Dwell Magazine’s Web site is packed with terrific videos of smart building design. Among them is this video shot in upstate New York of architect Michael McDonough’s home, which he calls a laboratory for living.

McDonough takes viewers on a tour of his adaptable kitchen and his rooftop container garden - both of which speak to our hearts.

There are so many benefits to container gardening, as you know from reading our site. As for kitchens, a couple of years ago, Marty gutted her kitchen, removed the cabinets - which were icky looking - and installed a stainless steel counter with double sinks from a restaurant and rolling tables with storage underneath.

The only drawback is there is no where to hide a mess since everything now is in the open.

We can’t figure out if this is real furniture for sale somewhere or someone’s prototype that never went anywhere. Whatever the case, it’s a brilliant concept for small living.

Click here to see it unfold.

Gimpy people need all the independence we can muster and knowing how to do simple repairs helps greatly.

This clear and concise video will show you how to repair a hole in your wall with no screws, no backing material and no tape.

A scrap of drywall, a sharp knife, some compound and sandpaper are all you need for this trick of the trade.

You can do it!

(via MetaCafe.com)

Disabled veterans coming home from the war inspired a Florida development company to design the “Freedom Home” - with features everyone would love.

New Millennial Homes in Tampa feature closet rods that pulls down for easy access, a pot-filling water faucet directly over the stove, doorways wide enough to handle a wheelchair and easy-to-navigate bathrooms.

The homes start at $111,000 to $131,900 for 1,200-square-feet, excluding the home site. “It’s not a lot of house, but there’s a lot of house in it,” says builder Mike Shrenk.

Click here to read the story.

Regular readers of our site know we’re always dreaming of the Ultimate Gimpy Home. Well, we’ve found another - this one in California.

Take a view of the slide show to see what we like about the simple layout, the access to public transportation and the pool right outside the door. Ahhh! All on a lot that no one really wanted.

The downside is the air quality. The owners say that living close to a busy intersection showers the back patio with dirty air particulants.

Click here to see more.

Forbes Magazine has a piece on a Georgia couple undertaking - no pun intended - what they call “termination renovation” of their home.

Dan and Mary Emma McConaughey, both in their 70s, want to stay in their home and know they need to equip it with grab bars, easier access to storage space and a wheelchair-accessible bath.

Click here to learn more and see their photos.

We are always looking for home ideas that improve daily comfort and safety for all people, regardless of their personal architecture.

Here are five sites chosen by the AARP and the National Association of Home Builders as forward-looking communities loaded with accessible features.

Dwell magazine’s November 2007 issue offers insight into some elegant, yet simple, living accommodations for a person with disabilities.

The article, called “The First Wave,” on pages 152-159, showcases the compact Australian home of Mary Henning and Ann Wansbrough, who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident and has limited mobility. The couple’s architect, Steve Kennedy, upended conventional wisdom, designing so that Wansbrough is not grounded on the first floor.

Kennedy designed a straight staircase with deep treads and a small upper-level kitchenette. The kitchen island is on wheels so it can be moved out of the way to allow for wheelchair passage, and the spacious bathroom is fitted with wide-opening doors and reinforced grab rails - concessions so well done they go virtually unnoticed.

Out back, near the wall of green plants that filter the home’s gray water, a small therapy pool is as pretty as a pond when not being used for exercise.

Eds. note: We have had subscriptions to Dwell since its inception in October 2000. Dwell has grown fat with advertisers and we hope Dwell someday, like The New Yorker, will provide free links to their stories for readers like you.

A nascent movement is making neighborhoods comfortable places to grow old, both for men and women in need of help now and for Baby Boomers anticipating the future.

Urban planners say this movement, organized by residents rather than government agencies or social service providers, could make “aging in place” safe and affordable for a majority of elderly people.

Learn more

This ‘Smart Apartment’ in O’Connor, Canberra, Australia, is one of several apartments designed for low-income Gimpy people in the City Edge complex.

The apartments have adjustable height kitchen benches, including the sink and stove top, and wireless controlled front doors.The accommodations, while basic, demonstrate flexibility and offer greater independence to people in wheelchairs.

With a little color and some personal touches, it could indeed be home sweet home for many people.