Josh Mauney can trace his interest in universal design back to his grandfather.
Mauney had just started in the building business when his grandfather, who had built every home he had ever lived in, was unable to stay in his home in the last few years of his life. “I made a pact to myself to try and find a better way,” Mauney says.
When he stumbled upon the concept of universal design — in short, designing homes that cater to a wide range of ages and abilities — Mauney knew he had found that better way. Now, as president and founder of Raleigh, North Carolina–based custom home builder Paragon Building Group, he builds his homes with 42 different adaptations that help provide what he calls “forever living.”
The universal design specialty has helped Mauney’s business skyrocket in recent years after the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise in remote work. “It really changed what we saw as a client’s desire to pay attention to some of these things, simply because they were in their home more,” he says. In 2019, Paragon received about 16 leads a year from clients interested in universal design. “We now probably average 15–20 a day.”
Photo: Laurey Glenn
Propane lanterns at the entrance and around the pool help Paragon Building Group design appealing outdoor living areas.
Accessible and beautiful design
Universal design was prominently on display at Paragon’s 2021 Southern Living Showcase Home in Pittsboro, North Carolina, the first of its kind designed to be fully inclusive and accessible. The adaptations Paragon includes in its projects range from wider doorways and larger turning radiuses around cabinetry to shafts for future elevators and backfilling the garage to create a barrier-free entry to the house.
Like most of Paragon’s projects, the showcase home is located in a more rural region without access to natural gas. So the home uses propane to fuel a number of features that make it both luxurious and easier to use for people with a range of abilities.
Photo: Laurey Glenn
By using propane tankless water heaters with recirculation loops, Paragon Building Group ensures hot water is always available at the showerhead, making entry into the shower safer.
All of Mauney’s homes include propane tankless water heaters, which not only provide energy-efficient, on-demand hot water but also serve an important safety function. Universal design calls for the shower valve to be installed on an exterior wall or just inside the door of the large, 25-square-foot shower stalls. The builder installs a recirculation loop that keeps hot water instantly at the showerhead so the user doesn’t have to enter the shower stall to see if the water is hot.
Photo: Laurey Glenn
Outdoor living features such as propane grills are especially popular with Paragon Building Group’s out-of-state clients who move to North Carolina to enjoy the weather.
Universal design is the ultimate form of hospitality, Mauney says, because it makes homes accessible for entertaining any guests or family members. He’s seeing a marked increase in clients seeking homes that can accommodate multiple generations. With the added desire for privacy, that’s led to an increase in demand for larger estate lots. So Paragon is doing brisk business in communities such as Riverstone Estates in Pittsboro and Grand Highland Estates in Wake Forest, North Carolina, that offer more space — and utilize propane for gas amenities.
“Customers really see universal design as a significant value-add, and it’s really the whole package,” Mauney says. “The propane is a piece of it, but it’s a big piece of it.”
Visit propane.com to learn more about how universal design features and luxurious propane amenities help Paragon Building Group stand out from other builders.
