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Jan and Bernie Cummings’ new 5-Star Lifemark™ rated home in the Selwyn District, Canterbury, was designed by Higham Architecture.

“My wife and I had a few ideas for our new home, but were confident in giving Jason a lot of freedom with the design. Once we began to discuss incorporating the Lifemark™ Design Standards into our new home we didn’t look back. We needed a home to suit us through the rest of our working lives and into our retirement,” says Bernie Cummings.

“Elements such as easier to navigate light switches, wider corridors, more space around kitchen benches and a generally more spacious layout and lighter house, is making life at home so much better already. Not only is our home really functional and eco-friendly, it’s also tailored to us and isn’t a predictable, cookie cutter design. Plus the views are spectacular!

“I would certainly recommend using the Lifemark™ Design Standards to anyone looking to rebuild. Why try to change things later– it’s so much harder! Find a good architectural designer like Jason who knows what they’re doing and work using the Standards from the get go.”

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Cummings House

About the
Professional

Very few homes are designed to cater to older people, those with disabilities or families with young children. Many have architectural challenges such as steps and stairs, narrow halls and doorways, and other obstacles that make it difficult to manoeuvre around the home.

The Lifemark rating is awarded to new homes that meet the Lifemark Standards, based on design principles of adaptability, accessibility, usability, safety and lifetime value. The Lifemark home accreditation system is about forethought, planning and function.

A rating of either 3, 4 or 5 stars is awarded to a dwelling depending on how many of the Lifemark Standards are applied to the home. Lifemark Standards work with any design and any size home. It's about designing to have space in the right place.

Designing a home to be easier to use by all doesn’t mean it will look institutional or medical. Modifications can be made to the home that are both beautiful and functional.

Amongst New Zealand's ageing population, just 10 per cent of people move into a retirement home – with the majority wanting to stay in our own homes. But rarely are we thinking of our later years and the changes to our future lifestyles when caught up in the excitement of planning our house build. That’s where Lifemark gets involved.