Prepare your home for the future
Author: Holly | Category: Design for disability, Design tips, Home Additions, Home Remodeling, Home improvement, Real Estate, Universal designResale value is not the only thing you should think about when looking into the future of your home. If you plan on living out your days there you should start thinking about how you are going to get around that wonderful home of yours.
Now that people are living longer there are many things that have now started to effect our aging population. Many things that before either never happened or you didn’t have to live with the problem for that long. Now you may have to live with a disability for 20 years before you pass away.
Using Universal Design is the best way to keep your home working for you as you age. Install different heights for your counters so that you can still use them if your in a wheelchair. Install stair lifts if your home has two stories, of course you don’t have to do this until you need it, but save for it as it can cost a great deal of money.
If your building a home and it’s a two or more story. Design it so there is a bedroom type room downstairs. That way if you can’t get up the stairs you don’t have to worry about it, you just move your room down. Also second story laundry rooms are a big thing, but if you also put hookups on the main floor it will make your life easier later on.
I know that most people don’t want to even think about getting old and dying, but it is a fact of life. If you plan for it the process will be much easier and you won’t be a frustrated old man or women who yells at everyone. Of course if your trying to get back at your kids maybe you want to be one of those people.
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No Related PostTags: Design for disability, design for old age, Universal design
December 13th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
As the lead designer with Re$ale Design & Home Staging, I believe that all homes should be built to accommodate walkers, wheelchairs, crutches. a ramp to be added, etc. It isn’t just the old that fall and break something or have surgery. I also think that elevated toilets should be the norm except in a children’s bathroom. You may want to have elderly or disabled people visit you and they need to be able to access your home. Split levels are just an all around bad design idea.
You don’t want to get back at your kids, they will be making decisions for you at some point!!!