• A Baby in Stroller being pushed by an adult
  • Example of Integrated Townhouses – Each front door features a zero step entrance.
  • Example: A Raised Alley Leads to Zero Step Entrances via Attached Garages in Austin, TX
  • Example: Home with Zero Step Front Entrance. A concrete path leads to the front door.
  • Example: A Concrete Path Leads Up A Small Incline to A Zero Step Front Entrance
  • Example: An accessible Entrance is Provided by a Concrete Path Leading  from the Driveway to the Back Entrance
  • Example: A Concrete Path Leads from the Sidewalk to Each Front Door in a Row of Visitable Townhouses
  • Example: A House with Zero Step Front Entrance. A concrete path leads from the driveway to the front door.

Visitability

Visitability is a growing trend nationwide. The term refers to single-family or owner-occupied housing designed in such a way that it can be lived in or visited by people who have trouble with steps or who use wheelchairs or walkers.

A house is visitable when it meets three basic requirements:

  • one zero-step entrance.
  • doors with 32 inches of clear passage space.
  • one bathroom on the main floor you can get into in a wheelchair.

“When someone builds a home, they’re not just building it for themselves — that home’s going to be around for 100 years,” Concrete Change founder Eleanor Smith told The New York Times. “These things hurt nobody — and they help a lot of other people.”

Who benefits from visitability? Everyone!

  • The young mother with a baby in a stroller, who doesn’t have to hump it up and down steps when she visits her friends
  • The UPS driver who brings your new cabinets and leaves them on your front porch
  • The homeowner trying to get the new cabinets into the house from the front porch
  • Grandma who wants to visit the grandkids but knows she won’t be able to use the bathroom when she visits
  • The college kid moving out with all his boxes and belongings