Recession Room Remodel Kitchen: Jamie Hammill
Source: AARP.org | August 2009
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What Is Universal Design?
Universal Design principles will guide both the kitchen and bathroom remodels. This approach nearly invisibly makes a room more user-friendly, by eliminating physical challenges and arranging appliances so they are easier to reach, see, or manipulate by everyone, from children to elders. All this is accomplished with fashionable, yet functional, elements!
Jamie Hammill, another boomer woman, lives with her husband in Richfield, N.C., about 50 miles outside of Charlotte. Her mother, Judy Hammill, is a young 60+, who lost her husband in 2006 after being married for more than 48 years.
Dealing with a heavy travel schedule for her job and worrying about her mother coping after her father's death, Jamie suggested that her mom move back to the farmhouse her family has owned since the late 1800s (and coincidently, the home Judy grew up in) to be closer to family and to the cultural and social benefits of being located near Pfeiffer University.
However, it's difficult and expensive to retrofit a farmhouse kitchen from that era on your own. With her mother's knee issues in mind and the general lack of storage and livability issues in the ancestral home, Jamie is seeking cost-effective, remodel ideas that will benefit her mom, her husband, and herself.
Editor's note: Jamie's kitchen will soon be under construction. Check back in the fall to see the dramatic before and after photos. In the meantime, visit our Universal Design expert's, Cynthia Leibrock, online profile to find out what low- to no-cost enhancements you can make to your kitchen. The North Carolina-based design team is Jennifer Thompson & Calvin Hefner.
