some level of assisted living. Families often feel foreced into this option even though they would choose to do otherwise if they had more money.

But what if you used the amount that would’ve been devoted to moving your loved one and instead restructured their home or yours so they could “age in place”? If retrofitting the current home isn’t feasible, build on your property an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), also known as a “granny flat” or “in-law suite”.

ADUs are independent units with a separate kitchen, bathroom and bedroom(s) either within the primary residence or on the same property. An ADU could be a detached unit but isn’t necessarily. For example, an apartment over a garage, basement or a separate detached/attached building. (An aside for cash flow investors, there is crushing demand for accessible housing in most communities and the possibility of grants.) An ADU should be built to satisfy the principles of Universal Design, to ensure ease and safety, so the appropriate layout of an ADU would be determined by the occupant’s circumstances (e.g. zero clearance entry for someone with mobility challenges). But ADUs could be the solution for anyone, even active adults who simply need temporary housing part of the year because they travel or have another home elsewhere.

Occupancy of an ADU is often limited to no more than two or three persons to include a spouse, child and/or care giver. The occupant(s) may need to be related to the owner of the single family home.  Local zoning, HOA regulations and well/septic limitations must be considered; however, there is a pressing need for accessible housing for older Americans and the disabled so special use permits or variances should be explored.

I’ll point out another noteworthy statistic from Genworth’s survey, while the cost of facility-based care has increased substantially, rates charged by home care providers have remained relatively flat the last five years, an increase of only 1.7 percent annually since 2005 (i.e. a median hourly rate for licensed care of $17.50 in 2005 to $19.00 in 2010). Obviously, it gets more expensive with more specialized, round-the-clock care. However, depending on the situation and solutions, you could still spend less avoiding institutional care by combining the benefits and freedom of in-home care and either retrofitting or building an ADU.

The opportunity cost decision boils down to quality of life, safety and whether to improve or move. Building an ADU is one alternative for welcoming someone into your home to help them maintain their independence and enjoyment of life.

Not your typical soap dish

(This is the fifth of an on-going series about real estate flipping. My introductory post covered the basics and the third described an investor’s proper mindset before planning improvements.)

Every investor aspires to lead the pack, to be ahead of where the market is going before the herd follows. Given present day dysfunction in the credit, commercial and housing markets, this is particularly important for real estate investors, both cash flow and flip. For example, many are exploring lease-purchases and subject-to structures to buy time, wait out problems (e.g. appraised value, credit markets, unqualified buyers/tenants) and hopefully boost profits, or stem losses. If you’re going to make money in real estate, you absolutely must research and plan ahead as the speculative gravy days are over.

With being ahead of the game in mind, here’s an idea for making your investment property shine from a marketing perspective, appeal to a wider buyer/tenant audience and be at the forefront of a burgeoning demographic, seniors aging in place, and a continually expanding one, the disabled. (One quick comment about the latter, many perceive “disabled” as only “physical limitations” but brain injuries suffered from an accident or among war wounds are one of the fastest growing hardships facing residents who must rely on timers and monitors to prevent accidents in the home.)

To be ahead of the market, rejuvenate your investment property with features appealing to older Americans or residents with limited mobility. As the cost of assisted and nursing home care sky-rockets, there’s already crushing demand for this housing. Whether improving a cash flow or flip property, incorporate Universal Design (UD) into your renovation, especially if you’ll be moving walls and re-working electrical/plumbing anyway. Same holds true for the exterior, think about entrance areas where you could replace steps with zero clearance access. UD is nothing more than common sense application of simple features usable by a person of any life stage or condition (e.g. seated or standing, tall or short, young or old). In our region, those ages 65 and older will grow by 77 percent by 2020, according to Livable for a Lifetime.

Before I give a few ideas, I want to rebut the typical objection, “Profitable investors don’t over-spend on improvements.” Absolutely true but you don’t have to rebuild to practice UD and the improvements aren’t necessarily expensive. And to overcome the “ugly” objection, UD components aren’t necessarily even apparent. This my friends is a grab bar that supports 350 pounds. Could you tell at first glance?

cookware organizer courtesy Rev-A-Shelf

Here are some common sense ideas which promote convenience and EASE for all ages:

• place a shelf or bench under a covered entrance (imagine fumbling with keys while holding a bag of groceries in a downpour)
• replace knobs with levers (single lever faucet)
• redesign or eliminate base kitchen cabinets by substituting a rolling cart that fits underneath a counter (within a +30-inch finished opening) or retractable shelving

Each suggestion improves livability and CAN BE achieved smartly, sharply and inexpensively. Who wouldn’t want to rent or buy an investment property with these convenient features so why not offer to improve your odds as an investor? Incorporating these amenities into your investment property doesn’t necessarily require extra money, just additional thought. The benefit is a more appealing home to a broader audience, not to mention helping your community meet an urgent housing need. So go Universal with your investment property to shine above the competition and be ahead of the market.

