Alex Eylar renders Wait Until Dark’s harrowing chase scene in LEGO form.
In the 1967 thriller Wait Until Dark, Audrey Hepburn plays a blind woman unwittingly caught up in an international drug smuggling plot and forced to fight off Alan Arkin, who plays a deadly intruder in her apartment. In a situation that may seem hopeless, Hepburn’s character levels the playing field by breaking (almost) every light bulb in the flat, plunging Arkin’s character into the same darkness she lives with every day.
So maybe it’s just a scary movie, but for some reason I often think about it when reflecting upon accessible housing. Maybe it’s because today we can all be glad that people don’t have to go to such lengths to create spaces that can be used with equal ease, regardless of ability. In fact, an accessible home can mean a better life for all occupants.
One of the best new guides I have run across to achieve this goal is The Accessible Home: Designing for All Ages & Abilities, by Deborah Pierce. The structure of this handbook is smart. Pierce leads off with the necessary definitions and then introduces readers to the accessible home from one activity to the next (living and dining, dressing and sleeping, etc.). She then leads readers on tours of 25 real accessible homes, dealing firsthand with the practical solutions needed by very different individuals and families.
To some real estate professionals, accessible housing remains a niche. But for the forward-thinking pros in the know, this is the future of housing. As Pierce notes, healthy active adults have a one-in-four chance of becoming disabled for at least three months at some point in their lives. And while aging in place is becoming a priority for older home buyers, younger home owners still want to accommodate family and friends visiting their homes, regardless of mobility issues. Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey
QUICK SKIM
Can’t sell a property? Maybe the home’s chi — or energy — is out of whack. In the new book Sell Your Home With Feng Shui (AuthorHouse, 2007), authors Christine Ayres and Cindy Coverdale teach you how to use this ancient Chinese technique of placement to generate buzz about your listings. Follow the book’s bagua — that is, an energy map of space — and you’ll be able to start staging warm, welcoming homes that help give buyers the energy to make an offer. The 87-page book is full of photos and sales success stories to show you how it’s done.
FROM THE BOOK: 5 FENG SHUI STAGING TIPS
Lure potential buyers with these feng shui style tips from the authors:
1. Curb buyers’ impression. Curb appeal is critical. Clear any trees or bushes that are blocking any windows or the front of the house. When buyers see the property, they’ll lift their gaze to see a clear, inviting path leading them inside the house. Also, use a welcome mat that is fit to proportion with the door and frame the doorway with matching pots of red flowers or evergreen trees on both sides for extra attention.
By Kelly Quigley, REALTOR® Magazine
Celebrating the American Home by Joanne Kellar Bouknight (The Taunton Press, 2005).
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What makes a house extraordinary? This book attempts to answer that question by asking 50 of the country’s top residential architects to show us their all-time favorites. Relying more on photos than words to illustrate what makes each home so inspiring, the architects bring us to all regions of the country and invite us into dwellings that represent a range of architectural styles. From a seaside house in the Northeast to a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Ranch home in the Midwest, each house connects to its surroundings and demonstrates classy, yet comfortable, livability. For each of the 50 homes featured, the author provides floor plans, numerous exterior and interior photos, and a history of how the home evolved to what it is today. If you have a love for architecture or interior design, as many in the real estate profession do, this book will keep you engaged for hours—and perhaps spur some ideas for your own home.
Tips From the Book:
- Don’t overlook transitions. When evaluating a home or planning changes to your house, give special thought to transitions—logical progressions from indoors to outdoors, from work to play, and from season to season. For example, the best-designed homes have attractive mud rooms that serve as practical entryways from the backyard, designated areas for quiet and for entertainment, and well-planned landscaping that provides shade in the summer and blocks wind in the winter.
- Curb appeal is important, but … The bones and guts of a home are critical to how well the home works, and shouldn’t be overshadowed by the allure of curb appeal. Crown molding with gaping joints, electrical outlets positioned with no forethought, and other aesthetic and functional annoyances can detract from even the fanciest house.
- The “wow” factor comes in many forms. Whether it’s a cottage or a compound, the greatest houses distinguish themselves with a personality. The distinctiveness that makes you say “wow” might be the way a house fits into its landscape or the unique building materials. It could be a spectacular view of the water or woods or a smart use of lighting. Even the smallest details can add spice, from use of color to elegant or whimsical finishes.
