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Making the Home Handicapped Accessible

Bob takes a tour with the architect for the Roxbury project, Fernando Domenech, to understand the difference between "adaptability" and "accessibility" when it comes to designing homes with wheelchairs in mind.
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Making the Home Handicapped Accessible

  computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" This is as you know what a wonderful beautiful neighborhood. Been here."

" Since the turn of the century and the Billings have a particular character yeah them and we want to make sure that whatever -- in here really fit well within that context that we have. -- elements and pieces of that architectural brought into affordable housing which they deserve this much."

" country it's a sensitive thing to do because there's nothing that stands out wars in a community or neighborhood of pretty victorians. Then a simple square forswear block kind of house we know detailing. And here for example in the one across the street. You've got a little. Bay window or at Oriel I guess because right. Yes you know he Ariel is part of the vocabulary of buildings that you've seen around here in in this is that the whole architecture of the building of these bills that are really hold. What was your neighborhood exactly in the little hip roof on top of it really gives a lot of interest of the facade. And then in the neighboring house you've got a rather than usual notch cut out of the first and second floor corner. What happens there. Well in this house in particular we're dealing with -- building and we want to make sure that the gable and -- particular kind of stale so we let it overhang. The cantilever -- that we thought that that would allow us to bring in one more -- they'll let me traditionally -- Which is the bracket that holds up the -- exactly the architectural bracket which is often stick work which. Turned visas and can be quite elaborate you Bremer on -- you'll see many examples of that have become. In our subject house here of the gable end is quite unusual with the horizontal. Trim men and -- the change in siding material from a -- the look to a vertical siding look through that sun burst at the very top. Well again those are."

" Additional element that we see your hearing in our case given that this is the accessible building. We had don't have views break attic space therefore we really needed to come up went. Some inventive way of breaking down the scale of that gable -- it works nicely mess this talk about being the front facade of the house."

" This being the act the adaptable units. Needs to have a better on its first floor. On the majority of these units that column about a basketball our com. Or call I'm handicapped units. Tend to be. Once story units we want to make sure that we didn't do that here because frankly you -- one story buildings in this neighborhood right so we got them married to form about one story piece. Win the larger shape. Basic are single family today process -- you've got details clearly the columns in the front porch and again the notched out. Corner on the second floor whether there will be a bracket later later on. What about accessibility if you're. Wheelchair -- person -- after -- well this porch is really -- dealing with today with the issue of how you. Attach it around to a building and not make it stick out like a sore thumb. And along here we will build around for them along -- side. Will make sure that it is didn't innocence behind the the balustrade that exists here."

" Let's let's first talk clearly some bureaucratic terminology here as the house was built. To be adaptable to the needs of a person disabled wheelchair about her right. And by that we mean when we bring in the house we did things such as to put in blocking here in the bathroom where the tub will be installed so that. If it had to be adapted to the needs of such a person there would be grab bars that could be installed correct. If someone isn't wheelchair the doors and 36 inches wide so that we have certain it is and there's room to turn around but. The decision has been made to make this house accessible. Not just adaptable but really accessible to someone in wheelchair. And so that means it -- provide it will be a wheelchair bound person or have a member of the fastest right about that also means that you have to provide access to the second floor. And when we're talking about adaptable requirement we set well staircases there if you needed to adapt that you could put track with a chair of the goes up. But accessible means that you have to actually. Let a person who's in a wheelchair and can't get out of it and MS victim for example try to get to the second floor are going to do it now we're going to change things around."

" Well we're gonna do end up with a lift Bob and for an elevator. An elevator starts in fact it's what a basket that's going to take us with warm driver like screw. Screw got kind of mechanism to the second floor. Fortunately here we have enough space to do it. Will move this closet that we have here in the framing allows us to a beam rather flexible -- business -- the structural part of the framing is here and over there. And how big is this basket -- platform it's going to be about a three by three. Space area in. So what you're saying as you move the coat closet a little -- here and this -- here we will use this space to. Penetrate the second floor let's look how it comes out of here. Granite look in this that cost upwards of 500 dollar Bob OK and so we're talking about this area right here. Right this is that where our landing will be if you will and fortunately we can connect it to the hallway. We may have to move this partition here make it a little bit wider yeah we're gonna uses originally as a closet. And we'll have to sacrifice that in order to put it could we use the storage closet and we gain the accessibility feature that's correct thanks a lot."

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