My Home is Quite Livable, But is it a Livable House?
Find out if your home is fit to see you through the years and life's unexpected events
Bridget Puszka
16 September 2017
Houzz Australia Contributor. Principal Architect at BP Architects, an award-winning Melbourne-based architectural consultancy that designs healthy, sustainable homes. Certified Passive House Designer.
Houzz Australia Contributor. Principal Architect at BP Architects, an award-winning... More
A Livable House gives you peace of mind for what the future may bring, knowing that you can keep living in your home as you age.
Who is behind the Livable house?
Livable Housing Australia is a partnership between community, business groups and government to make homes easier to access and live in.
The guidelines have been developed through consulting with members involved in the National Dialogue on Universal Housing Design. This includes the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Australian Institute of Architects, Council on the Ageing, National People with Disabilities and Carers Council and the Real Estate Institute of Australia. The Department of Human Services, the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and the Australian Building Codes Board have all had a hand in developing the guidelines for Livable housing.
Livable Housing Australia is a partnership between community, business groups and government to make homes easier to access and live in.
The guidelines have been developed through consulting with members involved in the National Dialogue on Universal Housing Design. This includes the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Australian Institute of Architects, Council on the Ageing, National People with Disabilities and Carers Council and the Real Estate Institute of Australia. The Department of Human Services, the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and the Australian Building Codes Board have all had a hand in developing the guidelines for Livable housing.
What is a Livable house?
These groups together established that a Livable house is a versatile home that meets the changing needs of its occupants over their lifetimes. If, for example, you broke your leg and required the use of a wheelchair while your bones mended, would you be able to move around in your home in a wheelchair? Well, a Liveable home is designed for just these types of life events.
Moving a Loved One to a Retirement Home
These groups together established that a Livable house is a versatile home that meets the changing needs of its occupants over their lifetimes. If, for example, you broke your leg and required the use of a wheelchair while your bones mended, would you be able to move around in your home in a wheelchair? Well, a Liveable home is designed for just these types of life events.
Moving a Loved One to a Retirement Home
Features of a Livable house
The design features of a Livable home are inexpensive, practical and make common sense. A Livable home is designed to be easy to enter and to navigate. It is capable of easy and cost-effective adaption, and is responsive to the changing needs of its occupants.
The design features of a Livable home are inexpensive, practical and make common sense. A Livable home is designed to be easy to enter and to navigate. It is capable of easy and cost-effective adaption, and is responsive to the changing needs of its occupants.
Silver, gold, platnium
There are 15 liveable design elements in total. The first seven of these housing design elements are considered to be the core elements of a Livable house. If your home meets these seven elements in a dwelling, you meet the requirements of a basic silver level accreditation for a Livable home.
To reach gold level, your home must have the seven core elements plus more generous dimensions and additional elements in the kitchen, laundry and bedroom areas.
The top level is platinum level Livable housing.
There are 15 liveable design elements in total. The first seven of these housing design elements are considered to be the core elements of a Livable house. If your home meets these seven elements in a dwelling, you meet the requirements of a basic silver level accreditation for a Livable home.
To reach gold level, your home must have the seven core elements plus more generous dimensions and additional elements in the kitchen, laundry and bedroom areas.
The top level is platinum level Livable housing.
The seven core elements
To meet the basic silver level for a Livable home your abode needs to have the following:
1. 1000-millimetre-wide step-free path from your street frontage, or car park, to your entrance.
2. One entrance into your home has to be step free and at the same level as the outside entry path.
3. Your internal doors and corridors have to have an 820 millimetre clear opening and allow unimpeded movement between spaces.
To meet the basic silver level for a Livable home your abode needs to have the following:
1. 1000-millimetre-wide step-free path from your street frontage, or car park, to your entrance.
2. One entrance into your home has to be step free and at the same level as the outside entry path.
3. Your internal doors and corridors have to have an 820 millimetre clear opening and allow unimpeded movement between spaces.
4. You have easy access to a toilet on the ground or entry level.
5. You have a hobless (walk-in) shower recess.
6. The walls around the toilet, shower and bath are reinforced to allow future installation of grab rails.
7. Your stairway is adaptable and designed to reduce the likelihood of injury.
There are additional requirements for ramp slopes and car park sizes.
A Caregiver’s Guide to a Supportive Home
5. You have a hobless (walk-in) shower recess.
6. The walls around the toilet, shower and bath are reinforced to allow future installation of grab rails.
7. Your stairway is adaptable and designed to reduce the likelihood of injury.
There are additional requirements for ramp slopes and car park sizes.
A Caregiver’s Guide to a Supportive Home
What you need for gold level
To have a gold level Livable home you need to have everything included in the silver level, plus wider paths, stairs, corridors and doorways.
To have a gold level Livable home you need to have everything included in the silver level, plus wider paths, stairs, corridors and doorways.
- Your hobless shower has to have a clear area of 900 x 900 millimetres. And there needs to be an 1200 x 1200 millimetre clear area in front of the shower. The toilet has a minimum clear width of 1200 millimetres between walls.
- Laundry and kitchen benches have to have 1200 millimetres of clearance in front of them with slip-resistant flooring that extends under cupboards.
- One bedroom has to be located on the ground or entry level with at least 10 square metres of clear space. On one side of the bed there needs to be at least 1000-millimetre-wide clearance.
