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From the outside, the house looks fairly typical — a 1952 brick ranch nestled in the Hamilton Forest neighborhood in northwest Greensboro. Yet a step inside Tim and Kim Oaks’ home reveals that it is far from run-of-the-mill.

Tim, a furniture designer by trade, and Kim, a potter, have redesigned their home in a contemporary style with natural materials, open space and unique art. But what doesn’t stand out at first glance is perhaps the most important element in the home. They used universal design principles, which promote accessible design for all ages and abilities, to make the home user-friendly for their son, Austin.

The Oaks have two children, Austin, 12, and Olivia, 9. Austin has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination. Because of this, Austin uses either a walker or wheelchair to get around. In 2006, the family was living in Plano, Texas. Tim, 35, had been working from home as vice president of mass merchandising with the Powell Co., a furniture company with a location in Greensboro. He decided moving to Greensboro would be beneficial, so Kim began house-hunting. 

“Our only parameter for a house was that it had to be one story,” says Kim, 36.

When she found the house on Forest Hill Drive, Kim knew they would have to renovate it, but saw potential in the interior layout and large, level lot. Kim called Tim back in Texas and they bought the house before he’d even seen it.

Then the real work began. “We’d remodeled our first house ourselves, so we knew the basics — plumbing, electricity, what walls could stay or go,” Tim says. But taking Austin’s disability into consideration offered additional challenges. “Kim had to walk through the house as Austin really,” Tim says.

Following the principles of universal design, the couple began to plan what changes would need to be made. Two goals stood out in the planning process. The Oaks wanted to ensure that the whole house was accessible to Austin and that he could be as independent as possible. In addition, they wanted to show that you don’t have to sacrifice style to make a home handicapped-accessible. “Modifications don’t have to be obvious,” Tim explains. 

The first change was easy. Wherever possible, walls were torn down to open up rooms.

“We had all the remaining doorways changed to 36 inches,” Kim says.

Doorways were outfitted with pocket doors, which are much easier to close from a wheelchair. Lever doorknobs were installed on all remaining doors. At the back entrance, the family installed a ramp covered with Roppe, an attractive rubber tile that offers traction for Austin’s wheelchair. They also replaced a lock and key with a keypad.

“When we come home from getting groceries, Austin can now be in charge of opening the door,” Kim says.

Next, the couple tackled the kitchen and bathroom. “In our last kitchen, Austin couldn’t do anything himself,” Kim says.

The Oaks wanted to encourage Austin’s independence as he got older. Drawers, purchased from The Home Depot and outfitted with large D-shaped pulls, replaced standard kitchen cabinets for easier accessibility. The family also considered Austin when purchasing appliances.

“We actually went to The Home Depot and Sears to see if Austin could open different refrigerator doors,” Kim says. They settled on a Kenmore Elite French door refrigerator, with a lower freezer unit that allows Austin to roll right up and open the doors easily himself. Kim can now store Austin’s snacks in the lower shelves in the refrigerator where he can get to them himself.

Austin’s increased independence benefits the whole family. “It frees up time for me, too,” says Kim, “so I can do other things and spend more time with Olivia.”

Remodeling the bathroom was also important. Functionality was the most important design element, but “I didn’t want it to be all white plastic and hospital-ish,” says Kim. Because Tim travels frequently with his job, Kim also needed to be able to care for Austin herself. They knew that as Austin got older lifting him would become increasingly harder. “Plus, Austin needs his privacy,” she says.

The first step to ensuring independence in the bathroom was to turn two adjacent bathrooms into one large one, allowing room for full wheelchair mobility. A roll-in shower was installed, with a floor made out of river stones. The stones serve two purposes — they offer traction for a wheelchair and give the bathroom a warm, outdoorsy feeling. A teak fold-down shower bench that Kim special-ordered also offers functionality as well as style. When the bathroom was finished, the Oaks’ daughter, Olivia, took the first shower in it. “Olivia said it was like she was showering on the beach,” says Kim. “That was exactly what I wanted!”

Throughout the Oaks’ home, special touches that reflect their travels and interests can been seen — art from Ecuador, where Tim and Kim met as exchange students in 1990, a Chinese calligraphy wall hanging with their family name painted in Chinese, and pottery handmade by Kim. “One of Tim’s favorite sayings is ‘Fear no art!’” Kim says.

The final effect is a striking home with clean lines, open spaces and abundant natural light. But more impressive is the thought and hard work that two parents put into redesigning a house to make it a personal and functional home for all of their family members.