Higher plug outlets, lower light switches and roughed in framing that allows for the easy addition of grab bars and handle rails are some of the building code changes the city of Port Coquitlam is considering.
With an aging population the city is looking at adopting the Adaptable Housing Standard, which makes homes easily modifiable. The regulations are designed to help people remain in their home as they age or if they suffer an unexpected injury or illness that causes a mobility issue.
"We believe it is a good idea," said Laura Lee Richard, PoCo's director of development services. "All people will benefit from having these types of requirements."
The province developed the standards but have left it up to individual municipalities to incorporate the regulations into their development processes.
Richard said city staff will be consulting with developers, seniors groups and other stakeholders over the next few months before council makes a final decision on the recommendation. If the city adopts the new regulations, it would only impact single-level apartment units.
One area of the home that is particularly problematic for people with mobility issues is the bathroom. By following the Adaptable Housing Standards, a developer could rough in framing behind the drywall that would allow for grab bars that make it easier to get in and out of a bathtub or off the toilet.
Builders would also be required to extend drainage pipes that make dropping the sink down to the level for someone in a wheelchair and keep light switches within reach. More spacious bathrooms, wider corridors and doorways, and the installation of lever styles door knobs and faucet handles are all simple things that make a home more livable for a person with a mobility issue.
A city staff report said that at the time of construction many of the changes can be made at a minimal cost compared to the expense of retrofitting a home later on.
Peter Simpson, the president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Home Builder's Association, said the regulations leave it up to the homeowner to decide if and when to modify their home. Knowing that the capability is there, he said, gives the person an opportunity to slowly add the necessary elements, depending on what their mobility issues are.
"Nobody wants their house looking like it is completely designed for someone with a mobility issue," he said. "You just want to know it is there and adaptable."
Some of the standards currently incorporated in the building code are completely arbitrary, Simpson said.
When past generations of homebuilders installed electrical plug outlets, for example, they would often use the length of their hammer from the floor in order to ensure consistency.
The method later set the building code and is one of several practices Simpson said should be changed.
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