Note: We feel that universal features are not covered in enough detail, which as our demographic ages is necessary in increasing detail for home improvement, both for interior and exterior features. Again, the subject of accessibility is covered in a few of the projects including kitchen and baths and an overall view is provided on page 19.
We've built an accessible house and found that eliminating under-the- counter cabinets in some parts of a kitchen and bath make maneuvering with a wheelchair an easier task ... as well as eliminating the center island so beloved by professional renovators and architects. An old fashioned kitchen table that can be moved or modified easily makes more sense, even if there's no one in the family that uses a walker or wheelchair.
Grab Bars in the bathroom are a universal feature in the Guide. However, we notice that there are no instructions for creating a way to modify a shower entrance for a curbless or ramped entry. We'd also recommend a refrigerator that has a freezer in the bottom part as opposed to the side-by-side in the kitchen layout provided as well as a laundry area stocked with a front-loading washer and dryer. And while you're modifying any part of your house, make sure you consider making the doorways wide enough for a wheelchair entry.
All in the all the two guides we've reviewed here and Black&Decker's Home Decorating and Outdoor Building previously reviewed are thorough and well detailed, easy to follow and the photographs enormously helpful.
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