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No doorknobs allowed in new Vancouver homes after city passes bylaw

by | Jan 16, 2014 | All, Barriers, Media Coverage, Public Spaces | 0 comments

A picture of a bunch of doorknobsDoorknobs in Vancouver are set to become a relic of the past after city  council recently ushered in Canada’s first adaptable housing bylaw.

As of early 2014, all new housing units built in Vancouver will require a  slew of new accessibility features, including wider stairways, higher outlets  and a main-floor bathroom.

But the change receiving the most attention is the banishment of doorknobs,  in favour of easier-to-turn lever handles.

Doorknobs will no longer be installed in Vancouver homes  after city council recently passed a bylaw requiring lever handles on doors and  faucets in all new buildings.

As of early 2014, any new housing units constructed in  Vancouver will be required to feature lever handles instead of doorknobs.

Some have decried the loss of doorknobs as excessive and unnecessary, but  according to one Toronto-based locksmith, the handles have been on their way out  the door, both in Canada and the U.S., for some time.

“A lot of the manufacturers have stopped making doorknobs because they knew  this was coming,” says Jason Scheide, owner of Spadina Security.

While the slow extinction of doorknobs is throwing the industry a  “curveball,” Scheide said, levers are a more sensible option for those with  limited strength and movement. He points to people in wheelchairs, sufferers of  arthritis — even a person returning home with groceries.

He’s been recommending levers to clients for the past five years.

One drawback, however, is the possible extra costs such a ban will bring.  Since levers require an extra spring, they tend to be at least $20 more  expensive than a doorknob of similar quality, Scheide said.

“That might change, but right now in the market, levers are more expensive,”  he said.

In terms of decorative value, Scheide said levers are the way to go  anyway.

“Doorknobs are usually dated and ugly and we’re happy to change them,”  Scheide said.

Scheide wouldn’t say which handle is easier for burglars, but noted these  days, locksmiths usually recommend a deadbolt as an added layer of  protection.

Jill Weiss, chair of Vancouver’s Persons with Disabilities Advisory  Committee, said costs in general are not expected to be significant for new  housing units. She dismissed talk about the doorknob debate, saying she has not  heard opposition from anyone regarding the new law, including Vancouver  builders.

“It’s very important because in the lifetime of a house, almost 100 per cent  of houses will have someone that needs these features so it makes real sense and  it’s very inexpensive to do a construction,” Weiss told CTV News Channel on  Thursday.

In addition to lever handles, requirements under the new Vancouver bylaw  include:

          *   Wider hallways and doorways
          *   Lower light switches
          *   Reinforcements in bathroom walls
          *   Barrier-free shower
          *   Lower wastepipes under sinks
          *   Higher outlets
          *   Main floor bathroom
          *   Wider stairways for possible installation of a stair lift

Read more about No doorknobs in New Vancouver homes at CTVNews.ca

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