Dangers lurk in many corners of the typical house.
Waterside grandeur in Little Compton Advocates for people with physical disabilities are now promoting a new home design that aims to eliminate many of those threats and create a home that is comfortable for all. The movement, called universal design, originally aimed to provide houses that met the living needs of people who use wheelchairs or have physical constraints. Such houses have wider hallways and doorways, larger bathrooms, lower countertops, higher electrical outlets, elevated appliances and several other modifications. The changes can add about 3 percent to the cost of constructing a new house, Tapper said, mainly because of the extra space required in the bathroom. The larger bathroom provides enough room to maneuver a wheelchair.