Older homes are prone to hazards which can create dangerous living conditions, including mold, radon, lead-based paint, and structural deficiencies caused by termites and water infiltration. There is no value in making an older home accessible and energy efficient if these hazards are not addressed in an effective, affordable, attractive manner.
Sparks Architecture Hazard Remediation Design Services include:
- Identifying hazardous conditions
- Designing cost effective solutions
- Assisting with the procurement of qualified contractors to remediate the hazardous condition and repair any structural damage and monitoring and inspecting their work..
Homes should be usable throughout the life of the owner. Using principles of aging-in-place, and universal design, it is possible to ensure that homeowners can stay where they feel the safest and most comfortable, regardless of physical and/or sensory disability brought about by accident, illness, or aging. If done properly, universal design is invisible, never calling attention to itself. Once pointed out to potential buyers, it adds to a home's value.
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HAZARD REMEDIATION
Sparks architecture
Design for Living at Home
Sparks Architecture will provide design solutions for residential energy efficiency, accessibility, hazard remediation, and special construction projects, assist with contractor procurement, and monitor progress during construction, all at affordable rates.
what is design for living at Home?
ACCESSIBILITY
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Sparks Architecture Accessibility Design Services Include:
- Evaluating residents' unique mobility issues and usability needs
- Performing a comprehensive assessment of the home to identify barriers to mobility and usability
- Using the latest in aging in place and universal accessible concepts to design solutions for each barrier
- Assisting with the installation of accessibility products and appliances and acquisition of contractors
- Monitoring construction of additions and accessibility improvements.
Living At Home is a philosophy and a strategy that recognizes that our world is changing, and our housing must change along with it. Rapid advancements in technology, coupled with transformations to our climate, economy, and social structure, necessitate that our homes must adapt in order to provide us places where we can live and age safely, affordably, and comfortably.
As global warming increases, and temperature rises, our homes will be required to withstand ever more extreme weather events, including stronger storms, flooding, and heat waves. Meeting these environmental challenges will be made even more difficult for homeowners by increasing costs of utilities of all kinds: gas, electricity, water, sewer.
Economic and societal changes will require that people live in their homes longer than in the past, necessitating that homes be more accessible, more smart, and more connected. Homes must also be able to accommodate the health and care needs of aging and ill occupants.
Home additions
Rooms for sheltering
Effective gutter and drainage systems
Roof strapping
Improved site contouring and landscaping
Rainwater recycling/reuse systems
Solar panels
Security systems and smart technology
Lead-based paint, radon, and mold remediation
To assist homeowners with adapting their existing homes to our changing world, Sparks Architecture provides the following services:
- Design of accessibility adaptations so that residents can enter and exit their homes regardless of their mobility status, and use more of the rooms, including kitchens and bathrooms.
- Design of energy efficiency and energy conservation solutions so that residents can afford the increasing cost of utilities.
- Design of specialty construction projects, including:
At Sparks Architecture, we specialize in equipping existing homes to house their residents safely, affordably, and comfortably into the future. In order to be affordable as owners age and transition into retirement, homes must be energy efficient. Since the greenest home is an existing home, this approach also helps in the fight to combat global warming.
Sparks Architecture Energy Efficiency Design Services Include:
- A comprehensive assessment of homes' energy efficiency characteristics
- Evaluation of the soundness of the thermal and air barriers
- Identification of locations of air infiltration and recommendations for repairing locations identified
- Evaluation of adequacy of insulation and recommendations for increasing identified shortcomings
- Evaluation of the home and site and recommendations for short and long term shading improvements