Bungalow-style homes smart choice for accessible living
They’re certainly among the best homes to look to use as a build for life property
I’ve been hearing from a lot of you about my recent pieces on building for life.
Many of you have been leaving comments, and asking great questions about your own homes and how they can be retrofitted to include accessibility in the future.
In my opinion, it just makes sense — by thinking about future needs, you can make alterations to your home now that will let you stay there for life.
The goal isn’t rebuilding the home entirely; it’s about making smart changes that will support you for life.
Continuing with the building for life theme, it’s important to ask — is it possible to convert your home to be accessible for a lifetime of living?
CAN YOUR HOME BE CONVERTED?
The short answer is yes. With unlimited time and money, any home could be converted to an accessible build.
But who has the unlimited resources to make this happen? Not too many people.
So what kind of home should you be looking at converting?
I say the best kind of home to look to use as a build for life is a bungalow. Why? As mobility is reduced because of health concerns, the last thing you will want to do is navigate a lot of stairs. If your bedroom is upstairs, the kitchen on the main level and the laundry in the basement, that’s a lot of stairs to deal with on a daily basis.
A bungalow can have everything you need located on the main floor of the home, offering your three major needs — eating, sleeping, and bathing — as well as full access to the rest of the home with ease.
Another benefit to bungalow living is that, compared to multi-level homes, bungalows often have less supporting walls — making upgrades to accommodate accessibility needs — such as a larger bathroom, or open-concept kitchen — simpler to make. If you’ve taken care to insulate properly, the home should be easier to heat as well.
With everything accessible on the main level, the basement can remain as an unfinished space for storage, and offer easy access to your HVAC system.
MAINTAINING YOUR PROPERTY
Many homeowners dream about a home with the white picket fence, a sprawling lawn, garden, and maybe a pool, to raise their kids — and then their grandkids in.
This a great dream to have — if you can maintain it. Yards and pools take a lot of work. Not only maintenance when it comes to watering, cutting, and pruning — but do you have a big driveway that will need to be cleared in a snowy winter?
What about trees near your eavestroughs that could cause clogs? These items are simple enough to take care of when we’re young that we almost take it for granted, but will you be able to handle them as you age?
Often, the lot a bungalow sits on is larger than a multi-level home. In the end, this could mean a lot more yard to care for, which could cause problems for homeowners who don’t have the energy to maintain it. If you’re still in the market for your home — make sure you are considering lot size as well as the structure of the home.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
You may have the perfect home for accessible living, but what good is it if your neighbourhood isn’t accessible, too?
Especially in cities where transit isn’t readily accessible, you will want to be close to the amenities you require for quality of life. You’ll need nearby grocery stores, doctors’ offices and hospitals, for sure, but you may also want to be close to parks, restaurants or theatres.
You’ll also want to look at where your home sits in relation to the rest of the neighbourhood. Are you at the bottom of a hill? In heavy rains, this could make your house much more susceptible to flooding, as water rushes down the hill directly to your foundation.
Is it smart to renovate your home with the intent to stay there for life? I think so — it’s why I build with products that are environmentally friendly and will last for decades.
But before you rebuild with accessible living in mind, make sure your home is going to be able to take care of you for a lifetime.