Universal Designed Smart Homes for the 21st Century. 

Homes that are adaptable to your family's changing needs over generations. Homes that provide  independent living, energy savings and peace of mind.


America's first fully accessible, universal designed and high performance and sustainable home plans book. 102 homeplans you can order and build.

                  Sample Plans from the book

Shown here are several pages from Universal Smart Homes for the 21st Century. All of the plans and front elevation views are original designs and artwork by Charles Schwab Architect AIA. All designs copyright 2007 by  Schwab Publishers. Any reproduction is prohibited without written permission. All of the plans are fully wheelchair accessible and designed for independent living and high performance energy savings.

 

Plans are shown throughout this site, so please review every page.
 
To order the plan book with 102 plans, 230 drawings and 25 pages of room- by- room features and extensive resources call Mr. Schwab Toll Free at 866-460-6770. To order from this website through our secure server click on the top order button on the left.

A seperate entry makes this a great in home office with accessible design for all.
 
My favorite empty nester easy access retreat.
Urban Infill Bungalow w/side or rear load garage.
Click on the image above to learn more about Universal Design and for hundreds of resources
This classic craftsman comes in two styles and offers full access with an inhome elevator to a potential walkout below.
To view photos of a recently completed Universal Designed home by Charles Schwab AIA please visit  www.ourwheelfriendlyhome.com   This family built their home in CT. Notice the subtle floor finishes, zero step entries and beautiful universal designed /accessible kitchen. This website shows construction progress from  beginning to completion of the home.

Our Plans sets include the following:

4 Exterior Elevations. Front elevation is always at 1/4 inch scale. For larger homes, the other 3 may be at 1/8 inch scale. Sustainable and green exterior finishes are specified.

_ Dimensioned and otherwise Detailed Floorplans, all with door and window schedules. Remember all passage doors are 3-0 wide.See interior/baths link at left. Room finish schedules are included and specified with sustainable green building products.

Foundation Plan, options for full lower levels, basements slab on grade and crawl spaces. Foundations are designed that comply with our local Illinois code requirements. All may be revised per your code requirements.

Foundation Details, One of the most important features of our plans is our foundation details that alow for a zero step entry, illiminating the need for ramps.These details are shown at the entry and the garage. Steps are not needed as our plans are designed per the 2000 Intl. residential code.

Roof plan at 1/4 or 1/8 inch scale depending on home size. Roof plan shows all prefabricated and field framed members. Materials and flashing/venting details etc. are included. Options are included for Fire resistant and sustainable green roofing materials.

 Electrical Plans, Shown for all floor levels, showing unigue universal and optimum lighting design and locations.

 Wall Sections, Sections as required for complete bidding and construction. Details shown will vary per home design.Wall plate heights are typically at 9-0 allowing for the optional Safe-room to be included on the main level (if slab on grade)and still have a 8-0 inside ceiling in the safe-room. This is a detail that can only be clearly explained with drawings.  See safe-room link.

Building Details and Wall Sections, These will vary per home and complexity of design.

Interior Kitchen and Bathroom elevations and all critical wall interiors per Universal Design / Accessibility construction.

Green Building Specifications. These are mainly product choices that may be included at you option.

Safe-Room drawings and details. Fema has given us permission to include their details free with our plans. Our safe-room floor plans are however specific to each home. You may include the safe-room at your option. Alternate plans are included without the safe room details. Insulated concrete form Safe -room details are included in our plans .

You may also obtain the detail and informational book free from FEMA by calling 1-800-480-2520, publication number 320 titled: Taking shelter from the storm: Building a safe room within your home. We encourage everyone building a new home to seriously consider including one. See the link at left for a discount on safe-room products offered to you through a relationship we have with F-5 safe-rooms.

Specification outlines,  include sample contracts for construction and guidelines. They also include 16 Construction Specification Index divisions that specify actual products and contact info, from the companies that make our Universal Designed Smart Homes unique and state of the art.

_

This 4 bedroom has a seperate ud designed bathroom to the patio/pool area
This fully Universal home was recently built as a group home in Canada
Several fully Universal 2 story plans are also included with elevator closets or wide stairs for future chairlifts.