Welcome to Michigan Accessible Homes
A division of Cornerstone Design Inc., an Ann Arbor firm designing residential and commercial projects statewide since 1989.
Solutions for Accessible Living
You or a family member has a disability, and you want to make your home work better for yourself and your family.
Add Accessibility for Guests
You have friends or relatives with disabilities, that you want to accommodate in your home.
Aging in Place
You want to plan ahead to allow yourself to stay in your home longer (often called “aging in place”).
What is barrier free, accessible, or universal design?
There are multiple terms used to describe a home or other building intended to be more usable to people with disabilities.
Accessible
The federal Americans with Disabilities Act used the term “Accessible” to describe their goals for buildings, sites, and programs.
Barrier Free
The State of Michigan was a leader in requiring that businesses and governments be designed for use by people with disabilities, using the term “Barrier Free” to describe its requirements, and the term is still often used in Michigan.
Universal Design
This is a more complicated term, and often means different things to different people. In general, it means designing to accommodate people of all ages and abilities. Practically that can mean a few different things:
+ For business and government buildings, going beyond the minimum
requirements in state code and ADA Accessibility Guidelines, to provide additional turn space, more accessible parking or accessible toilet stalls, and so on.
+ For homes, which have no accessibility requirements, universal design can mean applying the principles of accessible design – with variations based on your particular needs.
+ Including options for people of different ages and abilities. For instance, a kitchen could have counters at different heights to accommodate a standing adult, a standing child, and a person in a wheelchair.
The terms largely mean the same thing: a home which is designed according to the general principles included in the various laws and regulations. Homes, however, have flexibility to take some shortcuts that businesses do not, if those work for the occupant.
For more information on the features of an accessible home, download our PDF document, The Accessible Home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What standards are there for accessible home design?
The short answer in most cases is: almost none. Although there are codes and federal guidelines that define what is required for commercial and apartment design, they generally do not apply to homes although they provide excellent suggestions for what to do.
For insurance projects under MI No Fault laws, accessibility features need to be “medically necessary” to be covered by insurance company funding, which means it needs to be recommended by one of your medical care providers (Occupational Therapist or doctor).
How does the cost of an accessible home compare to standard construction?
The cost will of course vary with the features included. We did a comparison with similar houses, one accessible and one not: the accessible house is about 10% larger than the non-accessible house, and the garage is about 38% larger than the non-accessible garage. Based on our preliminary cost estimates, the accessible home would cost about 8.5% more. Some of this added cost should result in increased value for the home. The house will be more spacious, so it should feel that way to potential purchasers. The garage essentially expands from a 2-car garage to a 3-car garage (or a 2-car with ample storage space), to provide room to get into a lift-equipped van.
Will an accessible home look unusual or institutional?
It can be difficult to make an existing home accessible without having the accessibility features stand out: adding a ramp on the front, modifying a few kitchen cabinets for greater access.
When designed in from the start, however, or with careful attention to the details of a modification, an accessible home does not have to stand out as different from its neighbors. The ramp can be replaced with a walk to a no-step entrance; the roll-in shower can look like any other nice large shower.
Even grab bars, while usually necessary for safety and accessibility, do not have to be the stainless steel commercial type and can have colors selected to match your preferences. We will work with you to balance your budget with the look you want to achieve.
I need an accessible home as a result of an auto accident, so my insurance company will be paying the costs. How does this affect the process?
The insurance company has specific obligations under Michigan law, to provide you with an accessible living situation. They also, however, have obligations to manage costs carefully, so it will complicate the process of design and approvals.
The insurance company may require that you first investigate modifications to your current home to determine the extent of their financial obligation, even if you prefer a new home. They may not be willing to provide the level of quality you want for finishes, fixtures, and so on, although you should have the final say in what gets built provided you pay the differences in cost. They will certainly be involved in the process of bidding and construction, possibly with an additional round of inspections and paperwork for paying construction bills.
The best advice is probably to get an attorney experienced in this area of law, to help you negotiate with the insurance company to get what you need.
Do I need a contractor that is experienced with accessible design for my project?
Past experience with design and construction for accessibility is always helpful; however, with a good set of plans from an architect, you should be able to get a home which works well for you using any contractor that is careful and conscientious about following the plans. If you have a contractor that you know and trust, contact us about how to design the project so you can work with them and still get the home you need.
What is Aging In Place?
This term has been gaining widespread use as the idea of designing a home that allows you to stay in your home as you age. Aging, of course, can bring many challenges such as illness or disability, and they can be difficult enough to deal with, without being forced to move from your home as a result. Designing for Aging in Place can have a lot of overlap with accessibility.
What are the major challenges to designing to allow me to age in place?
The typical features are always easiest to add in to new construction. Some existing homes have limited potential to accommodate modifications. If your home is too small, you may not be able to add space to bathrooms and halls without making other rooms too small to be usable. Homes with multiple levels are always difficult to make accessible, especially split-level types where each level is too small to live on by itself and ability to use steps is critical.
