Winner: The Freedom Home

Builder, Up to 2,500 Square Feet
By New Millennial Homes
Tampa, Fla.
www.newmilhomes.com

If you’re looking for a house with interesting surprises, search no further than New Millennial Homes. The builders really show a knack for the fundamentals of universal design, including a concealed ramp to a large porch, wide doors and hallways, and a no-step shower. These and other details make the Freedom Home true to its name.

The builder set out to fashion a universally designed home with abundant personality—drawing on American bungalow and craftsman motifs. The result is a pioneering, life-enhancing, turnkey home perfectly suited for disabled returning veterans, older adults, or people with special needs.

It is replete with details that help residents adapt the home to life-altering circumstances, and it fully supports the option of aging in place. Slip-resistant interior and exterior surfaces, extra-wide doorways, ADA-compliant plumbing and kitchen appliances, and adjustable shelves are among the many features that make this home easy for everyone to navigate. State-of-the-art insulation, "wise energy" light bulbs, ceiling fans, and Energy Star appliances—all contribute to reducing long-term utility usage and costs.

— By Roxana Hadadi & AARP staff