By Kelly Quigley, REALTOR® Magazine
The Getaway Home By Dale Mulfinger (The Taunton Press, 2004)
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If you have ever dreamed of building a vacation home to escape from your daily routine and spend time with loved ones, you can get plenty of inspiration just by paging through this book, which is packed with hundreds of vibrant photographs of getaway homes located in four outdoor settings—along the coast, in the mountains, on the plains and hills, and by the lake. Geared toward architecture home-design enthusiasts, The Getaway Home takes you on a tour of the country to unearth the most spectacular, relaxing, and scenic retreats. Featured homes range from an Adobe-style getaway in New Mexico to a compact New England farmhouse with ocean views. The book includes great tips for making the most of limited space and living in harmony with the environment. If you never dreamed of having a getaway house, you will after reading this book.
Tips From the Book:
- Make your kitchen guest-friendly. Open cabinets in a vacation home make it easier for guests to find their way around the kitchen when you’re not there to guide them. But if you want to have cabinet doors to hide the clutter, try frosted glass doors that will give guests a limited view of what’s inside.
- Big isn’t always better. Some of the best getaway homes are small and simple, providing a cozy and easy-to-maintain retreat. To make the most of limited space, remove walls that interrupt the space of the common areas. Use lots of big windows to make the interior light and airy, and to bring the outdoors in. Porches and outdoor living areas also expand the usable space.
- Communal spaces take precedence. A getaway should be a comfortable space that’s a break from your everyday home—a gathering place to enjoy the company of family and friends. A communal spirit affects every room in the house. Getaways tend to have modest kitchens where there is lots of shared cooking and eating, while living rooms, porches, and other areas become sleeping areas at night.
By Barbara Ballinger, REALTOR® Magazine
Cottages: The New Style By James Grayson Trulove (Harper Design International, 2004)
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Unlike the grand “cottages” built by rich families at the turn-of-the-century in resorts such as the Adirondacks in upper New York State, cottages today can be any shape or style, from large and industrial looking, to very small and quaint. This book showcases 16 different resort cottages in a variety of locales, including mountains, desert, farmland, and ocean. And even though the architecture varies dramatically, the cottages all share in common a love of beautiful natural materials—particularly gleaming woods, big windows that look out on splendid land and views, and some type of outdoor living space that respects its site. One of the most desirable cottages also is among the smallest and simplest: It was designed as a retreat for a filmmaker outside Seattle and juxtaposes soaring glass walls with floor-to-ceiling walls lined with bookshelves, making it a great place to curl up on one of those rainy Seattle days.
By Christina Hoffmann Spira, REALTOR® Magazine
There’s no better—or briefer–way to describe this book, than to show you a few of the images that author Martin Poriss, a broker and business development consultant, has amassed in Real Estate Bargains: Homes You Can Afford But May Not Want (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho: Century Publishing Co., Inc., 2000, $19.95).
The coffee table-style paperback, his humorous collection of off-the-wall property photos and ‘listing’ captions, is mostly funny. A few of the images were clearly photographed at disaster sites, which may seem more morbid than comic.
Still, the book makes for a memorable closing gift. Or maybe it’s worth keeping in your car to entertain tense buyers, stunned by the lack of affordable homes available today.
Tenants Now Vacating: Just hanging around waiting for the moving truck. The next move is yours. Photo: Martin Poriss
Douglas Fir Interior Split-level home... woodsy feeling throughout. Free firewood included. Photo: Bob Linnemann/Valley Press
Commuter’s Dream. Easy freeway access along with an unusual view. Look down upon a fast-moving, year-round stream. Never boring. A large home for those who like to live life in the fast lane. Photo: Jim Gensheimer/San Jose Mercury News
If the Shoe Fits! Tie up the deal. Designed for a straight-laced pastor who was really big into saving soles. This home's tongue-in-cheek features will wear quite well. Present tenant: an old woman with so many children. Photo: Taufek H. Ramsey
Catch of the day? Home with distinctive character. Unusual head room in the attic. Unique television antenna brings in all Cousteau series. Don't let this be the one that got away. Photo: M. Athar Chaudhry
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