--- description: From moving cabinets to remotely activated lights, the home is designed to support a life of independence for former sergeant John Peck title: Smart Homes: Life is Now Easier for a Quadruple Amputee Marine Veteran image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3cefe91165e3c2c8/6986995155a8596cdfa818e3/john_peck_1280.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Living](/tag/time-section-living/) ## Living Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Look Inside the Home That Made "Life Easier" for a Marine Veteran Who Lost All His Limbs by [Francesca Trianni](/author/francesca-trianni/) and [Diane Tsai](/author/diane-tsai/) Jun 26, 2014 11:00 AM CUT  TIME by [Francesca Trianni](/author/francesca-trianni/) and [Diane Tsai](/author/diane-tsai/) Jun 26, 2014 11:00 AM CUT Retired Marine Sergeant John Peck lost all of his limbs when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan in 2010. After he was once pronounced dead, spent three months in coma, and went through years in recovery, he came to live in a home built by the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Peck worked with the foundation to design a home tailored to his individual needs. With high-tech features such as moving cabinets, tablet-controlled lighting and an automated shower, his house is an example of how smart homes can enable those who are disabled to be more self-sufficient. “The house can’t really solve your problems, it can help make your life easier,” Peck said. In the video above, Peck gives TIME a tour of his home – and shares his passion for cooking. The former marine, who dreamed of becoming a chef ever since he was 12-years-old, is now re-learning how to cook, thanks to a prosthetic arm, an accessible cooktop and a relentless determination. “The first time I cooked a meal in this house, it took a while. I made leek and potato soup,” Peck said. “It was definitely interesting to be able to make stuff and not need help.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2925287/smart-home-marine-veteran-amputee-john-peck/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2925287/smart-home-marine-veteran-amputee-john-peck/"},"headline":"A Look Inside the Home That Made \"Life Easier\" for a Marine Veteran Who Lost All His Limbs","datePublished":"2014-06-26T11:00:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:02:39.262Z","description":"From moving cabinets to remotely activated light switches, the home is designed to support a life of independence","url":"https://time.com/2925287/smart-home-marine-veteran-amputee-john-peck/","keywords":["Living","Tech","Military","Army","Innovation","house","Veteran"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3cefe91165e3c2c8/6986995155a8596cdfa818e3/john_peck_1280.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Francesca Trianni","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/francesca-trianni/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Diane Tsai","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/diane-tsai/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3cefe91165e3c2c8/6986995155a8596cdfa818e3/john_peck_1280.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"John Peck Smart Home","caption":"","creditText":"TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2925287/smart-home-marine-veteran-amputee-john-peck/","name":"A Look Inside the Home That Made \"Life Easier\" for a Marine Veteran Who Lost All His Limbs"}}]}] ```