Today we’d like to introduce you to Louie Delaware.
Hi Louie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
“I am Louie Delaware, and I am a mechanical engineer with a degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison- go Badgers. I live just outside of Boulder, Colorado with my wife and 3 whippet dogs, and have two wonderful adult children.
I worked in R&D for 25 years developing new-to-the world surgical devices that would save lives or make the outcome of surgery better. I also worked on state-of-the art technologies from lasers that modify microelectronics to spectroscopy equipment that would sense the components of pharmaceutical compounds and also measure the concentration without destroying the compound.
My next career move was to become a Class B General Contractor, where we specialized in kitchen and bath remodels, basement finishes, and decking. From there, I became one of the first certified professional childproofers where we would go into a client’s home to make it safer for their child and less stressful for them. With this, we also branched out into other safety activities, such as radon mitigation and senior safety.
With my work in work in home safety, I decided to write a book titled How To Childproof Your Home. Along with my extensive experience in home safety, I founded the Living In Place Institute and created a learning program called the Certified Living In Place Professional, or CLIPP. The website for this is LivingInPlace.com. We have trained over 1,000 professionals and homeowners, and counting. I am frequently requested for media interviews on this topic.
I am also an Editorial Advisory Board Member of the Kitchen and Bath Business magazine, and have been recognized as a Trade Innovator by the Kitchen and Bath Design News Magazine.
On December 30th, 2021, the Marshall Wildfire burned over 6,000 acres in 6 hours due to 105+ mile per hour winds. It destroyed 1,084 homes and damaged over 500 other homes. It was the most destructive fire in Colorado history. My family’s home was one of those that was destroyed.
Because of the CLIPP training program, we were able to practice what I teach and designed and built our replacement home to have over 400 accessibility, safety, healthy, and secure features. To see what some of these are, you can go to HowToLiveInPlace.com. We will be releasing over 25 video podcasts that will cover companies that have products that make a difference for everyone. These include TOTO Toilets, Hunter Douglas window coverings, Rev-A-Shelf home organization products, LG HVAC systems and hot water heat pumps, SKS kitchen and laundry appliances, Panasonic HVAC equipment such as bathroom vent fans and heat recovery ventilators, and Tresco Lighting just to name a few.
Besides the Living In Place Institute and our programs training, I am also a Founding Member of Extreme Weather Survivors. This organization connects extreme weather survivor communities across the country to learn from each other, support one another and advocate for action. With my extensive knowledge on home designs and also our own experience of surviving a disaster, we are also creating a separate video podcast series in partnership with Extreme Weather Survivors on how to rebuild a home after a disaster on topics such as Navigating the rebuild journey – what to expect from start to finish, Choosing the right architect, builder, contractors, and accountability, and creating disaster resilient homes, also just to name a few. This is just one way I can give back to others who have had a disaster fall upon them.
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I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest challenge after the Marshall Wildfire was just being able to get a sense of normalcy in our lives after the disaster. One can’t truly imagine the challenge that one goes through when they lose everything. When one want to build a new home, they probably spend over a year in determining what they want. But in our case, we were dealing with the myriad of design, product, and contractor issues we had to go through. It took us 2 years, 7 months and 15 days to be able move back into our rebuilt home.
But there were many people who I call Angels that helped us every step in the way. We had a wonderful team of architects, kitchen and bath designers, interior designers, lighting designers, landscapers, our builder, and many other talented professionals who carefully and tactfully guided us through the process.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
With my work in work in home safety, I decided to write a book titled How To Childproof Your Home. Along with my extensive experience in home safety, I founded the Living In Place Institute and created a learning program called the Certified Living In Place Professional, or CLIPP. The website for this is LivingInPlace.com. The whole intent of Living In Place is to make all homes accessible, safe, healthy, and secure, for individuals of all ages and abilities. We have trained over 1,000 professionals and homeowners, and counting. I am frequently requested for media interviews on this topic.
We all have heard the term Aging in place, but this only addresses older individuals. We carefully selected our company name to be the Living In Place Institute as it connotes a more friendly term that also allows one to have a home that gives them the capabilities to do most anything. Furthermore, no one wants to be reminded that they are getting older by hearing the term aging. But Living In Place also includes all ages, from the crib to the senior years. Accessibility, safety, and health are all key items in a home.
The need for appropriate homes could be a toddler child getting into mischief or harm in a home, the result of a temporary sport injury or an accident that happens anywhere in one’s life, to a life changing circumstance like a disease or permanent injury making moving around a home a challenge, to the long term changes that occur when one gets older. But one never knows when their home needs to be ready for any of life’s challenges.
On December 30th, 2021, the Marshall Wildfire burned over 6,000 acres in 6 hours due to 105+ mile per hour winds. It destroyed 1,084 homes and damaged over 500 other homes. It was the most destructive fire in Colorado history. My family’s home was one of those that was destroyed.
Because of the CLIPP training program, we were able to practice what I teach and designed and built our Living In Place Institute Idea Home to have over 400 accessibility, safety, healthy, and secure features. To see what some of these are, you can go to HowToLiveInPlace.com. We will be releasing over 25 video podcasts that will cover companies that have products that make a difference for everyone. These include TOTO Toilets, Hunter Douglas window coverings, Rev-A-Shelf home organization products, LG HVAC systems and hot water heat pumps, SKS kitchen and laundry appliances, Panasonic HVAC equipment such as bathroom vent fans and heat recovery ventilators, and Tresco Lighting just to name a few. For more information about
Besides the Living In Place Institute and our programs training, I am also a Founding Member of Extreme Weather Survivors. This organization connects extreme weather survivor communities across the country to learn from each other, support one another and advocate for action. With my extensive knowledge on home designs and also our own experience of surviving a disaster, we are also creating a separate video podcast series in partnership with Extreme Weather Survivors on how to rebuild a home after a disaster on topics such as Navigating the rebuild journey – what to expect from start to finish, Choosing the right architect, builder, contractors, and accountability, and creating disaster resilient homes, also just to name a few. This is just one way I can give back to others who have had a disaster fall upon them.
Pricing:
- Our Certified Living In Place Professional credential program is $400
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LivingInPlace.Institute / www.HowToLiveInPlace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livinginplaceinstitute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=the%20living%20in%20place%20institute
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=living+in+place+institute
