Think ahead and add value
ARE you thinking of altering your home to make it future proof while ensuring it remains the abode you love?
It could add value both financially and emotionally to your life.
And you don’t have to be elderly to benefit from good inclusive home design. For example, if homes were designed as ‘wheel-friendly’ it would make getting in and out of the front door with a pram and bringing in shopping, suitcases and furniture so much easier!
Architect Vaila Morrison RIBA (inset), Stannah’s inclusive design expert, says it’s time to break the perception that accessible design is all ‘ugly plastic grab rails’.
She advises starting by creating good access around the car and a stable pathway to a preferably step-free door.
Inside, a semi- open plan solution will give more room for a wheelchair or walking-frame user. Corridors should be generous and doors widened if possible.
If you’re changing things around the stairs, it would be a good idea to consider how a stairlift could be integrated easily.
Or perhaps identify where a homelift might go if you need to install one in the future.
In addition to an upstairs bathroom, a downstairs loo is a must — and, if possible, a good-sized downstairs shower room.
In the kitchen a midlevel oven is easier to access than a low one.
And clear lighting without too much glare is also essential to help navigate around the home, particularly for people with visual impairments.
Invest sustainably in your home and it will smoothly adapt to your changing needs, while remaining true to your individual style and creating a beautiful ‘ideal home’ in the present.