Customer Reviews

Products and Plans for Universal Homes

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The title defines the scope of this book. It is a list of home products (cabinets, appliances, hardware, etc.) which support universal design. It also contains a number of plans which demonstrate UD (Universal Design).

The list of products shows which UD aspects each product features. The list of products is pretty good, but had several lapses that I noticed right away.

The plans tend to be on the high end. The plans are good but not extremely creative. They are not very diverse in style either.

Since the book is not expensive it is probably worth the investment for the useful information in it. Don't look for many idea photos--they aren't here. Although the author has featured numerous, nice photos of one very high end showpiece UD house, it is not the kind of house most of us will ever come close to building.

If you have made the decision to go the UD direction, this book could help with the details.

I think the Home Planner folks gathered up a bunch of existing designs that could possibly be engineered to become UD. Most of the floorplans are simply open plans. Some of the bathrooms they have included are not really well-designed. Don't get me wrong, this book has a lot of good designs - if you're building new construction.

I like having this book. I dream about all the modifications I'd make to really make the floorplan liveable. It's inexpensive, has a very nice opening section with lots of beautiful photos of adaptations. I'm glad I have it, but it's not a real tool for modifications. It is indeed a nice planner for new construction. On that level I recommend it. It doesn't purport to be a manual for modifications. If that's waht you want, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.

Good variety of floorplans from small to large. I used this for an idea book. It's not easy to find universal design floor plans.