3 minute read
REMODELING WITH AGING IN PLACE IN MIND
Two staff members at Stewart Remodel, Design & Build have the CAPS designation (Aging in Place Certified) - This means thoughtful consideration is given toward the variables of living and aging in your current home safely and effectively.
By Tom Stewart, Owner
Other studies report people living in their homes longer, including one conducted by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, which concluded that in the 1980s, homeowners moved on average once every five years. By 2019, homeowners tend to move once every ten years.
There are a variety of reasons people are staying in their homes longer, including working past the age of 65 (20% of the population), millennial kids living at home (the highest rate since the Great Depression), remaining healthy and active, and the high cost of moving.
The percentage of people remaining in their homes longer will presumably continue to increase since there will be an estimated 71.5 million Americans aged 65 or older by the year 2030, twice as many as there were in 2000.
In the remodeling sector, we too have seen this play out. When our clients consider moving versus remodeling their homes, they overwhelmingly make the decision to stay. They are often empty nesters, updating their homes to better suit their tastes and needs, knowing they will stay indefinitely. Or they’ve made modifications out of necessity – usually related to health issues.
Universal Design – a focus on accessibility so we can live safely and comfortably through various stages of our life – didn’t exist when many of our homes were built. These homes may not have main-level or open-concept living, but instead have lots of stairs, narrow doorways, and rooms defined by walls. But there are solutions, like widening doorways, leveling floors, installing chair lifts on stairs, elevators, and even additional dwelling units (ADUs).
COMMON MODIFICATIONS WITH ACCESSIBILITY IN MIND:
- SLIP RESISTANT FLOORING
- REMOVAL OF WALLS
- LEVERS INSTEAD OF DOORKNOBS
- GRAB BARS
- CURBLESS SHOWERS WITH BENCHES
- ROLL-OUT TRAYS & SHELVING
BEFORE
More common modifications during a remodel, with accessibility in mind, include slip-resistant flooring, removal of walls, levers instead of doorknobs, grab-bars in bathrooms, curbless showers with benches, and roll-out trays and shelving, to name a few.
AFTER
Two members of our staff at Stewart Remodel Design Build carry the CAPS designation (Aging in Place Certified), so if you have decided to stay in your home for years to come, please contact us to discuss options on how to remodel your home with the future in mind.
Mr. Tom Stewart - Owner
www.stewartremodeling.com | 719.266.0036
If you are considering a remodeling project, an exterior project, or would like to know more about our design-build services, please call us at (719) 266-0336.
