RM: Why should a remodeler consider doing universal design work?
RD: Customers have an increased appreciation and awareness of the benefits of universal design and the way they can be rendered. When the remodeler starts to mention [universal design], he’ll get a more receptive reaction than he would have before [the concept was more widely recognized]. Also, the economics of the construction industry lately have shown that remodeling has survived the downturn so there is an opportunity now that may not be present in a few years to take advantage of that. People are doing remodeling jobs instead of buying new homes. Finally, on an individual basis, you have the opportunity to take advantage of these trends over other remodelers who aren’t as savvy.
RM: It would seem that the biggest market for this type of project is the baby boomers. Is there a bit of denial from this particular demographic?
RD: There is and that’s why the care in marketing and sales has to be present. We’ve seen lots of folks do good work but market it badly. For all their good intentions, they’re not aware of just how much pushback there is. The stuff that resonates most doesn’t include these reminders [of aging in place]. People still fear growing old, but we all maintain this convenient fiction that it’s the other guys who are aging. You need to acknowledge that but you don’t need to hit people in the face with it. You need to emphasize the non-aging things. Talk about the convenience and ease-of-use. Show them that this stuff can still look sexy, interesting, and fun. With increased use of technology and whole-house systems, those can also be serving universal design goals at the same time. Have the sexy, fun aspects of technology now knowing that later on it can be useful for other purposes.