Any existing home is more difficult to make accessible from the exterior without a ramp that brands the house as “different.” You can, however, always add the ramp if and when you need it, with minimal disruption to your ability to live inside the house.
The other main challenge is deciding what to do for bathing options. You may find that you can continue to use your existing tub/shower with some modest modifications like adding grab bars and a seat in the tub, or replacing the tub with a shower with a low curb. We can help you decide what options to include.
Working with an Architect
What does an architect do?
The architect will work with you to develop a design that meets your needs. From that design, he or she will develop construction documents (plans and specifications) that define the requirements of the construction project, so you know what to expect from the finished house. These are the materials that the contractors will use to bid the work and to obtain building permits.
The architect can also visit the site during construction to help you assess whether the contractors are providing what was expected, and when it is appropriate to make scheduled payments.
Don't architects only design big, expensive, and unusual houses for the rich and famous?
Some do, and those are the ones that get published in magazines because they’re more interesting to read about and photograph. But many of us work with average people on fairly normal houses, bringing our expertise in design and construction to the task of making your house work better for you.
Most of our residential projects have been for fairly average size houses and use conventional design approaches and construction techniques. Among other factors, insurance companies are not interested in cutting edge architecture for their projects, especially if it costs more! While we love to do projects with large budgets for owners who want something truly unique, we also welcome projects where we can contribute our expertise to make a modest addition or new house work well. We want to give you the house you need.
What does it cost to work with an architect?
High quality architectural services are not inexpensive. Architects are highly trained professionals, as are the structural and other consultants we may work with on your project, and custom design and construction detailing is a time-consuming process (stock plans, by comparison, recoup these costs by selling the plans hundreds of times).
For standard design and construction documentation services on a new house, you should expect that an architect’s fee could be at least 6-8% of the cost of construction; the proportion could increase for projects with greater complexity, or for renovation projects where there are extensive existing conditions to document and work around. Services during construction would typically add another 1-2% of the cost of construction.
We will develop a specific proposal for you based on our understanding of the project after the initial meeting; the proposal will document the costs for our services.
The municipal building inspector will be inspecting the house during construction. Why would I still need an architect involved?
The inspector is looking at the work to determine if it meets minimum code requirements, and nothing else. Since accessibility is not generally a code issue for single family residences, they would not be evaluating whether the construction actually incorporates those features; similarly, they would not be inspecting to determine whether you were getting the quality of finishes or fixtures that you had selected. Without an architect’s involvement, you would need to review those items yourself.
A contractor is suggesting that they can do the design and permit drawings (a design-build approach). Do I need an architect?
Architects are not required for single family home design in Michigan, unless the home will have more than 3,500 square feet of finished living area. And some contractors do have experience and possibly even training in accessibility. However, there are some advantages to having an architect do your design and construction documents:
- The architect may have specialized expertise that you need, generally more so than a contractor.
- With an architect’s detailed drawings, you can get competitive bids from multiple contractors. The design-build contractor may not allow you to use their drawings that way, and even if they do the drawings may not be detailed enough to make the bids comparable.
- The architect gives you an independent advisor, whose advice is unaffected by potential profits on certain materials and construction methods.
One advantage of the design-build approach is the potential to include the cost of design into a construction loan instead of paying for it out-of-pocket.
I have a stock plan (such as from a magazine or plan book) that I like. Can you modify it?
Designs are copyrighted by the designer, so we would have to investigate what would be involved in obtaining permission to use the design. Although there may be some costs involved, it would still usually be less expensive than a custom design.
Will you guarantee construction costs?
Only a contractor working from detailed materials take-offs based on final plans can guarantee costs, and even then only for work that can reasonably be expected (i.e. not including hidden conditions, such as inside existing walls, or below the surface of the ground). If you give us a desired budget, we will do our best to design to it, and we can provide cost estimates through the design process to help you determine your financing needs.
I want to include "green" (environmentally friendly) features in my home. Can you do that?
We would be happy to do that, and seek to incorporate it wherever we can. We have done several projects that included significant aspects of green design. Many methods of green design will save you money in lower energy payments, and give you a quieter, higher-quality home. These same qualities should also help your home maintain and enhance its resale value in the future.
I am interested in modular construction. Do you know anything about it?
Modular construction can save both costs and construction time, and the end result can be indistinguishable from a site-built home in both appearance and quality. We have some experience in it, and there are modular building companies willing to work from a custom plan and willing to incorporate accessible design features. However, your design flexibility will be more limited, and the more custom it is the less likely you will realize savings. Contact us to discuss if your project is right for modular construction.
I want to do a commercial construction project. Do you have experience in commercial design?
We have extensive experience on many types of commercial, industrial, institutional, and multi-family housing projects, through our parent firm, Cornerstone Design Inc.
I want to do a commercial construction project. Do you have experience in commercial design?
This is a more complicated term, and often means different things to different people. In general, it means designing to accommodate people of all ages and abilities. Practically that can mean a few different things:
+ For business and government buildings, going beyond the minimum
requirements in state code and ADA Accessibility Guidelines, to provide additional turn space, more accessible parking or accessible toilet stalls, and so on.
