Accessibility

What we have done

• Every page starts with a skip link, so a keyboard user reaches the content without tabbing through the navigation.
• Everything works without a mouse. Menus, accordions and the form are all keyboard operable, and the focus outline is always visible.
• Text contrast meets at least 4.5 to 1 against its background, and interface borders meet 3 to 1.
• Every photograph carries alt text that describes what is in it, written for a person rather than a search engine.
• Text reflows to a single column at 320 pixels wide without sideways scrolling, and pinch zoom is never blocked.
• Buttons and links are at least 44 by 44 pixels on touch screens.
• The mobile menu is a native dialog, so Escape closes it and focus returns to the button that opened it.
• Animation is decorative only. If your system asks for reduced motion, it stops, and nothing stays hidden as a result.
• Form errors say what is wrong and how to fix it, and focus moves to the first field that needs attention.
• The site works with JavaScript switched off, apart from the mobile menu and the inquiry form.

What we know is not perfect

• Some photographs are of rooms rather than of a single subject, and their alt text describes the room rather than every object in it.
• The site is in English today. Spanish is coming, and French after that. Until then a screen reader will announce every page in English.
• We test with automated tools and by hand, on a keyboard and at small screen sizes. Automated tools catch roughly a third of real problems, so if something does not work for you, we would genuinely like to know.

About the house itself

Accessibility of the building is a separate question from accessibility of this site, and it is one worth asking us directly. The house is built into a hillside and reached by a mountain road, and there are steps between the parking area and the front door. Tell us what you need and we will describe the house honestly rather than optimistically.

Telling us about a problem

Use the contact page and describe what happened, what you were using, and what you expected. We will fix what we can and tell you honestly if something will take a while.