How do you design an Arizona custom home for aging in place or universal design?

You design an Arizona custom home for aging in place by building in five features from the very first plan: a zero-step entry, 36-inch interior doors, a single-level main living area, a curbless roll-in shower, and grab-bar blocking in the bathroom walls. This approach is called universal design, and the point is that these features cost very little when the home is being framed and a fortune to add later. They also serve everyone, not just seniors: a parent with a stroller, a guest on crutches, or anyone carrying groceries benefits from a step-free entry and wide doors. For the 55-plus buyers building in Tonto Verde, Trilogy, and Desert Mountain, designing for aging in place means staying in the home you love for decades, instead of being forced to move when stairs or a step-over tub become a problem.

The five core features to build in from the start

The foundation of an aging-in-place home is five features, and all five are cheapest when designed in before construction. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), which runs the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) program, lists these as the core of a barrier-free home.

1. Zero-step entry. At least one entrance with no step, so no one has to climb stairs to get into the home or its main rooms. This is the single most important feature, because it serves wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, and movers alike.
2. Wide doorways. NAHB recommends interior doors of 32 to 36 inches so a wheelchair or walker can pass through. A 36-inch door is the comfortable target, and it makes moving furniture easier too.
3. Single-level living. Keep the kitchen, a full bathroom, the primary bedroom, and laundry on one floor, so daily life never requires stairs. On a two-story plan, that means a main-floor primary suite.
4. Curbless roll-in shower. A shower with no curb to step over, so it is safe for someone who cannot lift a foot high, and easy to clean.
5. Grab-bar blocking. Solid wood backing inside the bathroom walls at the toilet and shower, so grab bars can be screwed in securely whenever they are needed.

NAHB also calls for wider hallways of 36 to 42 inches, flush thresholds that do not trip anyone, lever door handles and rocker light switches that work with reduced hand strength, and good lighting. None of these features make a home look like a hospital. Done well, they read as simply a well-built, open, easy-to-move-through house.

Why universal design serves every age, not just seniors

Universal design is built for everyone, which is what separates it from a medical retrofit. NAHB defines it as "the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design." In NAHB's own words, "Everyone can use universal design," young or old, with a disability or a prize-winning athlete. The same zero-step entry that helps a 75-year-old with a cane helps a young family with a stroller and a delivery driver with a hand truck.

That framing matters for resale, too. A home with universal-design features appeals to a wider pool of buyers, because it works for a 30-year-old and a 70-year-old alike. In an Arizona retirement community, a main-floor primary suite and a curbless shower are features buyers actively look for, not compromises. So designing this way protects both your future comfort and your home's value.

The phrase aging in place describes the goal: staying in your own home safely as you get older, instead of moving to assisted living because the house no longer fits. Universal design is how you get there. Building these features in now means the home adapts to you over time, rather than forcing a move or an expensive remodel down the road.

Building to accessibility standards: ADA and Fair Housing

The technical specs behind universal design come from two federal accessibility standards, even though neither one legally governs a private single-family custom home. They are the best, clearest blueprints for getting the dimensions right.

The ADA Standards, maintained by the U.S. Access Board, define accessible dimensions used across public buildings. For a roll-in shower, the ADA sets a minimum size of 30 inches deep by 60 inches wide with a 60-inch-wide entry, a threshold of half an inch maximum (effectively curbless), and grab bars mounted 33 to 36 inches above the floor. Those numbers are a reliable target for a curbless shower in a custom home, even though your private home is not required to meet the ADA.

The Fair Housing Act, enforced by HUD, sets design and construction requirements for covered multifamily housing, including doors wide enough for wheelchair passage, an accessible route through the unit, and reinforcements in bathroom walls to allow later installation of grab bars. A single-family custom home is not a covered multifamily dwelling, so the Fair Housing Act does not apply to it. But its requirements, like the grab-bar blocking and the wide doors, are exactly the features a CAPS-trained builder designs in. Use these standards as your spec sheet, and you get a home that is genuinely accessible, not just labeled that way.

Aging-in-place in an Arizona custom home

In an Arizona custom home, aging-in-place design usually starts with the choice between a single-story plan and a main-floor primary suite. A single-level home is the simplest path, because it removes stairs entirely, and single-story living is already popular across the Phoenix and Scottsdale metro. If you want a two-story home for the views or the lot, put the primary suite, kitchen, laundry, and a full bath on the main floor, so the second story is optional space, not daily-use space. Our page on single-story versus two-story homes in Arizona walks through that trade-off.

If a two-story plan is a must and you want full future access to the upper floor, rough in an elevator shaft during the build. Stacking two closets and framing the shaft now is far cheaper than retrofitting an elevator later. See should I rough in a future elevator shaft for how that works. Aging-in-place design also overlaps with multigenerational living, where a main-floor suite serves an aging parent today and the homeowners later. See what a multigenerational or next-gen home is and how to design one.

A few Arizona-specific touches round it out. Cover the zero-step entry with a porch or ramada for shade and to keep the threshold dry in monsoon rain. Choose non-slip flooring in wet areas, since hard tile and water are a fall risk. And plan the garage-to-house connection as a zero-step path too, because that is the door most people actually use every day.

The practical takeaway: build the five core features in from the first plan, use the ADA and Fair Housing specs as your dimensions, and put daily-living rooms on one level. Done at design time, aging-in-place features add little cost and let you stay in your Arizona home for the long haul. A CAPS-certified builder or designer can confirm the right specs for your plan and needs.

The Jematell Homes approach

We design to your lot's zoning envelope from the first sketch. We would rather answer your questions before you build than after, so get in touch any time.

Sources

• NAHB: What is Universal Design?
• NAHB: Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS)
• U.S. Access Board: ADA Standards, Chapter 6 (Bathing Rooms / roll-in showers)
• HUD / DOJ: Design and Construction Requirements Under the Fair Housing Act