Renovation / Remodel
Exterior / Interior remodel
Tom and Debbie Sidley chose Farnsworth to modify their 1989 home. And the Sidley’s remodel has become the talk of the neighborhood.
“We bought this home as a starter home, raised our family here and didn’t want to leave the neighborhood,” said Tom Sidley, who mentioned that now his children are grown and moved on, we needed to modify this home for our future needs.” Farnsworth asked, “How do you plan to live in your home?” “We need to provide amenities that will accommodate your needs as you get older.”
By converting a confined formal living room and dining room into an open concept that widened the Sidleys’ kitchen, Farnsworth achieved easier mobility within the home.
A new island configuration in the kitchen and countertop that jets off at a 45-degree angle made getting around both obstacles a breeze. A microwave, tucked within the island, is easy to get to for children or those with mobility limitations.
Extending the family room in the back of the house “to marry the outdoors in,” Farnsworth said, and adding a wall of windows and skylights above, was a way to capture views of the green space.
The front of the home was completely remodeled with an exterior finish reminiscent of their mountain vacation home.
“People come up and tell us how much they like the design,” Debbie Sidley said. “And it’s been several years since it was finished.”
The Universal Home, livable for All Generations and All Lifestyles
In 1989 AARP and Fannie Mae signed a five-year, multi-million dollar joint ven- ture on expanding housing options and financial resources to support Aging in Place across America. Since then a whole new set of terms began to appear. Using terms like accessible, adaptable, and the latest term, visit able. “Sustainable is appropriate!”
says Troy Farnsworth with a Universal Home.
With a Universal Home the emphasis is to create “ageless” households where young and old have no limitation to com- fort, safety and enjoyment. Furthermore, home design had never taken in to con- sideration obstacles new parents face when raising toddlers.
For example: Zero step entry makes entering the home convenient for a parent pushing a stroller or some- one dependent on a walker or wheelchair. A kitchen designed to accommodate a wheelchair or walker including an eating bar at 30" height also allows for standard height dining chairs which are much safer for children and people with limited mobility.
(Click on the adjacent video)