CAPS, still a new idea in the housing market, is catching on though and the 2010 Homes for Life Awards proved that. The acronym CAPS, meaning Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists, as mentioned by the National Association of Home Builders and AARP, assists Real Estate agents, remodeling designers, and home owners in creative, functional and attractive aging-in-place designs for homes.
After applying CAPS designs to a home, families can stay in the same home from their early years, to their retirement years, with no need to move to multiple homes in assisting changing life situations.
This year on Sept. 16, at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers Gala, the fourth annual Homes for Life Awards honored two outstanding CAPS designees: Jeannine Clark of Mannigan Design, with work in CAPS, and Carla Aston of Aston Design Studio, with work in CAPS, ASID, and RID.
Award winner Jeannine Clark received recognition in the Major Space category, due to her remodeling of a second home for a couple, planning on renting it out before they retired. Clark combined universal design and aging-in-place features that, although a huge improvement with functionality and access of the home, were also virtually invisible. This way, any renters wouldn’t feel uncomfortable in such a modified home. One example was her modification of a courtyard and patio to give a smooth entrance inside, an option of opening the sink for rolling a chair underneath, wider hallways and doors with lever handles, improved lighting and a no-step shower, among others.
Carla Aston earned an award in the Single Space category, for her work assisting a male client experiencing paralysis, in remodeling his bathroom. He needed accessible features for bathing and grooming, however still wanted a masculine and attractive design for the bathroom. Aston incorporated granite, slate and mahogany in the design for a luxurious feel and rich color scheme. The size of the area was expanded for a spa tub and no-step shower, and more turning space for a wheelchair. She also added linear-style grab bars for utility, but chose a dark bronze color to compliment the rest of the color scheme.
The Homes for Life awards are presented by award sponsor Andersen Windows each year, acknowledging the best designers for aging-in-place work. Each year the company presents these awards at the NAHB Remodelers Gala in Baltimore, MD, and the application deadline for the 2011 awards will be available in early January.
To view photos of Jeannine and Carla’s projects, visit the NAHB website. For more information about NAHB Remodelers, visit www.nahb.org/whynahbr.
