Madison: The Parade of Homes has always featured new trends in home design and this year's is no different.

Universal Design and barrier free homes used to be reserved for senior housing and nursing homes, but now it's the design trend for the future.

Loren Imhoff has seen a lot more requests for Universal Design over the past few years. So it wasn't a big deal when the owners of the Parade Home he was building wanted a more open, accessible floor plan. "The goal is to help them age in place and stay in place longer than if they had steps and other barriers in their way," says Imhoff.

There's nothing radical about universal design, just imagine you're in a wheelchair. "Normally a door in a house–a main passageway door–would be 32" wide. These doors are all 36" wide so that gives you more room to negotiate if someday you're in a wheelchair," says Imhoff.

The living space should be all on one level, from the front door to the bathroom. "The universal design principal again is to make a shower that has no curb, no step up. You can walk in or roll in in the future if that were necessary," says Imhoff.

Universal Design also has subtle changes like knee space under a sink or a stove so a chair or walker can roll right up to it, lever door handles in case you can't turn a doorknob, or lower countertops in the bathroom. "If you are confined to a chair then having that counter 4" lower makes a big difference," says Imhoff.

Barbara Vedder is an advocate for people with disabilities. She thinks builders will use aspects of universal design as the standard. "I don't see how they couldn't. It would seem like this would be something that is more and more in demand by individuals who are looking to buy a new house."

"It's connected to the aging baby boomer population. It's something they're going to need or want over time so we do see and hear of it more," says Imhoff.