What is Lifetime Design?

• Big decisions are at stake when building a new home which underpins how comfortable and easy your daily life will be.

• After all, it's the environment in which you live!

There are the many factors to be taken into account, such as site conditions and environment, design style, the number of bathrooms, bedrooms and the size of living space.

But, one of the most important elements and one that is generally never considered is a home that caters for our specific needs over time - whether a young family with babies, buggies and groceries or the elderly or disabled with mobility issues.

Currently, our housing stock does not cater well for this lifetime of needs, especially considering New Zealand has a rapidly ageing population, which means there will be many more people with mobility challenges in the future.

It's a major challenge for the Government.

We know that modifying homes to suit changing needs is extremely expensive. Last year alone, the Government spent more than $33 million retrofitting homes so older people and people with disabilities could stay in them.

But the solution is simple – we should be incorporating “lifetime design” into building homes right from the start – an approach which could save private homeowners, taxpayers, housing developers and government millions of dollars.

It is easy and inexpensive to build homes with these lifetime design values thanks to New Zealand now having the ‘Lifemark’, an independent seal of approval and the building sector’s equivalent to Tourism New Zealand’s Qualmark.

A home awarded the Lifemark has 33 design features based on usability, adaptability, accessibility, inclusion and lifetime value – simple features such as a level entry, widened doors and passageways -  all aimed at making the house accessible for everyone.

It also means your home is ‘future-proofed’ – designed to make it easy and inexpensive to adapt should your needs change. 

Some of the key design features that make such a big difference include;

• Kitchens are designed to be safe, accessible and convenient - not relegated to a thoroughfare – and with enough space to maneouvre a wheelchair and easily access benches and appliances.
• Living areas are designed for ease with switches, power sockets, TV, phone and computer outlets located away from corners and sited to avoid unnecessary bending and reaching.
• Generous space in the bedroom makes life easy for parents with children or for maneuovering wheelchairs or parking a walking frame just where it’s needed next to the bed. 
• Wide hallways and entrances and level entries are as suitable to a mother pushing a pram as they are to someone in a wheelchair. 
• At least one bathroom and bedroom are ideally designed on the entry level, with wide easy access between the two. 

The Lifemark review process also covers multi-story homes ensuring there is a bathroom and bedroom on the entry level, that there are spacious stairwells with weight bearing handrails on both sides and space for a platform lift if needed. 

With all this, there is no compromise in aesthetics. People can very rarely tell the difference between a standard home and a home with the Lifemark.

The flexibility of a home accredited with the Lifemark is uniquely suited for housing where there may be many different needs to meet, such as those of multi-generational households, with permanently or temporarily disabled inhabitants, those who are already elderly, or those who simply plan to live in their own home into their old age.

The additional cost of getting a Lifemark is minimal with United Kingdom studies suggesting that it adds about 0.5-1% extra to the initial cost of a conventional home. Indeed, there is a significant return on investment, as Lifemark standards dramatically reduce the need to retrofit homes. 

Choosing the Lifemark for your home is a smart financial investment, giving you a competitive edge in the future real estate market as New Zealand’s changing population increasingly demands housing that is accessible and adaptable.

While Lifemark is relatively new to New Zealand, the principles of lifetime design are well-known in the United Kingdom and the United States. A further confirmation of its value is that the Lifemark has the backing of the New Zealand government as part of a strategic solution to meeting the housing challenges of the future.

Ultimately, the Lifemark seal of approval gives you confidence that your home meets your needs today and tomorrow.

If you're planning to build or indeed looking to renovate an existing home, it's well worth considering adopting the Lifemark. For more information visit

www.lifemark.co.nz

0800 227 888