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Turning Tide
One
Couple’s Practical Dream Home Is Ahead of Its Time
WRITTEN BY CHRISTY PAGANS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY
COPLEY/BOB NAROD PHOTOGRAPHERS LLC
 A
gently sloped, semi-circular brick walkway provides an
important and accurate first impression of a home that stands out
from its neighbors. Well-kept ramblers line the streets of the
well-established neighborhood in Arlington
where Rick Barry and Linda Cox built their very practical dream home.
The wide walkway doubles as an accessible entryway and a parking area
for large family gatherings and is the first introduction to the
themes of dual-purpose design and attention to detail that are
carried throughout the custom home.
It’s obvious before
even entering the house that Barry and Cox gave a lot of thought to
exactly how they wanted their new home to feel and function. What
isn’t obvious is that they were not simply planning for their current
needs and desires. Barry, 72, and Cox, 70, who are both active
seniors, were planning for a future that for many of their peers is
still inconceivable. From wide hallways and doorways to an office
suite that can easily be converted to accommodate a live-in caregiver,
the couple was looking forward to their needs in their 80s and
beyond.
Learning From
Experiences
The single-level home
includes nearly 3,000 square feet of living space that is spacious
and open. In addition to eliminating stairs, the design includes countless
accommodations that make life easy for the homeowners now, and even
more that will become essential as they age in place.
Doorways throughout
the home are barrier-free. In the stylish owners’ bathroom, grab bars
function as attractive towel bars and the large wheelchair-accessible
shower includes a seat and non-slip tiles. All the electrical outlets
were raised to 18” to eliminate the need for bending or crouching to
access them. Lever door handles were used because they are easier to
operate for those with decreased hand strength or arthritis. The
kitchen has ample space for a wheelchair to navigate around the large
center island, and built-ins will allow the couple to drop the sink
should that need arise.
Barry and Cox did not
set out to build a home that would push the boundaries of
contemporary design or serve as a template for others who wish to age
in place. They were motivated by firsthand experiences with seniors
and how they live.
In her career as a
nurse, Cox has worked extensively with the geriatric population. She
notes, “I have seen what happens when people do not plan ahead. They are
forced to make decisions during an emergency, which is the worst
possible time.” Experiences with former neighbors also influenced the
couple’s decision to plan for the future. Barry explains, “We
watched several of our older neighbors become virtual captives to one
or two rooms in their multi-level homes.”
Universal Design
When they began the
process of planning their barrier-free, accessible home, Barry and
Cox were not aware of the principles of Universal Design or the
corresponding emerging trends in home construction and remodeling.
When they discovered Universal Design, they used some of the
guidelines of the philosophy to fine-tune their plan. According to
the Center for Universal Design at North
Carolina State University,
“Universal design is an approach to the design of all products and
environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as
possible regardless of age, ability, or situation.”
Barry and Cox’s
builder, Chip Gruver of Gruver-Cooley Corporation, was also new to
Universal Design construction. He notes, “This project was a learning
experience because there was no template. The objective was to create
a custom home that smoothly integrated all of these accommodations
for future needs.”
Custom builders have
the tools to make aging in place a viable alternative. Barry says,
“The Gruver-Cooley team worked with us tirelessly to make sure this
home met our expectations and stayed within our budget.”
Barry and Cox may
have rare foresight, but they are just two of an increasing number of
individuals who are hand-crafting retirement lifestyles that allow
them to remain in their own homes indefinitely – and safely.
Downsizing from their former 6,000-square-foot home to half as much
space in their current custom home and carefully planning a living
space for their immediate and future needs certainly posed
challenges, but today the couple enjoys entertaining their large
family and wide circle of friends in their new home.
Pointing out the
great room from the backyard, Barry says, “We don’t call it the great
room to be fancy. In our last house we had a library, a living room,
and a recreation room. While we were planning this house, we said,
‘If all of those spaces are going to be condensed into one room, it
is going to have to be a great room.’ ”
The Benefits of
One-Level Living
Maximizing the
potential of every square foot became even more important after Barry
and Cox decided to fill in the basement of the previous home in order
to maintain a one-level living space. Finding a place to store and
display their large and varied wine collection immediately posed a
challenge. “We wanted a wine room, positively,” Cox says.
Barry and Cox devised
a unique alternative to the traditional wine cellar. The
climate-controlled wine room, adjacent to the dining room, is one of
the most distinctive features of the custom home.
 One
of the biggest surprises to the couple was how soon the amenities in
their home came in handy. “Don’t you know that six months after we
moved in my wife, who is a marathon runner, had to have knee
surgery,” Barry says.
Cox’s recovery was
far less painful in their one-level home than it would have been in a
multi-level living space. “The shower was really nice to be able to
just roll in with a walker and hang onto the grab bar. I didn’t think
I’d use it quite that soon,” Cox says. Ironically, a year later she
had to have surgery on her other knee.
Barry and Cox’s home
for the future has quickly proven to be the ideal living space for
today. As the enormous wave of Baby Boomers prepares to retire,
crafting living spaces that offer innovative features for retirees
promises to become a major factor in the custom home industry. For
now, Barry and Cox’s home stands alone amid a sea of traditional
ramblers, “pop-ups” and “McMansion”
replacement homes – but their distinctive design might very well be
the signal of a turning tide. ws
Resources:
Gruver-Cooley Corporation
703.243.4720
gruvercooley.com
William K. Gruver
703.620.0693
Pella Windows, Architect Series
703.847.5772
pella.com
Ricca’s Architectural Sales
504.488.5524
riccasarchitectural.com
Union Hardware Inc.
703.893.4444
unionhardware.com
Wine Enthusiast
800.356.8466
wineenthusiast.com
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