Renovate That Home To Celebrate
The Empty Nest (and Accommodate the
“What If’s” of Senior Living)

November 2003

By Bill Rauser

How often have you thought about your retirement years and pondered whether you will stay in your current home or will likely move? Regardless of your decision, you should start thinking now about design elements that can be incorporated into any renovations 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.”

Ironically, Universal Design is not a new concept; it originated in the 1970s with Ronald Mace, an architect who used a wheel chair and founded the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University. It’s just getting more attention now that America’s 70-80 million Baby Boomers, ages 38-56, are getting closer and closer to retirement. In part, the growing “popularity” of the design movement is due to the fact that many of these baby boomers have actually witnessed their own aging parents struggle in homes, which were not designed and built to accommodate aging-related issues.

So, what does all of this mean to you as you consider renovating your own home or building a new one? Universal Design suggests that designs should compensate for a reduced range of motion; compensate for reduced strength; and assist mobility, agility, balance, and coordination.

This translates to making sure light switches and thermostats are no higher than 48 inches off the floor; and that electrical outlets are no lower than 27 inches. The use of Lazy Susans, rolling carts under counters, pull-out shelves with cut-out bowl holders, 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, and roll-in showers are all recommended considerations for your project, as well. 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.

In your planning process, don’t forget about saving money, anticipating you will have a lower income when you retire. To that end, 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).

With all of that said, and your wheels turning about changes you can make when you embark on your next construction/home improvement process, don’t fret thinking that everything you need to do to your residence in anticipation of retirement is to accommodate the aging process. The reason for talking about universal design is just like buying insurance. You do so to cover yourself—just in case‹since making such alterations such as those noted above 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.

But, what else should you think about for your retirement home? The kids have flown the nest and you have extra space. Why not make it work for your active lifestyle, since many people spend more time enjoying and entertaining in their homes once they’ve retired than when they were younger, working, and chauffering kids?

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, why not 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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