The city of Vancouver BC recently passed a revision of their city building codes. Beginning next March all new residential construction must be built to be more accessible to people with disabilities and the elderly. Most of the changes make common sense. The requirement calls for wider doors and hallways, lower light switches and higher power outlets. The very short, left handed electrician who wired our condo did most of those things accidently.
What got the most press however was the call for the death of the doorknob and round faucet handles. Come March round faucets and doorknobs are out, instead we'll have lever type.
Friends, I have installed lever type exterior door handles in our last 2 homes. I found it easier to open doors with lever handles when carrying groceries from the garage to into the kitchen. They were a great success, but with success comes unintended consequences.
As easy as lever type handles are to use for we elderly, they are also easy to for dogs and children to manipulate.
The late great Ted the Wonder Dog was happy to open the door and show the lion dogs out. We couldn't keep him outside as he enjoyed letting himself in at will.
Toad
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1 comment:
Living in Germany in the late '60's it was common to refer to the USA as "land of the round door knobs" as Germans had long been using lever openers. Learned to love them. Way more practical then the round ones as you have noticed. Unless one has a "Ted the wonder dog".
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