Barrier free--Barb Bodenner (left) recently moved into her "universal design" home, built to be fully accessible in the event that her multiple scleroris should advance to a stage that would require her to be in a wheelchair.

If you're a healthy, able-bodied individual, getting around your house is something that you rarely stop to think about. You clamber up steep, winding stairs. You wind your way through narrow spaces and around tight corners. You hop over clutter in your garage. You stash away boxes high on closet shelves. But if you were to suffer an accident or acquire a disease that would limit your mobility, managing your way through your home could become a stressful challenge, or even an impossibility.

That's precisely what Barb Bodenner and her family had in mind when they began working with Sterling Homes & Land (Sterling Homes & Land).

In May 2003, Barb suffered an episode that left her in the intensive care unit for over three weeks. After surgeries, biopsies, MRIs, CAT-scans and care from 11 doctors and a surgeon, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

"I hate hospital beds--I feel sorry for anyone who has to spend more time in them than I did," said Bodenner. After being released from the hospital in July 2003, she was hospital-bed-free, but the question remained, where would she go? Her home in Grand Rapids' Heritage Hill neighborhood was not going to be acceptable for someone who very realistically could be limited in her movements, or even restricted to a wheelchair. Barb's parents, Jim and Susan Bodenner, decided to help their daughter build a home that would be comfortable and welcoming--while she is not limited in her mobility--but would allow for an easier transition into life in a wheelchair, should that condition present itself.

"My parents are such a blessing," Bodenner said. "Most people don't have that luxury." She said that, since her initial incident--a period she describes as "one hell of a 17 months"--her mother has acted as her health advocate, and her father has served as her lawyer. They have also served as her real estate developers to a certain extent. The elder Bodenners did a great deal of research before finding a builder for their daughter's new home. They settled on Sterling Homes & Land (Sterling Homes & Land) out of Grand Rapids.

"[Jim and Susan Bodenner] really inspired the whole process, which we're really grateful for," said Holwerda's Aaron Medema. "They were able to educate us. They are extremely knowledgeable."

Holwerda was able to make alterations to an existing building plan to retrofit it with barrier-free accessibility. They call this type of building "universal design" or "UD." The UD plan offers features that "make your home more livable, regardless of age, size or ability." Among those features are wider doors, stepless entrances, elevated sidewalks and an open plan design. "It's just kind of more spacious, more open," said Medema. Those traits make a UD home such as Bodenner's attractive to a broad range of homeowners.

Walking through Bodenner's home, it is not immediately obvious that it is different than any of the other homes throughout the neighborhood. Since she doesn't currently have trouble negotiating the stairs, there is no electric lift chair mounted in the stairway to the finished basement; the stairway was built to accommodate one, however. The wiring in the home is slightly different than in a standard plan. "We lowered the switches and raised the outlets throughout," said Medema. Some of the three-prong grounded outlets have been rotated 180 degrees from their usual orientation. Having the third prong on the top allows for greater visibility and accessibility for a person in a wheelchair. Doorways are 36 inches wide throughout the home; 30 is the ordinary standard. All doors are equipped with lever-style handles instead of traditional knobs. However, unless you're really paying attention to these details, you feel like you're in a standard home.

That is one of the reasons that Holwerda has decided to add UD homes to their future developments. Since many families have just one member who needs special home-design considerations, the idea of a home that is comfortable to all individuals is very appealing. Plus, with more families choosing at-home care for elderly relatives in lieu of nursing homes, UD houses have a growing market. The biggest advantage to these UD homes, according to Medema, is that they have the advanced features of a custom home with affordable pricing. The two UD homes the company is currently building--one in Grand Rapids and one in Lowell--will sell for around $170,000.

Back at Barb Bodenner's house, things are looking up. She will be returning to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. later this month for her quarterly check-up. Her chemotherapy seems to be keeping the development of her M.S. at bay. The number of lesions that the disease has caused on her brain's surface has decreased greatly in the past few months and, hopefully, is holding steady. At this rate, it may be quite some time--if ever--before she has to take full advantage of her home's universal design features. As Barb stood in her beautiful new kitchen, chatting with former United Bank co-workers, she appeared much more like a young woman proudly showing off her new home than a woman fighting a life-threatening illness. Although it doesn't have anything to do with universal design, Barb did have one problem with her shiny stainless-steel kitchen. "I hate to cook," she laughed.