San Diego County Homeowners:
Win a Kitchen or Bath Remodel!
Two of the most dangerous rooms in the house are targets of a local $100,000
kitchen and bath update contest aimed at older adults who wish to remain in
their homes. San Diego County homeowners ages 45 and up are invited to enter
Designed for Life - Kitchen & Bath Contest from now through June 30, 2010.
In this two-tiered contest, sponsored by ReVisions Resources in collaboration
with
AARP and the
San Diego Chapter of the American Society of Interior
Designers (ASID), contestants are being asked to choose either a kitchen or bath
redesign and to write a brief explanation about what they need and why. In July,
at least one-half dozen older adults will be chosen as contest Finalists based
on their entries. They will be paired with area design professionals who are
charged with producing cutting-edge aging-in-place solutions that increase
safety and comfort, yet appear attractive and non-institutional.
In October, a panel of expert judges will determine one winning kitchen and one
winning bath design plan. The homeowners associated with these plans will win
the grand prizes: a kitchen and a bathroom remodel. The remaining finalists will
be allowed to keep their custom design solutions – each worth hundreds of
dollars.
Kitchens and baths are the focus of the contest because falls there are the
number one reason people are forced to leave their homes. Updating kitchens and
baths through good design and use of today’s new technologies can reduce the
potential for falls, allowing older adults to remain in their homes for as long
as possible.
The kitchen makeover will be underwritten by
San Diego Kitchen & Bath and
Kiva
Kitchen & Bath. The new bath will be provided by
Best Bath Systems and
Aging in
Place Remodeling.
San Diego Kitchen & Bath is partnering with Kiva Kitchen & Bath,
San Diego
Marble & Tile,
Tutto Marmo, and
Arizona Tile to provide a new kitchen for a
contest winner. David Rosenberg, president and general manager of San Diego
Kitchen & Bath, said the kitchen remodel will incorporate design and products to
meet the needs of the older adult.
“We are very excited to lend our support to Revisions Resources,” said
Rosenberg. “This contest will help increase the awareness of how important it is
for the older adult to be comfortable and safe in their residence.
“The kitchen is the heart of the home and more time is spent in this space than
any other room. Our aging-in-place kitchen designs create a safer environment
immediately for the older adult while incorporating future aging needs as well.
Best of all, we can do this without sacrificing style.”
Jeff Mooney, executive vice president for sales and marketing for Best Bath
Systems, is one of the companies underwriting the bath remodeling with products
and financial backing. Mooney said his company is participating in the contest
to spread the word that aging in place can be done with style.
Best Bath Systems has been involved with the aging-in-place movement for about
10 years. “For awhile, we felt we were all alone, in preaching the
aging-in-place philosophy,” Mooney said. While people are aware of the Americans
with Disability Act, which focuses on public accessibility, fewer people are
acquainted with the aging-in-place concept that allows people to stay in their
own homes.
“How many people want to go to a nursing home when they retire? They want to
stay home,” Mooney said. “That’s what the aging-in-place concept is about. It’s
not institutional. It’s about designing a space that people are comfortable with
in their own homes.”
Aging-In-Place Remodeling, which will perform the bathroom remodel, specializes
in home remodels that focus on keeping older adults in the homes they love. “As
a full service general contractor, Aging-In-Place Remodeling performs tasks that
range from a single grab bar installation to whole house remodels,” said Tyler
Owen, owner of the 10-year-old firm. “Our concern during these modifications is
always centered on making the home safe, accessible and aesthetically pleasing.
Aging-In-Place Remodeling has performed hundreds of remodels through San Diego
and uses that experience along with more than 3000 safety/accessibility products
we carry to create homes that provide confidence and comfort.”
Owen said the majority of home modifications by his company revolve around
bathrooms. “On many occasions we will remove an old bathtub or shower that is no
longer accessible for the homeowner and install a new barrier-free shower or
walk-in bathtub that will provide years of independent living for its user.”
These remodels can make and enormous difference, he said. “We look forward to
being able to implement these changes in a safe, stylish manner,” he said.
Information about the contest, including the contest entry form and rules, are
available online at
www.SDHomeRevisions.org or through AARP Information Center San Diego Office
in North Park. Call (619) 641-7020 for directions and hours.
Contest judges include Michael Stepner, former San Diego city architect and
member of the of the Urban Land Institute advisory panel; Dr. Maurizio
Antoninetti, a member of the SDSU faculty and a member of the Universal Design
Leadership advisory panel; Dr. David (“Dak”) Kopec, faculty member of the New
School of Architecture and author of Designing for the Elderly Population; Leon
Harper, former AARP housing director, Catherine Darragh, chair of the Friends of
San Diego Architecture, and Joanne Price, former chair of the San Diego Fall
Prevention Task Force .
The purpose of the contest is to promote Universal Design, a movement in the
architectural and design communities to build and modify dwellings to help
reduce falls and accidents in the home that result in expensive long-term care.
One of the goals is to show the public that aging in place can be an attractive
and cost-effective option and not institutional in appearance. Lead agency for
Designed for Life – Kitchen & Bath Contest is ReVisions Resources, a nonprofit
agency providing innovative aging in place programs in San Diego since 1989.
Additional community support for the contest is provided by
San Diego
Home/Garden Lifestyles,
PACE TV,
Friends of San Diego Architecture, the
San
Diego Fall Prevention Task Force, the
San Diego Public Library, and the
San
Diego County Library.
Plans call for displaying the winning design on the contest website, on a local
TV show and at public exhibitions.
Rev. 5-5-10