SAFERhome Standards

Supporting the human element…Focus on people not things….Purpose… promote adoption and use of housing standards and practices that are safe, healthy and sustainable for everyone in the community

Universal housing and the growing Seniors’ community and

marketplace

Opportunity or Dilemma?

With 48% of all Canadians being over the age of 65 by 2032 (Stats Canada), this country’s future is

sitting in our seniors’ hands.

We see “OPPORTUNITY” with the crucial growing role of the

“sustainable home” within the “sustainable community”.

• All exterior thresholds are1. All exterior thresholds are flush.2. Interior thresholds meet minimal code constraints. 3. Bath and shower controls offset from center.4. Pressure/temperature control valves on all shower faucets. 5. 2"x12" block lumber in all washroom tub, shower, and toilet locations. 6. Waste pipes brought in at 12”-14" to the centre of the pipe from floor level.7. Cabinets underneath sinks easily removed.8. Doors a minimum of 34" wide, but ideally 36". 9. Hallways and stairways a minimum of 40" wide, but ideally 42" wide. 10. Light switches 42" to the centre of the electrical box from the finished floor. 11. Receptacles 18" to the centre of the electrical box from the finished floor. 12. Electrical receptacles placed as follows: beside windows, especially where

draperies or blinds may be installed; top and bottom of stairways; beside the toilet; above external doors (outside and inside); on front face of kitchen counter;

at Node Zero Location where all the house wiring meets in one place. 13. Larger grey electrical boxes utilized. 14. Fourplex receptacles in master bedroom, home office, garage, and recreation

room. 15. Level 5 (4 pair) telephone pre-wire to all areas returning to one central area. 16. RG-6 coaxial cable runs returning to one central area.17. All low-voltage runs returning to one central area: Node Zero.18. Walls at the top of stairs reinforced with 2"x12" at 36" to centre. 19. Either an allowance made for an elevator in stacked closets OR make the staircase 42" wide.

19 point certification list

Simple ideas

A Certified SAFERhome solves: seniors aging in place, seniors’ safety in the

home, child safety, provides seniors independence through technologies, and

delivers environmental control and energy savings.

SAFERhome is the only “physically measurable” sustainable and universal housing standard in the world.

Statistics Show…

200% increase in 85+ in next 30 years

50,000 homes per year for next 20 years needed just for seniors

142% net increase of people over 65 in BC over next 30 years

50 Million dollars in fees at Vancouver Coastal Healthcare alone

3 Billion dollars in seniors’ hip replacements nationally,

& 30% die within 1 year; 50% stay in the healthcare system $$$$!

Over 800 BC seniors died last year from falling accidents

80% of children in Children's Hospital are there due to

accidents in the home (40,000 emergency room visits in 08)

11% of ambulance calls are due to home falls

In reality 90% of all accidents happen in the home

The Seniors Tsunami Wave

Small investment

Large Returns…

• Less than $1,100. per new single family home

• Less than $700. per new multi-family home

• Simple 19 point design overlay

• No changes to existing building codes,

regulations or by-laws

A simple positive value added program making homes meet the emerging market need

New Kids on the block?

Think again…

Over 150 SAFERhomes in Lower Mainland including Southeast False Creek and the Olympic Village.

• Telosky Village

• Hazelmere Golf course

• Millennium Lodge

• 50+ separate private residences

• 1996 PNE Prize home

• 2006 PNE Prize home

• 2007 PNE Prize home

PNE Prize Home

PNE Prize Home

Exportable Knowledge

BarbadosNew housing development

240 homes

PartnershipsWHAT YOU CAN DO

Become a SAFERhome Member and incorporate SAFERhome Standards into the community and city

hall recomendations

Provide the community with sustainable housing information by using polices, bylaws or

development guidelines to promote professional standards and better serve the public’s present and

future needs.

And let’s start putting your neighborhoods on the front line with relevant housing information that will promote measurable and tangible housing

solutions.

The Solution

We are asking for your support in implementing these standards in your municipality through Municipal Membership or Municipal Sponsorship. Municipal Membership includes ($1,300.00):25% discount on staff training and seminars Logo recognition on SAFERhome Standards website Free handout materials for distribution through your planning department 50% discount on SAFERhome Standards book for building department employees

Municipal Sponsorship includes ($2,600.00):50% discount on staff training and seminars Logo recognition and link to municipal website on SAFERhome Standards website Free handout materials for distribution through your planning department Logo recognition as a sponsoring municipality on all new SAFERhome printed materials Logo recognition as a sponsoring municipality on all SAFERhome signage at conferences, seminars and special events 75% discount on SAFERhome Standards book for building department employees

19 Point Check List Understanding the 19 Basic SAFERhome Standards  All exterior thresholds are flush  “Thresholds” is a term that came from housing hundreds of years ago. In the old days when homes used to have dirt floors, they would spread straw or thresh on them for insulation. This created a problem with the farm animals always being under foot eating the straw or thresh as it leaked out from under the door. So the solution was to put a block of wood under the door to stop the drafts and hold the thresh in place; they called it a “threshold”.This old building habit has been carried over into new housing without benefits. Interior thresholds meet minimal code constraints  That means – the tripping hazard threshold to the shower should be removed or lowered. Bath and shower controls offset from center Old fashioned bath and shower controls are always put directly under the shower head in the middle of the shower stall wall. In a normal home this means that when you go to turn the shower on in the bathtub, you have to put your foot between the toilet and the tub and lean into the shower area to turn on the taps. With offset controls you do not need to lean in as far and you avoid a potential falling accident.Ideally in a SAFERhome, the tub should be turned around and these controls should be positioned at the opposite end away from the toilet.  Pressure/temperature control valves on all shower faucets  Pressure control valves on a shower controls already exist in most Canadian homes. This feature is a basic building code requirement. SAFERhome is using these guidelines for renovations and in areas outside Canada like Barbados where they do not have the same controls and building bylaws.

