The Independent Builders Network was introduced to a market of housing through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and decided to get involved due to many common interests, but the most pressing is we have many builders spread from Townsville to Tasmania who already specialise in works other than standard housing. A lot of our IBN builder members have built their business around custom housing which is perfect for this market we have decided to name Adaptable Living Homes.
The reason behind the name Adaptable Living Homes is we viewed current building practices and the need to change this to reflect the ever-changing characteristics of its buyers, so we looked to create a housing product that catered for the disabled, ageing, growing family or injured by future proofing the house to be readily available for any changes life throws our way.
Buyers can be easily influenced by high end displays on offer, marketing tactics and the styles that are being produced out of reality and DIY television programs, but new homes should be designed and built to meet the ever-changing needs of the home owner over their lifetime.
Adaptable Living Homes follows the Livable Housing Australia guidelines. These guidelines are about making homes easier to access, navigate through and live in. By doing this as part of the building process, we are providing a more cost-effective way to adapt to changes in life and make it easier to change your home to suit, as opposed to changing afterwards which can be a very costly experience.
Our aim is to build homes to meet the needs of young families with kids, people with sporting or traumatic injuries, assist the ageing community and to cater for people or families with disabilities. The key to a Livable Housing Design is to build homes that meet the ever-changing needs of the occupants across their lifetime.
The Difference Between A Standard Home and Adaptable Living Homes
The core elements that differentiates between standard and adaptable living homes can be summarised as follows:
- A safe, continuous and step free path of travel from the street entrance and/or parking area to dwelling entrance that is level.
- At least one, level (step-free) entrance into the dwelling.
- Internal doors and corridors that facilitate comfortable and unimpeded movement between spaces.
- A toilet on the ground (or entry) level that provides easy access.
- Reinforced walls around the toilet, shower and bath to support the safe installation of grab rails at a later date.
- Stairways are designed to reduce the likelihood of injury and enable future adaption.
- A bathroom that contains a hobless shower recess.
Adaptable Living Homes Standard Inclusions
There is a common misconception about what items can be selected in an Adaptable Living Home due to the many requirements for the different aspects of living needs. The inclusions will definitely change depending on what level of housing you require, however the basic standard inclusions are very similar to that of a standard built house. There are a few key items that must be considered which I will go a little bit further into.
Electrical Items
As part of the IBN standard inclusion range we use Clipsal Iconic products throughout the house which is ideal for Adaptable Living Homes. They are switches and outlets that can be connected through the internet and controlled through an app that can be downloaded. Depending on the individual requirement, this is a key feature that can be added too over time or setup at the start.
Plumbing Fixtures
Most plumbing fixtures will be the same with the exception of the toilet suites which can be selected to suit the individual’s needs. Through our partnership with GWA there are many products that can be selected from.
Shower Screens
Frameless shower screens are the perfect fit for Adaptable Living Homes and in most cases are a very popular upgrade product that would be standard for Adaptable Living Homes.
Door Furnishings
Door locks and handles have a big variety these days and the standard is usually fine, but for the individual who needs specific locks & handles we have access to a large range of keyless or card access door furnishings that can be included through our arrangement with Lockwood.
Heating & Cooling
This would be the same as a standard home with the exception of the control, which can be upgraded to a digital removable thermostat or a wireless setup controlled through an app which once again is almost the standard now.
There are many other items that can be tailored to suit a person’s particular needs ranging from bathroom vanities to kitchen joinery setup. Our builders work with each client individually to make sure we have the exact products and setup they need.
Adaptable Living Home Designs
The flexibility of designs available for Adaptable Living Homes is quite large to the point that majority of the standard IBN
design range can be modified to suit, so we have made our complete library of designs available for this. While it is important to emphasise that the majority of our designs are available to be modified, we have also come up with a range of 6 designs that have already been modified to suit Adaptable Living Homes which covers off on two bedrooms, three bedrooms, four bedrooms and acreage.
The designs that are named the Taylor, the Thredbo, the Haven, the Abington, the Sarah & the Koroit Adaptable have all been market tested, with each design being built either as a display or a client ouse to make sure they meet the Livable Housing De sign Gu idelines and are now available to the market.
