Randy Rinehart scored a marketing coup using a time-honored method: He found an underserved market and went after it. His home base of Charlottesville,Va., lacked builders who catered to the growing active adult population there. So he made himself into an expert on aging in place. He earned NAHB’s CAPS (Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist) designation by taking an intensive three-day course that covered everything from designing for active adults to understanding their psychology. On his own, he assembled a focus group of 15 people between the ages of 55 and 75 to give him feedback on what they wanted in a house. Around the same time, he visited the Universal Design Research Center at North Carolina State University, taking advantage of their extensive resources on the latest accessible products and technologies.
To advertise his new-found skills, Rinehart built a barrier-free show home he called “The Millennium House.” The project spread the word of his proficiency in universal design far better than conventional advertising would have, since it provided the public with a firsthand opportunity to see the home’s age-in-place features. Items such as ergonomically placed appliances, 3-foot-wide doorways, and stepless thresholds got out the message that universal design doesn’t have to involve dramatic design moves. “It’s not rocket science,” says Rinehart. “It’s just rethinking the home, making small changes during the design process. Not only do half of his active adult buyers now opt for universal design features, but anyone thinking about building a custom home in the area knows Rinehart has something extra to offer.
The show home was such a success that he’s planning another one, to be built under the Health Home guidelines of the American Lung Association’s Virginia chapter.
Rinehart Homes Charlottesville, Va. Type of business: general contractor Years in business: 33 Employees: 3 2002 volume: $2.5 million 2002 starts: 4
