The Johnson County homes that Bob Willis and his son, Patrick, build are visually appealing and tailored to their clients' discerning tastes. From the point of view of those entering the vintage years, they also offer an array of amenities that afford accessibility and livability by incorporating features that make it easy to "age in place."

Bob and Patrick together own and operate Willis Construction, Inc., builders and remodelers in the Kansas City metropolitan area for more than 40 years. Over the decades, Willis Construction has been recognized by Kansas City's housing market as leaders in the industry. The company has won many awards in the Greater Kansas City Home Builders Association Parade of Homes contest, and received the Kansas City Homes and Gardens Home of the Year Award for several of its homes.

One of the firm's projects is custom-built homes in a maintenance-provided White Horse Village community at 151st and Nall. One villa in the development, a model called "The Secretariat," was a featured home on the popular 2011 Spring Homes Tour. The unit showcases a new floor plan the Willises refer to as the "Villa Reinvented."

Through the years, an area of special interest and experience for the Willises has been the incorporation of a "home for life" concept that features universal design and easy-living features, details that make it easy to make the transition to the elder years with grace and ease, or equally adaptive for someone with a disability.

The planned community in Leawood is in a park-like setting with open green spaces and landscaped streets. Home features include energy efficiency, tiled roofs, full stucco with permanent color, clad (no-paint) windows, and screened-in porches with open design and "universal design for easy living." This designation means that the home was designed to work for people of all ages, sizes, and degrees of physical ability.

"We have purposefully made sure that the homes incorporate such features as wider doorways and the use of pocket doors, which can easily accommodate such adaptive devices as a walker or a wheelchair to facilitate ease in navigating awkward angles and passageways," Bob said.

Additional building features that more easily permit aging in place are raised countertops and no-step entryways. The homes can be entered through an attached garage with no steps, so residents with ambulation issues can enter and even bring in grocery and household items following a shopping trip.
Homes can even be designed with an elevator for entering an upper or lower level when the home is dual-floor. If an elevator is not needed at the present time, space can be built into the home for inclusion later.

Should the client choose, even electrical outlets and light switches can be placed so they are easily used from a wheelchair or by someone with limited reach.

"Building with adaptive features does not mean a home is in any way lacking aesthetically," said Bob. "It simply means incorporating features that lend themselves to safety and ease in everyday living, without compromise to the home's beauty or aftermarket value."

Even a laundry room sink area can be converted into space that is accessible from a wheelchair, by initially lowering the height of countertops and eliminating the use of cabinet doors in an area where a wheelchair needs to roll underneath for service access.

"A great many of the homebuyers in this community are seniors," said Bill, "and I am continually inspired by the people who live here, as a 76-year-old myself."

Some are retired couples who are downsizing, others have relocated back to this area to live near adult children and their families, and yet another owner duo are elder sisters who built their dream retirement home.

In the model home, a completely contained lower level features a wet bar and a full bath, and guest bedrooms that can serve as private quarters for visiting adult children and grandchildren or as accommodations for private-care staff if the need arises.

Landscaped pathways in the community lead to a new luxury shopping center that offers residents an abundance of retail and dining options, salons, and a fitness center, all just a short walk away.

"I have even built new custom homes for clients in their 80s, and homebuilding for them has been equally fun and exciting, not frustrating and disappointing," said Bob. "We believe that communication with the homeowners is essential, listening to their concerns and ideas, and making certain they are well-informed and comfortable with the entire process."

For more information about Willis Custom Homes or the villas, call 913-685-8300, or visit www.WillisCustomHomes.com.