• SAFERhome Standards Benefits

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SAFERhome Standards Benefits
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SAFERhome Standards Benefits


A SAFERhome is the heart and building block of sustainable communities. To attain a sustainable community, the homes in that community must be designed to be both safe and sustainable.

SAFERhome Standards Society provides the only certification program in Canada and North America that addresses the issues of human sustainability and the application of universal design. 

A SAFERhome provides a trademarked and measurable benchmark for all housing. More and more industries and governments are turning to the SAFERhome Standards to provide clarity in the promotion of safer and sustainable home building practices.

A SAFERhome certified home is ergonomically safer and electronically pre-prepared, a home that anticipates the needs of the owners through the application of universal design. People can age-in-place and live healthier lives.

The SAFERhome Standards is a design overlay for homes that brings flexibility, safety, and cost savings.  Features include wider doorways and hallways so that people and things of all sizes can easily come through, wider stairways with less pronounced nosing on the front edge to prevent tripping and falling hazards, and aligned closets that can easily and inexpensively be changed into a personal elevator in future.  

SAFERhome Certification is contingent upon the fulfillment of all 15 SAFERhome Standards criteria.

Benefits of a SAFERhome

SAFERhomes look better ……

Wider doorways, hallways and stairs all add up to a feeling of open space, creating a sense of flow that greatly increases the esthetic appeal and real estate value of any home.

SAFERhomes work better …..

They are designed to adapt right along with your changing needs.

SAFERhomes are worth more …..

They meet the needs of the largest buyer group while offering a stylish and more liveable environment for all people, no matter what age or walk of life.

  • Why we need this type of housing
  • SAFERhome is a better real estate investment
  • Meeting demand for human sustainability
  • How a SAFERhome saves money
  • Reducing the risks of injuries at home

Why We Need This Type of Housing

Sustainable building practices are becoming a necessity, as the world’s population ages.  Statistics show that by the year 2032, 48% of North American will be 65 years of age or older.  It is inevitable that homes, and home-related products and services, will have to adapt to the changing needs of the community.  As a society, we are rapidly depleting our natural resources and it is imperative that we revisit the materials and processes used to construct our homes. The SAFERhome Standards Society offers innovative hands-on solutions to address these issues.

A Better Real Estate Investment

By investing in a SAFERhome today, increases the value of the investment tomorrow.  By 2032, 32% of all Canadians will be over the age of 65 and will have specific housing needs. Those needs are addressed by a certified SAFERhome. This increased consumer demand translates to greater profit for the SAFERhome owner as homeowners are looking for these types of homes.

Meeting Demand for Human Sustainability

As physical needs change, so does a home owner’s lifestyle.  A SAFERhome has the built-in ability to support those changing needs.  From toddler to senior, a SAFERhome provides a better standard of living. SAFERhomes work better for 99% of the population.

How a SAFERhome Saves Money

Below are examples of cost savings when the SAFERhome program is included in the initial construction upfront vs. retro-fitting at a later date:

Reducing the Risks of Injuries at Home
  • Over 800 British Columbians over the age of 65 died from falls in 2008.  About one in three of 147,000 people over the age of 65 will fall this year in BC. [Source: A profile of Seniors in British Columbia. Ministry of Health Services, British Columbia, 2008.]
  • 80% of children in BC Children’s Hospital are there due to preventable injuries in the home.
    [Source: BC Children’s Hospital Safer Start Program, 1999.
  • 11% of all ambulance calls are for falling accidents in the home.

Contact us for a full list of how SAFERhome can save up to $100,000!