19 Point Check List

  2"x12" block lumber in all washroom tub, shower, and toilet locations  2x12 blocking- this is where you install basic backing in the walls @ 36 inches to centre, around the bath and shower areas so that you can properly install future grab/safety bars in the right place. This backing location works for 95% of all people.  Waste pipes brought in at 12-14" to the center of the pipe from floor level  Waste pipes being installed at a lower setting makes adjusting the counter height in the future easy to do without having to open the walls and incur large renovation costs. Being able adjust the home for the option of sitting at a bathroom or kitchen sink to perform chores is an “aging in place soft solution”, extending the person’s independence and comfort.  Cabinets underneath sinks easily removable We embraced the simple building philosophy that “if the sink cabinet was the last cabinet installed then it should be the first and only cabinet to uninstall if you want a lower sink”. This directly controls all future changes and their costs. Doors a minimum of 34" wide but should ideally be 36" The cost of a larger door is only about 10 dollars per door in new construction. The cost of enlarging a door after the fact is about $1500. With larger doors people and things work much better in the home. 

19 Point Check List

  Hallways and stairways a minimum of 40" wide but should ideally be 42" wide  Hallways work in concert with the door sizes; with wider halls the home is able to accommodate all products and people. With the growing number of seniors using scooters and walkers, this is becoming a more important issue. This also works well for baby carriages.  Light switches 42" to the center of the electrical box from the finished floor The light switch height standard of 48 inches came from over 100 years ago at the turn of the century when electricity was first being introduced into housing. Due to the handrails and wainscoting the interior designers always insisted that the switch be put above the wainscoting. That ended up being the standard. Since then Universal design has proven that 42 inches works better for everyone.  Receptacles 18" to the center of the electrical box from the finished floor  At the turn of the century when they were again introducing the new idea of electricity in existing housing, the electricians found out very quickly that if all the outlets were not at the same height the clients would complain about the lack of neatness. Because of this the electrical industry started a training program with all apprentices that introduced the process of using their hammer to set the height of all the boxes. When you check your home you may find height variations around the 12 inch height mark: that is due to different electricians and different sized hammers.Universal design discovered that 18 inches worked better for everyone, especially seniors with back problems. 

19 Point Check List

 Electrical receptacles placed as follows:

- Beside windows, especially where draperies may be installedfor future curtain control

 - Top and bottom of stairwaysfor future stair gliders and easy to use for the vacuum

- Beside the toiletfor future automated type toilet seats and lifting technologies

- Above external doors (outside and inside)for future door openers and outside control

- On front face of kitchen counterfor one easy-to-reach outlet in the kitchen area

- At Node Zero Location where all the house wiring meets in one place. for future smart home options, including using electricity for seniors’ independence

while aging in place and energy conservation, control and management Larger grey electrical boxes utilized  This allows for ease of future installation of technologies like automated light control Four-plex receptacles

Master bedroom, home office, garage, and recreation room All these locations have a history of being loaded up with lots of electrical devices. Increasing the number of plugs in these areas makes them less prone to electrical overloads and the potential fire issues that come from plugging in power bars and taking the circuit beyond what it was originally design to do. It is especially helpful to seniors in the bedroom location. 

19 Point Check List

  Level 5 (4 pair) telephone pre-wire to all areas returning to one central area  This is the minimum quality of wire needed to deliver high speed communications throughout the home. This is the same inexpensive standard wires used by offices for their phone systems. The telephone wire is the backbone to letting all the systems in the home communicate and increase seniors independence through electrical devices and support. This same wire can also deliver significant energy savings by cross communication of the home heating, lighting, and water systems. Better communications directly relates to energy savings. RG-6 coaxial cable runs returning to one central area This is the minimum quality of cable needed to deliver high speed communication throughout the home of the future.  All low-voltage runs returning to one central area- Node Zero When all the wires meet in one place, they make the home “Smart Ready” – that gives the homeowner the ability to use electricity for more sustainable and independent seniors’ aging–in-place lifestyle options. Walls at the top of stairs reinforced with 2"x12" at 36" to center  This gives the home the ability to have a proper and solid gate installed at the top of a set of stairs in the future that will protect children and seniors from falling. 

19 Point Check List

 

Either: allowance made for elevator in stacked closets or make the staircase 42" wide  This gives the home the ability to easily accommodate technology that will get you from floor to floor, and keep you independent in the home longer. The cost of building in a future elevator shaft is only a few hundred dollars during new construction and about $80,000 on average to retrofit or renovate in afterwards if you don’t have this feature. The cost of making your staircase wider is only $40 worth of materials and about four square feet of additional space to accommodate the design. With 50% of accidents happening on the stairs, the SAFERhome wider staircase design means that you are now able by code to install handrails on both sides of the wall to make the stairs safer. This space also allows for people to easily and safely pass each other on the stairs, and reserves a space for a future stair-glider installation if the homes occupants decide to.