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March 2004
By
Bill Rauser
 We see it all
the time—people having to move from the home
they’ve loved for years to “simplify”
or to “downsize.” Today’s babyboomers,
however, are expressing the desire to live their
retirement years differently. They don’t wish
to move as they age, in many cases.
To ensure that staying in your home is a viable option for you, however,
start thinking now about design elements that
can be incorporated into any renovation or new
construction so that you will be ahead of the
game in case accessibility issues arise at some
point (whether temporary or permanent disabilities).
While you may not have thought about this to
any extent, rest assured that those of us in the
building industry have. As a matter of fact, “universal
design” is a term given to a growing area
of design and construction that focuses on incorporating
techniques to make a residence as functional as
possible for people as they age. This trend is
so well recognized that the AARP even includes
a section on its website called “Universal
Design Modification.”
Simply put, Universal Design suggests that designs
should compensate for a reduced range of motion;
compensate for reduced strength; and assist mobility,
agility, balance, and coordination.
The reason for talking about universal design
now is just like buying insurance. You do so to
cover yourself—just in case—since making such
alterations is less expensive to do when you are
doing a renovation or new construction than retrofitting
a residence if a mobility or strength issue does
arise.
Some common examples of considerations related
to Universal Design include:
- light switches and thermostats are no higher
than 48 inches off the floor;
- electrical outlets are no lower than 27 inches.
- Lazy Susans, rolling carts under counters,
pull-out shelves, and height-adjustable cabinets
and closet shelves also increase access.
- wider doorways with lower thresholds
- swing-clear door hinges
- cut-outs in curbs
- ground-floor master suites,
- roll-in showers
- railings down both sides of the staircases
You should also think about wiring for stair
lifts or house elevators, intercom systems or
even visual alert systems (assistive listening
devices) that can accommodate those with hearing
loss, which affects more than 26 million Americans.
Also, consider putting blocking in the walls that
can accommodate grab bars, even if you don’t
want to install the bars at this point. (Note
where you put it so you can tell a future buyer
the location of such blocking.)
Additionally, you should also include ways to
save money in your plan, since you will likely
have a lower income when you retire. For instance,
think about modifications that promote energy
efficiency and look at changes you can make to
ensure easy maintenance (so you don’t have
to do the work or pay people to do things for
you, such as painting siding or power-washing
and staining decks).
Besides planning for accessibility issues, think
about other things you can do to make your home
more suited to your empty nest than when kids
ran the halls. Why not make your home more accommodating
for your active lifestyle, since you will most
likely spend more time enjoying and entertaining
in your home once you’re retired than you do now?
Take those extra bedrooms and convert them to
rooms that work for you. Think about a sewing/hobby
room, a home gym, wine cellar, a library, or home
office for the part-time work you may do after
leaving your regular job. Or, knock out a wall,
and make a walk-in closet and larger master suite.
More and more, people in their 50s are putting
master suites with luxury baths and fireplaces
on the ground floor. They feel they can now afford
the little extras to pamper themselves—the steam
shower or spa tub, which they didn’t do when
there were college tuitions to pay and extra mouths
to feed.
So, while you may want to plan for the “what
ifs” when speaking to your architect or builder,
don’t forget to reward yourself to make your
house what you want it to be since retirement
really just means you will have more time to enjoy
your home.
Bill Rauser is president of Rauser Professional
Contracting. He can be reached at 410-833-3883
or br@rauser.com.
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