A recent Chilliwack Times article put Englewood Courtyard and its all-inclusive design in the spotlight!
The article focused on Brad McCannell, a quaripilegic SAFERhomes inspector. Although Brad uses a wheelchair to get around, he still had no problems navigating the entire first floor of the complex.
To Brad and the SAFERhomes Standards Society, housing design that is both safe and easily accessible is the cornerstone of their organization.
“For every Brad, there are 1,000 grandmothers with exactly the same needs in housing”, says Pat Simpson, one of the executive directors of SAFERHomes. According to Pat, this is much more than a disability issue. “Fix the homes so that our seniors can remain independent and you get Brad a normal home as a byproduct.”
We’ve talked about the SAFERhomes standard before, but it’s really quite revolutionary. The changes are small, subtle even, but can make a huge difference to residents. A wider doorframe doesn’t cost any extra to build, but can help accommodate walkers, scooters, and canes. Thicker lumber walls in the bathroom will increase the final bill by a fraction, but allows safety bars to be mounted properly.
The total cost of these changes comes out to around $350 (or about the cost of a new dishwasher). If someone were to renovate their home after it was completed to add these features in, it would cost upwards of $50,000.
“As a retiree why would you be buying a new condo unit that did not provide the features required for you to age in place?” asks Mark Perry, developer of Englewood Courtyard.
“SAFERhome Certification adds value to the Courtyard retirement development by providing the building features that today’s retiring baby boomer desire,”
We’re proud to say that Englewood is definitely setting the bar for more all-inclusive housing in the future. “Mark Perry’s Englewood is the most advanced housing in Canada,” Simpson says. Many organizations like BC Housing and the Homeowner Protection Office are keeping a close eye on Englewood to see the benefits and costs of SAFERhomes firsthand.
Want to read more about SAFERhomes? Check out our blog post here.