When Designing a New Home, Spare a Thought for the Future
If you've reached a certain point on the property ladder, you may have decided to design and build your next place from scratch. This is a great opportunity to put your personality into this structure and to take into account your actual family needs. But if you intend to make the most of your new build and stay there for some time, you may also have to think about a concept known as "ageing in place." How can you make sure that your brand-new property will still be fit for purpose at that future time?
Better to Be Safe Than Sorry
Nobody likes to think about getting old, but it is a fact of life, of course. People want to think that they will still be fit and mobile in their twilight years, but there is always a chance that they may not be. In either case, it makes sense to design a property that will work at any age or level of mobility. After all, it's better to take this approach than the opposite, as you can still make full use of a modified, ageing-in-place home even if you and your loved ones are still fully fit.
Multi-Storey
The biggest challenge with mobility in old age is a staircase. However, you may love the idea of a multi-storey home and intend to stick with your plans. By all means, include a magnificent stairway to add character, but leave some space so that you can also add a stairlift or conventional lift in the future. You may not decide to install it right now, but know that it is possible should the need arise.
Open Plan
An open-plan floor design is best in every other case. It'll have fewer obstructions, and make sure that you leave enough space so that a wheelchair can move in between kitchen stations.
Other Ideas
Think about adding larger windows than normal for additional light, and when it comes to interior design, use contrasting colours to give people help with any depth perception. Ideally, design the front and rear entranceways to either have no steps or have a suitable ramp. You may have to add doorways that are wider than the average so that they can accommodate any wheelchair if need be.
Starting the Process
These are just a few of the factors that you need to think of when designing a home that allows you to age in place. Make sure that you talk with design builders who have experience in this area and will give you some additional ideas.