+ For homes, which have no accessibility requirements, universal design can mean applying the principles of accessible design – with variations based on your particular needs.
+ Including options for people of different ages and abilities. For instance, a kitchen could have counters at different heights to accommodate a standing adult, a standing child, and a person in a wheelchair.
How did you get interested in accessible design? Do you have personal experience with disability?
I (MAH manager David Esau) have always been interested in the social aspects of architecture: how it affects, and can help improve, people’s lives; accessible design is one of the major areas where such improvements are possible. I moved to Ann Arbor, MI about the time the Americans with Disabilities Act took effect, and connected with the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living to help them work to implement the law in Michigan; I have worked in the field ever since. Although I do not have a disability, I did have a grandfather who was blind most of his life, and of course have met and made friends with many people with various disabilities through my work in the field.
Your Project: What to Expect
The process of designing your accessible home will involve many steps, usually over a few months or more:
Starting Out:
Initial meeting: This would be a chance to get to know each other and to have initial discussions on the scope of the project. If you are thinking of modifying your existing home, we would look at the conditions and layout; if you are thinking of new construction, we would look at the proposed site. We would not typically produce designs at this meeting; it’s just to learn about your needs and goals.
The initial meeting is typically free for potential clients in the Ann Arbor area and Washtenaw County. For meetings outside of Washtenaw County, fees and travel expenses would apply. For no-fault projects due to an auto accident, you should not have to pay anything; your insurance company should cover our fees (unless you want something more than they will provide).
Proposal: Based on our understanding of the project from the initial meeting, we will prepare a proposal outlining the scope of our services and the proposed fee. Once you have approved the proposal and paid a deposit, we are ready to begin design work.
Homeowner Costs: There are a number of project costs that are not typically part of our proposal. These would include obtaining a survey of the property (particularly if the site has complicated slopes) or soils analysis (such as if a high water table or poor bearing conditions are suspected). We will let you know if these items are required, and can assist you in obtaining them.
As-built documentation: If the project involves renovation and/or adding on to an existing home, we will take as-built measurements and photos and prepare as-built drawings showing the house as it is before the start of the project. Accurate as-builts are the foundation for a successful design project.
Design and Documentation:
We will prepare a few designs based on the goals discussed at our initial meeting, and any input you can give about your preferences. Usually at this stage the main effort is on developing a workable floor plan, although exterior drawings showing how the house will look could also be prepared. We will meet to discuss the designs and possible refinements.
Based on that meeting, new plans would be prepared along with options for exterior designs. After you review these items and make final decisions on the major aspects of the project, we will have an approved design to use as a basis for construction documents.
Construction Documents: These are the drawings and specifications used by the contractor to prepare bids and obtain building permits. We may involve structural or other consultants to assist us in completing the documents. Although much of this work is technical in nature, there will be extensive discussions about design details such as kitchen layout, lighting, finishes, fixture selection, and so on.
Bidding & Construction:
We can help you find qualified contractors, answer questions during bidding, and help you negotiate details of the construction contract.
During construction, we can visit the site to assess the progress and quality of construction, and to determine if it is matching the standards shown in our construction documents. We will help determine when progress payments to the contractor are appropriate, based on the standards in the contract. Please note that we are not on site at all times, and will not be able to see some aspects of the work before it is concealed. There will likely still be additional selections to make during construction, such as of final finishes and colors, so we will work with you on those decisions.
After the Project: Enjoy your new accessible home!
Ramp Info
The first and most critical aspect of an accessible home is getting into it. Usually, there are one or more steps up to an entrance, which make getting into the home difficult or impossible for a person using a wheelchair. Since we recognize that not everybody can hire an architect to custom-design a ramp for their house, we offer the following information which may help you get started.
Please bear in mind that this is general information, not tailored to a specific location. The ramp details are ones we have used before in several locations, and they result in a ramp which is strong and stable, and we believe it complies with applicable codes in Michigan for single-family residences. However, you or your contractor should check with your local code official to be sure there are no unusual local requirements, and should adapt the designs to your particular circumstances.
Basic Ramp Design Info (all available without charge):
For ramp design information, including generic drawings and details of ramp construction, download the MAH Ramp Info file (PDF).
For general information about accessible home design (including abbreviated general design info on ramps, but not construction details), download The Accessible Home (PDF).
Since this information is being provided without charge, by using it you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Michigan Accessible Homes, Cornerstone Design Inc, and their owners and employees for liability resulting from the construction.
A good source for additional ramp design information is The Minnesota Ramp Project, which can be reached at WheelchairRamp.org. They promote a modular ramp design which we have not tried but which appears well-designed.
Portable or modular ramps can also be purchased or rented; check with your DME (durable medical equipment) supplier, or do a Web search on modular ramps. They are usually made out of aluminum, so are more expensive than wood ramps but have the benefit that you can take them with you if you move. Very short wedge ramps can be purchased on Amazon.
Unfortunately, sources for funding for residential ramps are very hard to find.