ACCESSI-BEAUTY

Photography by Dale Lang of FabCab

PORT TOWNSEND - Most people think of their home as their castle, a private place open to family and, by invitation, friends, but off-limits to the general public and, maybe even more so, the press.

Not so Judi and David Cornis of Port Townsend, Washington, a city of some 9,300 residents and on the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula near where outbound cruise and cargo ships take a left to head west to the Pacific and inbound ones a right to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma to the south.

The Cornises moved three years ago to Port Townsend to be closer to their son. "We looked at 30 to 40 homes," Judi told The Port Townsend Leader (www.ptleader.com/news/home-sweet-accessible-home-port-townsend-project-of-national-hud/article_d77e4150-5382-11e6-8b52-dfa5030a974f.html), "but none of them took Dave" who, with bad hips and rheumatoid arthritis, has used a motorized power chair since 2012. A single, solitary step makes a home inaccessible, unlivable for him.

So, they decided to build from the ground up. After extensive research, Judi contacted FabCab -short, says Inhabitat (http://inhabitat.com/fabcab-a-most-fabulous-cabin-timberframe-prefab/), for "fabulous cabin" - a small Seattle-based company that melds pre-fab, modular and site- built techniques, sending a truckload of numbered, eco-friendly, energy-efficient parts pre-cut to the homeowner to be "erected" by a licensed contractor.

FabCab may be best known for its passion for universal design, ensuring that houses are accessible, usable and, thus, livable, the firm's programs manager Bruce Waltar tells The Leader, "for people of all ages and needs." There is, however, "a little reluctance from the general public when a design screams ADA" - the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Not for the Cornises, though. "Bruce even came up with some things I hadn't thought of," Judi told The Leader. "It's everything I could ask for," added Dave.

Photography by Dale Lang of FabCab

Nor from the American Institute of Architects which, in July, 2016, announced its selection of the Cornis home as one of four recipients nationwide of the 2016 HUD Secretary's Housing and Community Design Award, The other three winners - in Chicago, Houston and Oakland - are big-ticket, multi-unit developments. The Cornis residence, notes the Institute, is a "modest" 2-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,325 square foot "home on a small level lot in a small community" and the only single-family property among this year's winners.

In particular, the Institute conferred the 2016 Alan J. Rothman Award on the home as a model of "exemplary projects that demonstrate excellence in improving housing accessibility for people with disabilities." A fact, FabCab's Waltar tells The Leaders, you might miss. "It's a lovely home, and you enter the home and you are focusing on the beauty and not necessarily the accessibility."

Thanks to architect Don Argus and interior architect, Tracy Ronaldson, accessibility's in every nook and cranny. Entry door and sidelight feature vertical glazing allow viewing of external approaches from any height. The kitchen's usable whether standing or in a wheelchair and knee space beneath the sink. A faucet on the cooktop reduces the need to carry heavy pots. A wall oven and a wall-mounted microwave keep oven racks, base cabinets fitted with drawers and a floor-to-ceiling cupboard, keep everything in reach range wheelchair users. Bathrooms have vanities with knee space and universal height toilets and threshold-free showers. Towel bars and the adjustable shower head bar are built and anchored as grab bars, to protect against falls. Two sets of shower valves and heads permit use whether standing or sitting without readjustment. Wire baskets, rather than recesses, are provided to restrain shampoo bottles and soap from slipping to the floor.

Inside and out, AIA notes, the design "offers an accessible route from the street through the house to the terrace and on to the common garden space, thus expanding the effective living space and to facilitating daily strolls in the neighborhood." And, Dave and Judi might add, not a "single, solitary step" along the way.

When news of the award broke, editor Patrick Sullivan of The Leader called HUD asking if the Cornises were available for a visit and an interview. When HUD reached them, they didn't hesitate. "Of course," Judi replied, "my husband and I both have disabilities. We built this house to show that an accessible home could be a beautiful home."

Mission accomplished. So well that, we hope this "modest home" in "a small community" known as "the city of dreams" will serve to inspire others that their dreams of a beautiful, accessible place to call home can also come true.

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