Ideal Features for Your Forever Home
When it comes to building a forever home, incorporating aging-in-place features can ensure your comfort, safety, and independence as you age.
By proactively designing your home with accessibility in mind, you can maintain your autonomy and quality of life, avoiding the need for costly and disruptive retrofits later on.
These features promote mobility, reduce the risk of accidents, and accommodate your changing needs, allowing you to remain in your home confidently and comfortably for as long as possible.
Consider these aging-in-place design options:
A single-story home eliminates the need for stairs and reduces your risk of falls.
If you’d prefer a multi-story home, opt for putting your master bedroom and laundry room on the first floor to allow easier access to these often-used rooms.
Wide doorways and hallways accommodate mobility aids such as wheelchairs or walkers, giving you seamless movement throughout your home.
Lever-style door handles and faucet controls offer ease should you ever experience limited hand strength or dexterity.
In the kitchen, lowered countertops and pull-out shelves give you easy access to cooking essentials, while adjustable-height cabinets ensure items remain within reach. Appliances should be chosen with accessibility and safety in mind. Mount your microwave on or below the counter to eliminate the need to lift heavy dishes above you, and opt for an oven with French doors and knobs on the side to avoid leaning over hot oven doors or open flames.
Accessibility and safety are important in the bathroom, as well. Curbless, walk-in showers with built-in seating and grab bars help to minimize your risk of slipping and falling when getting in and out of the shower.
When it comes to flooring, carpet can help lessen the likelihood of a fall or injury in bedrooms or the living room, but it’s not a good option for kitchens or bathrooms. Opt for a cork underlay for hardwood, laminate, or luxury vinyl flooring to provide some cushion. A non-slip lacquer finish can increase safety on hardwood flooring.
Natural lighting is always great for improving your mood and mental health while illuminating a space. Well-lit spaces also reduce the risk of accidents. Select aging-in-place lighting fixtures and higher wattage bulbs, as well as lampshades or diffusers which reduce glare without reducing lighting.
Smart home technology enhances convenience across the entire home, allowing you to control lighting, temperature, and security systems with voice commands or mobile devices.
Incorporating a flexible design that allows for future adaptations ensures your home can accommodate your changing tastes and needs as you age.
While the above suggestions are helpful, everybody’s actual needs are different. When building a forever home, collaborating with an architect, designer, and builder beforehand is key.
Make a list of preferences and questions, and lean on the professionals’ expertise to help create a layout that will support your goals and needs — now and in the future.
With decades of experience as a custom home builder, Curate’s skilled team can guide you through every step of the build process — from the first meeting to the day you move into your beautiful new forever home. Click here to get started.
