How to Remodel Your Home with Your Future in Mind
Many people don’t give their senior years a second thought when renovating their home. However, if you have found your forever home, it’s wise to consider your golden years during the design process. This ensures your property will support your lifestyle at every age and prevents the need for expensive changes as you grow older.
Think about how you might need to use your home in 10, 20, or even 30 years to design a property that will adapt to your changing needs. Keep reading to learn how to remodel your home with your future in mind.
Assess Your Long-Term Needs
Before you start changing a layout, knocking down walls, or picking furniture, carefully assess your long-term needs in the property.
Consider who might live in your home as the years pass by. For example, you might need to one day accommodate:
- Children
- Older parents
- Guests
- A live-in caregiver
You might also need to assess whether you might one day work from home, want to embrace a new hobby, or need support moving around the property. Think about how you plan to live in the home over the coming decades to identify your future needs and must-have rooms or features.
Consider Potential Physical Limitations
Most people don’t like to think of developing various aches and pains as they grow older, but it can be one of the downsides of the aging process. If you would rather stay in your home than move into a nursing home, design your property to support your independence and mobility should your needs change.
For instance, you could create a safer staircase by installing handrails on both sides, adding a non-slip tread, and improving its lighting. A home elevator installation could even add a touch of luxury to your home while supporting aging parents’ changing mobility or your own.
Design a Long-Lasting Bathroom
If you want to create a bathroom that will age with you, there are some smart considerations to make before embarking on a renovation.
For instance, you might want to add:
- Low-threshold or curbless shower
- Slip-resistant flooring
- Handheld showerhead
- Toilet at a comfortable height
It might also be a smart decision to incorporate blocking inside your bathroom’s walls, which would allow you to securely install grab bars into the space should you ever need them.
Introduce Durable and Supportive Features
No one knows what the future holds when it comes to health, but planning for your senior years will provide peace of mind that you could live well at home.
For instance, you could improve your quality of life in the future by adding easy-to-use faucets in your kitchen and bathroom, selecting lever door handles for rooms across the home, and ensuring your doorframes are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair or other mobility aids.
You also should incorporate hard-wearing, low-maintenance materials in the home, which will support your lifestyle at every life stage. Great examples include porcelain tile in your kitchen or bathroom, engineered hardwood in rooms across the home, quartz countertops, and stainless-steel hardware.
