Renovate with an eye to the future
Recently, we completed a renovation for a client whose parents were living with her. She wanted to build with their accessibility needs in mind so they could stay in the home with her as long as they wished. Her parents are in good health now, but as they age their needs may start to shift. It was a real concern that her home may not be accessible enough when her parents get older.
She wanted to know where to focus her renovations to ensure her parents could comfortably live with her for many years to come. My answer? Ideally, your entire home will be built with the future in mind.
As quality of life improves in our senior years, we want to stay in our homes as long as possible. By building with this in mind, the homes in which we raise our families can continue to be our forever homes well into our golden years.
If you are renovating your home, here are a few things to keep in mind to build for life.
WHERE TO START
There may be a lot of work to be done, but if you start building future accessibility needs into your upcoming renovation projects now, you can be ready when the time comes.
It ’s possible t o make accessibility a subtle feature of the home that offers function without sacrificing the look and layout.
The three basic things that we all need from our homes are the ability to eat, sleep, and bathe easily and comfortably. My advice is to focus on the kitchen, bedroom, and bathrooms first.
THE KITCHEN
When mobility becomes a concern, you will need lots of room in the kitchen to manoeuvre. It’s great that openconcept kitchens continue to be a trend, because they make for accessible spaces.
Consider the layout caref ully — most designers refer to the area between the stove, refrigerator and sink as the kitchen triangle. These appliances should be spaced out enough that there’s enough room to move around comfortably, without tripping over other people preparing food in the space.
If the space isn’t quite l arge enough to support t hese needs, a movable kitchen island can help to make that extra space available when it’s needed.
MASTER BEDROOM
In a multi- level home, where will you generally find the master bedroom? On the upper level, of course. This is great when we are young, but as we age, our ability to navigate stairs easily can be compromised. When my son rebuilt his home, he made sure there was a space on the main level that could serve multiple functions. It makes for the perfect office space today, but features a connecting bathroom so the space could be converted into a bedroom if his needs change.
BATHROOMS
Older bathrooms are typ- ically designed as eight by five feet (2.44 by 1.52 metres) and no matter how you measure it, that just doesn’t work for people with wheelchairs and walkers.
You’ll first have to determine whether or not you have enough space to make your chosen bathroom accessible.
One trick to adding a little more usable space is to look to your bathroom door. By changing the swing of the door to open outward instead of into the bathroom, or installing a pocket door (a sliding door that disappears into the adjacent wall when open), you will free up some valuable space in the floor plan.
I nstall wall- mounted sinks on the main f l oor bathroom to allow space for wheelchairs to comfortably fit. Install grab bars near the tub, and use non- slip flooring. And always use mouldresistant products in your bathroom.
WHAT ELSE?
Moving a r ound y our home shouldn’t be a challenge. Make sure all doorways are wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers, and install nostep entryways so anyone with different mobility needs can enter and exit the home without assistance.
WHEN TO START
Keeping our own homes is an important comfort and a sign of independence for many. By planning ahead, and tackling sustainability projects before they become necessary, we can truly make our homes become our forever homes.
THE THREE BASIC THINGS THAT WE ALL NEED FROM OUR HOMES ARE THE ABILITY TO EAT, SLEEP, AND BATHE EASILY AND COMFORTABLY. MY ADVICE IS TO FOCUS ON THE KITCHEN, BEDROOM, AND BATHROOMS FIRST. — MIKE HOLMES