Tag Archives: Universal Design

Aging In Place Step 3: Maintenance, Cleanliness, Safety

Maintenence is one the the most important tasks you should do on a schedule – why not make it out in advance of when certain inspections or tasks should be scheduled. Things like range hood filters should be taken down cleaned annually. Buy  replace your existing batteries in the smoke alarms. Make your bathroom kitchen maintenance-friendly easy […]

Aging In Place Step 2: Create a New Master Bedroom Suite

Now that the kids are really grown on their own, it’s time to take care of you make the home improvement you will need for aging at home. Whether you do a simple modification of an existing bedroom bath, or aim for something more livable by converting unused space to make it highly functional good looking, now is the time to start thinking about your options, or those of your parents.

Designer’s Corner: Universal Design Reduces Stress

I recently had the opportunity to view an excellent webcast by Cynthia Leibrock, MA, ASID.  She talked about really important issues to consider when remodeling, as what you do will likely want to st the test of time usefullness. What I learned was that it is very important to satisfy sensory surroundings in order to dramatically effect […]

Aging In Place: Walk in Showers

Probably the best thing since sliced bread is the dawn of the age of the curbless shower. Not only do curbless showers make it easier for seniors to get in out of the shower space, with without shower chairs or walkers, they add value to your home beautify the room when done with style. When equipped […]

NEW AIP Showers + Pans: Well Priced + Pretty

Got a note from my bath distributors the other day to tell me about some new options for pre-made shower surronds, easily available to me through distribution. (Other people can pay retail off the rack!) But we know HB Building + Design is all about getting you the most beautiful results saving you the most money. […]

Financing Your Remodel? Head to City Hall!

We were so suprised when we got the call. A family in South San Francisco wanted us to design install a new bathroom, then told us their budget. We met, showed them a few of our Bath Pack designs, they chose one, selected finish colors, off we went.  We sent the estimate the next day, they […]

Aging In Place: Music Keeps You Sharp

A couple of weeks ago I had the privelege of working with June Bonacich, an educator with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, in a small group class to learn more about ‘sight singing,” a really important skill if you are a member of the San Francisco Lyric Chorus (as I am). We are an […]

Aging In Place: Take a Ride on the Stair Chair

When my client first called asked for one of these, a Stair Chair, I gave her a ballpark price on a new one. It’s a good thing I was talking with the Executor not the heart patient we  are working for! She couldn’t believe that the simplest, well made stair chair would cost a minimum […]

Aging In Place: Half Moon Bay Senior Coastsiders

The party started EARLY. These folks don’t want to be late for the annual Senior Coastsiders Dinner!  Our Dates for the evening made sure we’d be picking them up 1/2 hour before the start of the party, even though they lived only 8 blocks away! The Senior Coastsiders of Half Moon Bay are a special […]

True Stories: M3 Race Finalist Cross Between American Idol + Shark Tank

Okay – a little background for my readers. This past year, I have been participatng in the Make Mine a Million $ Business Race. It has helped our company grow in mamy different ways, most of all, through tracking our financials completing a full business plan with 5 year goals clearly stated. I have participated in […]