Special house, special solution: Retrofitting means safety, independence for autistic adult son

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - From the curb, the small bungalow is just another home on a quiet Skokie, Ill., street.

But look closer _ and walk through it _ and the specialness of the house is more apparent. And the story behind the home makes it even more special.

Larry and Beth Markin have a 22-year-old son, Eric, who is autistic. Two years ago, because of his aggressive behavior and the problems involved in caring for him, Eric was declared a crisis case by the state. The Markins knew he could no longer live with them in their Buffalo Grove, Ill., home. But neither of their options was acceptable in their eyes.

"One was to drop him off at an institution," says Larry, who points out that that would have meant signing away his parental rights. "The state would take him and they'd spend $150,000 or $160,000 (a year) to manage him in a state institution. My other choice ... was to take whatever money (government programs) would give me, about $55,000, and I'd have to house him with six other people" in a group home. Neither setting would be conducive to Eric's well-being. So the Markins took a bold leap, one that could serve as a model for aging parents having to care for their adult special-needs children.

Larry purchased his in-laws' 50-year-old home _ the house where Beth grew up and a place that Eric had visited and played in all his life. Then he poured a considerable amount of money into it, converting it to a state-of-the-art home for his autistic son, a personalized residence that takes into account his son's behavior and needs. The house has been remodeled to accommodate a still-undetermined second special-needs person, as well as a caretaker provided by an agency.

Eric's new home was designed by George Braddock, a specialized-housing consultant based in Eugene, Ore. Over the last 24 years, he has done about 600 homes and 1,500 projects for people with disabilities.

"We go back and maintain (finished projects)," Braddock explains, "so we see what works and we can identify various methods, materials and products. So what we do is have a lot of experience in what worked and what didn't work."

After being brought in by Markin, Braddock, who owns Creative Housing Solutions LLC (gbcchs.com), made a half-dozen visits to Chicago, getting to know Eric and his needs, drawing up plans, making adjustments, checking on progress.

He also worked closely with contractor Scott Salzman of Scott Construction Co., a Deerfield, Ill., general contractor, who needed to understand why things were being done a certain way.

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"From a contractor's point of view, the problem was getting used to it," Salzman says.

"Everything is done for a reason, and in construction, we might not understand. At a certain point there were many, many calls to Oregon. 'Why are you doing this?'"

An example: The sliding pocket doors have runners on the top and on the bottom, instead of just the top, to prevent a person from kicking the doors off the tracks.

"There were a lot of things. There's a learning curve. But now we understand it. There's a reason for everything."

The result is a home with all the features Eric needs to live a happy and safe life.

And one, Braddock explains, that "still remains within the vocabulary of the neighborhood."

The Markins found Braddock through Allan Bergman, president and CEO of Anixter Center, a Chicago-area organization that advocates for the rights of the disabled. He was familiar with Braddock's work.

"Many people pay somebody called an interior decorator to figure out what goes into their house to make it their home," Bergman explains.

"I think a lot of what George does is specialty interior decorating with some construction pieces tied on to make this comfortable and work for Eric, or whomever he's working for."

The project was not cheap.

"These are $350,000 houses," Markin says of the homes in the neighborhood. "Cabling, computers, construction, everything ... it doubles that amount. More than doubles it.

"I'm not Rockefeller. This left a mark. But I was desperate. This money could have gone into our retirement. Bottom line, I didn't have to do this."

But now that he has, not only Eric may benefit.

"Larry was willing to put the necessary capital resources on the table to make this a model, realizing not everyone could be able to afford this," Bergman says. "The state isn't going to buy houses like this. ... But we can take pieces (of what has been done and adapt it for others)."

"No one who has a special-needs adult can't come through that door and not take something away from this," Markin says. "This is a model for what can be done."

He also pointed out that although the house was designed and built around Eric's needs, it could also be used for others _ thus becoming an asset to the community _ after Eric is gone.

The real bottom line, though, is how the house has been working for Eric. He moved in in early September. The first couple of weeks were difficult. Then things slowly began turning around.

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"At first, he automatically migrated to the basement when he got upset," Larry explains. "He did that probably the first two months."

Eric banged his head on and kicked the walls, but the hard wall construction stopped him from making a habit of such behavior.

The projector in the basement and the fish tank between his room and the living room helped calm him. After a couple of months of retreating to the basement, Eric now tends to hang out upstairs. And, his father reports, there have been no aggressive episodes for a few weeks.

"He seems to be enjoying himself," Larry says. "My wife goes over regularly, I go over there regularly. Eric goes to a day program. It's working."

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WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL?

Some of other features in Eric Markin's new home, and why they're there.

Layout: The home is open and airy. Sound carries well, enabling caretakers to be aware of what's going on elsewhere in the house.

Color scheme: The house is done in calming colors of green, blue and maize _ not bright, overstimulating colors _ and also avoids a sterile all-white institutional look.

Aquarium: A 150-gallon saltwater tank situated in the wall between Markin's room and the main living area serves a dual purpose. It lets those on both sides see each other without a sense of intruding, and it also takes into consideration Markin's fondness for watching fish, an activity that helps calm him when he gets stressed.

Wheelchair-friendly: Although Markin is fully mobile, the hall is wide enough for a wheelchair to turn around in, in deference to a future occupant. And outside, instead of an obvious wheelchair ramp to the front door, the sidewalk gently slopes up to the house, inconspicuously achieving the desired result

Windows: They're unbreakable Ľ-inch tempered glass.

Switch plates and vents: They're coated steel, flush against the walls. "They can't be broken or damaged or picked at," designer George Braddock says. "Once it (a plate or vent) starts to get damaged, they (individuals with autism) work at it again and again. They try to make it right." The home's vents are high up the walls, preventing Markin from lying on them or removing the grates and reaching into them.

"Smart" house: The home is wired from top to bottom to provide Internet access and assist in Markin's care. There's a video system in the basement _ where Markin goes when he feels stressed _ that projects a calming DVD for him to watch. His family can check in on their computer and adjust the house's thermostat or the temperature of the fish tank, monitor Markin via video cameras, or listen in via intercom.

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