The Accessible Home: Designing for All Ages and Abilities Paperback – October 23, 2012

Do NOT buy this book!!!!!!! I am permanently in a wheelchair and am contracting my own home being built on our land in the Northern Rockies. This book gives NOTHING in the way of dimensions nor makes and models of any of the fixtures, appliances, cabinets, etc.!!!! there are no room dimensions given either. It does NOT cover outlet accessibility nor ramp grades nor materials nor suppliers!!!! If I wanted Good Housekeeping I would have bought it!!!!!! This is a piece of junk!!!!! By the way I was a contractor in Alaska and I have buil everything from pole barns to log houses so take my word for it when I reiterate, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK, unless you need a source of fire starters!!!!!

My wife has MS. I am a carpenter. The pictures, captions and text provide inspirational (yet often expensive) architectural options that could be pursued during remodel or new construction. It would be great if the next edition provided "motorized" options that raised and lowered sinks and counter methodologies, as reinventing the wheel is expensive and time-consuming business. Suppliers of these options deliver a paucity of details from which might be pillaged lower-cost options by the owner/builder.

Although the pictures are all of high-end custom homes, there are design ideas that are applicable to any dwelling. I haven't seen any other book that addresses all the different aspects of using well planned design in order to enhance the livability of any space for all users. I've worked with people with disabilities for over a decade and I still picked up a few tips for my own bathroom remodel in order to future-proof my home against any limitations that age or injury might bring to my family.

I received my advance order copy of this book earlier this week and couldn't be happier. Ms. Pierce's writing is sensible yet sensitive. The mix of floorplans and photos and sidebars is engaging, informational and entertaining. And the examples that were curated for the book are a great mix of the challenges that people with disabilities or other physical challenges face on a daily basis. This book is informative, entertaining and inspiring. I recommend this book to anyone experiencing, helping loved ones with or designing for those with disabilities. Buy this book and enjoy!

This is a great book for accessibility remodeling. It does a wonderful job of utilizing space and making it look good. We bought it since my husband, due to post-polio syndrome is needing improved accessibility in our home. Recommended to us by a mother and daughter who built a wheelchair accessible home and used ideas from this book.

This is one of the best books I've ever read on this subject, an essential building manual. In looking for the next home and moving from one that will never be accessible, we realized that most homes are not built for an aging population, even if seniors are not disabled. We have decided to build our own and this book is a fabulous starting point

This book is fantastic. I wish I'd have had it a few years back when I did a remodel on my house. Since then I've had some medical issues and don't have wheelchair access to the entire back half of my house. This book has alot of outstanding ideas and photo examples. I read it cover-to-cover and plan to do that again in an attempt to regain access.

very beautiful, higher-end design. It's what I personally prefer, but may have to read other things to bring it "to the people."

Following a recommendation, I bought this book when designing the basics of what I hope will be my age-proof home. In my view, all homes should be designed to facilitate all stages of life, including the possibility of disability. Constantly, houses are designed that, as soon as the nature of the family changes, or disability from mild arthritis to, say, quadriplegia sets in, the house needs to be modified, and that costs significant amounts of cash, and almost always damages the aesthetics of the architecture. Deborah's book demonstrates that accessible homes can provide high standards of form as well as function. The foreword of the book is penned by an architect who became paralysed - he describes the book as intensely practical, beautiful, covering from structural design to those small items that make the difference between being irksome and comfortable. An excellent book that should be required reading for any architect, or anyone who needs to design for someone with a disability, Thoroughly recommended.

Brilliant book. Lots of ideas for every room in the house. Floor plans and photographs of interiors. Beautiful interior and exterior design with both style and practical functionality. Love this book.

Good book with practical information for anyone considering modifying or building a new accessible home. Great ideas for people with neurological impairment who want to stay home, and stay safe working in her/his house.