How does your house breath, too tight or too loose?  You’ll know and actually feel it if you hire a certified analyst to conduct a blower door test as part of a comprehensive home energy audit.

Most older homes are too loose, the owners are heating and cooling the Great Outdoors because so much air is leaking. Some new homes are too tight and require mechanical ventilation of fresh air. Owners relying on common sense to self-diagnose may be inclined to blame the HVAC system or windows even though the problem might be corrected with the addition or re-working of insulation or caulk. Regardless a whole house audit including blower door test points to the problem areas, you’ll literally feel air coming through cracks or porous areas within the home’s envelope.

I tagged along as BPI certified Laura Fiori of Key Green Energy Solutions assessed an 8-year old home. A home energy audit is comprehensive and includes an owner interview about usage, a review of utility bills and a whole house tour of all areas inside and outside (e.g. attic, crawl space, garage, exterior) including systems and appliances. Similar to a home inspection, owners are encouraged to attend.

Laura Fiori, Home Energy Auditor, Key Green Energy Solutions

The star of the show if you will is the blower door test. After inspecting the entire house, Laura hooks the blower door fan unit into an exterior doorway and then takes baseline readings. The blower door device indicates the air-tightness of buildings and pinpoints leakage. The calibrated fan tracks the airflow rate and a pressure-sensing device measures air pressure created by the fan flow. Consideration of the fan flow in comparison to pressure determines the air-tightness.

I had never seen a blower door test so I imagined (wildly I’ll admit) it would be like an Everglades fan boat pulling the furniture toward the front door and we’d have to strap down the family pets. Or that it would suck all the oxygen out of the house to zero gravity and we’d have to wear a spacesuit. (OK, I’ve dreamed of being an astronaut, some say I am :>)

Anyway, it was nothing like that, the fan wasn’t even as loud as my leaf blower but it did pull air from inside the home at about the same speed I’d guess as a Shop Vac. It wasn’t obnoxious, but it was certainly revealing. Laura takes owners around the home and you can feel with the palm of your hand where air is coming through, and it’s often not where you would’ve guessed beforehand. For instance, in the home we analyzed, the windows didn’t leak but air was pulling up through the floor vents, not from inside the duct, but from within the slim, uninsulated space BETWEEN the metal liner and the wood floor, less than the width of a credit card. Air came through the power outlets, which are typically not insulated. Around the entire house, anywhere air could move inside from outside, the blower door pulled it through its fan (i.e. the opposite direction of what it would be doing if you’re heating and cooling outside). Imagine sucking air out of a plastic soda bottle until the sides collapse and that’s the fan’s similar effect to a lesser degree.

Laura Fiori, BPI certified, LEED AP

I want to be careful not to leave the impression the energy audit is just a fancy fan test. There’s way more to it and the auditor compiles a thorough written report and also performs follow up testing once the owner implements recommended fixes.

I learned what an owner initially thinks is the problem, for example an under-sized heat pump, may not be an issue whatsoever. The energy audit shows exactly where air is coming and going so you can plan the most cost effective remediation and save money from guessing incorrectly. In other words, the whole house energy audit is money well spent so you’ve got a game plan and you don’t fix something that maybe didn’t need fixing. You would be much happier re-insulating instead of replacing a HVAC system if that’s all that’s required.

The beauty of this test, whatever the issue, you’ll start saving money the next month you remedy the problem. So if your electric meter spins like a roulette wheel with you as the big loser with each month’s utility bills, it’s time to diagnose within your walls where you’re blowing money by getting a blower door test and complete energy audit.

Curb Appeal: They're doing it wrong.

(This is the fourth of an on-going series about real estate flipping. My introductory post covered the basics and the third described an investor’s proper mindset before planning improvements.)

Let’s review. Flip investors often make two money mistakes which chew their profit pie: underestimating quiet/holding costs and over-improving a home for a given neighborhood. It’s understandably easy to go overboard fixing a place because you’ve spent hours locating a diamond in the rough and you’ve fallen in love with the possibilities; but, the key to boosting and protecting your eventual net gain on sale is not to reproduce a diamond but rather appeal to a broad audience so the home sells quickly. You want your flip home to look sharp, but not necessarily be biggest, best and brightest in the neighborhood. Remember this series is looking from the perspective of a flip investor assessing what future buyers will find attractive in the eventual purchase property. I’m going to cover some generalities but neighborhood specifics will drive the improvements, which is why if you’re just landing on this post I encourage you to read first Know the Hood.