- Door and tap hardware and light switches have to be located consistently 900-1100 millimetres above your finished floor level. Power points have to be at least 300 millimetres above a finished floor.
Platinum level
Platinum level Livable housing is a step up from gold level. It includes all the gold level Livable housing features with all paths, stairs, car parks, corridors and doorways at a greater width.
Platinum level Livable housing is a step up from gold level. It includes all the gold level Livable housing features with all paths, stairs, car parks, corridors and doorways at a greater width.
- Paths are 1200 millimetres wide. Door openings are a clear 900 millimetres wide and corridors are 1200 millimetres wide. Stairs are 1000 millimetres wide with closed risers and continuous handrails on both sides of the stairs. Landings are 1200 x 1200 millimetres, located at the top and bottom of the stairs, with both areas covered with slip-resistant flooring.
- Your hobless shower has a 1160 x 1100 millimetre clear space inside the shower with a 1600 x 1400 millimetre clear area in front of the shower. The toilet is placed with 600 millimetres of clearance from the cistern to the front of the toilet seat. The height of the seat is between 460 and 480 millimetres above the finished floor.
- There is a 1550-millimetre clearance in front of fixed benches in your kitchen and laundry, plus task lighting above work spaces.
- Your ground- or entry-level bedroom has a 1540-millimetre-wide x 2070-millimetre-long clear space on the side of the bed, closest to the door, and a 1000 millimetre clear path on the other side of the bed.
- Light and power point switches have a rocker action, toggle or push pad that is 35 millimetres wide.
- Door hardware are lever or D-pull handles. Taps are lever or capstan-style tap hardware with a central spout.
- In your family or living room you are required to have a minimum of 2250 millimetres in diameter of clear space with no furniture.
- The windowsills at ground or entry level and in bedrooms are a maximum of 1000 millimetres above finished floors. They are fitted with easy-to-reach window controls.
- You have slip-resistant flooring with a level transition between abutting surfaces. The maximum allowed vertical tolerance between abutting flooring is 5 millimetres, which has a rounded or bevelled connector.
Planning for a Livable house
If you are planning to build a new home it might be worthwhile designing it as a Livable house, as it is more cost effective to incorporate the requirements of a Livable house into your design before it is built, rather than modifying your home after it has been built. You can rest assured, knowing that you will be able to live in your home as long as you want to, even if you need a wheelchair. And it means that if you have elderly parents, or someone with temporary or permanent injuries, you can accommodate them in your home.
Read more architectural stories
If you are planning to build a new home it might be worthwhile designing it as a Livable house, as it is more cost effective to incorporate the requirements of a Livable house into your design before it is built, rather than modifying your home after it has been built. You can rest assured, knowing that you will be able to live in your home as long as you want to, even if you need a wheelchair. And it means that if you have elderly parents, or someone with temporary or permanent injuries, you can accommodate them in your home.
Read more architectural stories
Assess your home to see if it’s a Livable home
You can assess your home to see if it meets the requirements of a Livable home by using the Livable Housing Self Assessment Tool.
You can assess your home to see if it meets the requirements of a Livable home by using the Livable Housing Self Assessment Tool.
More information on livable homes
On the Livable Homes website you can download the Livable Housing Design Guidelines and you can listen to the guidelines via readspeaker online.
Tell us
Is your house on its way to being a Livable home? Tell us in the Comments section below. And if you found this story useful, don’t forget to like it, share it or bookmark it. Join the conversation.
More
Browse more spacious kitchens
On the Livable Homes website you can download the Livable Housing Design Guidelines and you can listen to the guidelines via readspeaker online.
Tell us
Is your house on its way to being a Livable home? Tell us in the Comments section below. And if you found this story useful, don’t forget to like it, share it or bookmark it. Join the conversation.
More
Browse more spacious kitchens
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Thank you for the great article and bringing awarness to a very important and essential element when designing homes that are livable for everyone. We designed and achieved platinum level for our home which we built 2 years ago. My 88 year old mother in law who lives with us is able to move about the house comfortably without trip hazards and gives us the peace of mind for whatever the future may hold.
Taylor'd DISTINCTION, it is good to read about your success with accommodating your 88 year old mother in law in your home. Life changes when you are in your 80's and it does not mean that you can not stay in your home. Allowing for this in your own home, to make it a livable home, means that like you, you gain a lot in peace of mind.
Thank you for this helpful article - I had not heard of this grading system. My 17 year old daughter has become wheelchair bound over the last 18 months, although can walk a very few steps. I am fortunate in that the house I bought 2 and 1/2 years ago is single story, is not too pokey in terms of sizes of rooms and has walk-in showers with no lip. The main issue for us is step up to the front door - I have a portable wheelchair ramp there at the moment but it is ugly, not easy to use and, in fact she fell off it once although fortunately didn’t hurt herself. The other big issue is access to the back garden. I have sliding doors (although quite a big lip still) but a significant step down. I know the solution to both of these things is to get a more substantial ramp at the front and build a deck with a ramp for the garden. I’m a single parent and have no intention of staying in the house longterm (house is fine but want to relocate areas once kids left school) so am conscious of spending money too although I want her to be able to use our house as fully as possible. I really like the idea that these changes could be used to grade the house officially though - maybe it will add a bit of value to the house and help pay for cost of renovations. I agree about the importance of building new houses more thoughtfully around livability. Actually much nicer for all and much easier to do it up front than have to alter.