Services - Ava Housing

Ava Housing Service

Ava Housing provides project management and support services to older homeowners who wish to adapt their home to provide space for a rental capacity upstairs. The service is a continuous relationship from the initial adaption works, to helping the homeowner to find someone they’d like to rent to finding to, to managing and collecting rent on behalf of the homeowner.

The Ava Housing model ensures that homeowners retain 100% ownership of their home and benefit both from rental income and from the support of Ava Housing in managing the rental. This creates is a high quality, well-run and controlled housing initiative. We aim to support and to manage the administration and responsibility that might otherwise be a barrier or worry for an older homeowner and their family.

Assess

Determine homeowner needs, survey house for suitability.

Plan

Work with homeowner to agree the design and make sure it is in compliance.

Finance

Finalise budgets, apply for grants, arrange bridging finance.

Retrofit

Arrange contractors, source suppliers, project manage alteration works.

Rent

Source, screen and vet renters so the homeowner can decides who they want to share their home with.

Provide homeshare agreements.

Support

Manage homeshare. Mediate disputes. Troubleshooting.

Ava Housing Design

An overriding principle of the design is to ensure that the home is adaptable to the future needs of the homeowner and that this is done in an unobtrusive manner.

By looking at the design challenge through the lens of older people we can ensure that the design will work for everyone. We believe that we are creating a smart ageing design template that meets the evolving needs of older homeowners, incorporating the following criteria:

Future-proofed

Future-proofed and suitable for older dweller or those with mobility issues, incorporating Universal Design Principles;

Shared Areas

Incorporates shared areas to promote interaction and reduce isolation;

Reversable

A lifetime home design that can revert back to family home format with ease, as and when required;

Existing Ground Floor

Modified Ground Floor

New Ground Floor

The ground floor of the home is remodelled to create a self-sufficient unit for the homeowner. A new accessible toilet with shower is provided and the front reception room is converted to a bedroom. The rear reception room becomes the main living space, and the kitchen, by necessity reduced in size, opens off this area. The homeowner retains direct access to the rear garden from the main living space.

A new door creates a single entry point from the shared circulation space to allow the homeowner privacy and security. Existing doors are widened to improve access for people with limited mobility. A range of universal design upgrades may be applied depending on the particular needs of the homeowner.

Existing First Floor

Modified First Floor

New First Floor

The first floor of the home is also remodelled to create a suite of living spaces. The existing bathroom and rear bedroom remain unchanged. The two bedrooms to the front of the house are converted to a kitchen and living/dining room respectively with a new opening in the wall between the two.

The stairs and hall are space that the homeowner and renter share. A new porch is added to the front of the house to increase the size of the shared space at ground level. The porch also provides a sheltered area immediately outside the door and may include a new seating area to create the opportunity for social interaction between the occupants of the house and connectivity with the outside world.