Sharp but not showing off

So how do you achieve pretty but not prettiest? You research other homes around the subject property and then spend money on improvements that carry the best return without getting carried away. In the last post, I promised a room-by-room consideration of what’s smart versus showing off and flushing cash. Let’s start with the first thing potential buyers see when they get out of their car, the “curb” to the front door. Here I’ll deal with landscaping, no doubt important, only from the perspective of curb appeal.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 80 percent of buyers begin their search for a new home on the Internet. If you’ve done proper neighborhood research and gotten to know some of the residents, you’ll also likely generate some buzz from within the neighbor’s sphere. Regardless how potential buyers arrive at the flip home, they’ll judge in seconds whether to get out of car to explore based on what they see as they pull up, this is why curb appeal is so critical for preventing the about-face or drive-away. You could have the Sistine Chapel inside but they’ll never see it if the outside is displeasing.

So what are the important visual points as someone arrives? Buyers’ eyes will scan top-down, starting from the roof to the siding, front door/threshold, driveway, sidewalks and overall appearance of the yard. I’ll cover the roof and siding another time but will mention now that you can’t take shortcuts fixing a roof and not have it draw attention like a siren. At the same time, you don’t want to install a copper roof if the rest of the homes have asphalt shingles. Same thing with siding, what’s typical?  Would a spot fix draw attention?

Your best friends for cost effective exterior improvement are mulch, paint and power-washing. You can inexpensively power wash anything so that’s a good place to start to learn whether that will do the trick, including sidewalks and driveway. If the walkway path is paver stones, power washing can bring to life by blasting the dirt from crevices. Before replacing anything, give it a good cleaning and see how it looks.

Paint is perhaps the greatest bang for the buck, you recoup nearly all your expense. The front door and threshold is critical for drawing a visitors’ eyes, so much so that it could very well be worth getting a brand new door; however, try first repainting and polishing and/or replacing the hardware (door knob, kick plate). If the front door is so aged and beyond cleaning help, then replacing with something that’s typical for the neighborhood is probably a good expense.

The yard should be green and clean so, depending on the time of year, throwing some weed and feed or grass seed isn’t a wallet buster. Keep the grass cut and don’t skimp on mulch. Some investors lose control buying bushes and other expensive plantings. Keep it simple, edge, prune and mulch with a few basic flower selections that won’t offend or be too daunting to maintain. Remember not to cross the line showing off because you’re just needlessly spending. Mulch (or chips) keeps down weeds and makes certain areas look organized and more “landscaped” than what you really spent. Edge with a flat bladed shovel before mulching to make crisp the border between mulch and yard. (Edging also holds in the mulch.)

Rehearse by walking the path buyers will from their car. Stand back and look at the big picture and then stare at specifics along the course to the door. What sticks out or draws attention away from the entrance? Cracks in the driveway or sidewalk, weeds, overgrowth, clutter (e.g. garden hose or knick knacks), spotty painting/repair, damaged exterior light fixtures, all of this needs to be rectified, short of replacing if you can improve without covering up! (which could be fraudulent). Don’t forget the mailbox (worth saving?) and I’ll address gutters when I write about roofing, siding and shutters.

Finally, relate to the front door as the Grand Entrance, although it isn’t Vegas. If you’re going to splurge on something, the front entry is a key focal point so consider a new planter, light fixture(s) or door hardware. You only get one shot to make a good first impression and you want the buyer to tour the inside of the house so the entryway sets the tone but the view from the curb gets them out of the car so make sure everything is orderly, green and clean.

Please read this if you reside in a home or have a young child who attends child care facilities or schools built before 1978. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented a new law April 22, 2010 requiring any contractor who disturbs paint in homes built before 1978 to be certified as “lead safe” by following strict procedures when renovating. The work practices include comprehensive methods for protecting neighbors from drifting lead dust.

Before any work begins, contractors must hand out this brochure, which includes basic facts and resources. I recommend you read it, simply for general health awareness at a minimum. The EPA organized the information clearly without sensationalizing or getting too technical. It’s an easy read.

Because of the recent housing boom, many people perceive lead paint isn’t pervasive or that big of a problem. Unfortunately, that’s untrue. First, the median year built for U.S. homes is 1973, and lead paint was used in over 38 million homes before it was banned in 1978.

Also, the scope of the problem is somewhat unknown because the most common way lead gets into the body is via dust, in the air, within the soil and on other surfaces, and many renovation projects obviously create dust through sanding, cutting, heat stripping and demolition. Literally you can track lead into your home.

Children under age six are most susceptible because of their typical hand-to-mouth behavior. Even seemingly healthy children could have dangerous levels of lead in their body depending on where they spend the majority of their day. I don’t want to scare or hype but lead is dangerous to anyone.

So please read and save the EPA’s 10-page brochure Renovate Right, you might not live in a pre-1978 house but maybe you live next door to one and you’ll want to be aware of something your neighbor is doing that might affect you or your family’s health.