Should I Stay or Should I Go?

There often comes a time when your home doesn’t seem as friendly as it used to be. The staircases can feel like mountain climbing and stepping in and out of the shower becomes an obstacle course. You’ve changed while the house has stayed the same.

When this happens, a common thought is to sell the home and move to a retirement community that is more accommodating to an aging lifestyle. But what if the home you already love could change along with you?

Just as homes are remodeled to handle a growing family in the early years, it can again be remodeled to work with your changing abilities in the later years. This concept is known as aging in-place, with architects and designers becoming certified in a form of accessible design that gives the maturing Baby Boom generation the freedom of modifying homes to work with their changing lifestyles.

Accessible design is solution-based remodeling. For example, climbing the stairs to get to your master bedroom upstairs or the laundry in the basement can be hard on older legs. Moving your master suite and laundry to the main floor of the house removes the stair-climbing issue. This is possible by re-configuring the floorplan to convert spaces no longer used as much as they once were into the places you need to use every day.

Your master bathroom is another key accessible design area. Converting a tub with shower into a walk-in shower with bench seating and handheld shower head transforms an obstacle into an asset that is just as functional as it is beautiful.

When Is Accessible Design Right for You?

There are important factors to weigh when deciding if you should stay in your current home or move to a retirement community:

• If you love your current home, the neighborhood and the community amenities you’re familiar with, it may be better for your peace of mind and happiness to modify rather than relocate.

• If you’re free – or nearly free of monthly mortgage payments, it may be more cost effective to remodel for accessibility than incur the expense of moving and taking on a monthly lease or new mortgage.

• If you’re already contemplating remodeling a home you plan to stay in, incorporating accessibility features now can help you benefit from this investment for an even longer period of time.

• If you’re wondering how accessible features will affect re-sale value, you can learn from a Certified Aging In-Place Specialist (CAPS) how mobility assists all generations, and how these universal design features make a home desirable for a broad range of buyers.

Should you stay or should you go? Educating yourself on the benefits of accessible design is an important step in answering this question. Mosby Building Arts has deeply experienced Certified Aging In-Place Specialist on staff, and their accessible design process begins with exploring the details of how you live, and what new challenges you are facing now or anticipate facing in the future. These needs are coupled with your aesthetic desires to create a home that is as beautiful as it is functional. And Mosby craftsmen build and install all your accessible features with the care and quality you expect for long-lasting value.

To explore how to stay in your home for a lifetime, or contact them here.

Similar Posts:

• Aging Solution: Single-Level Living
• Accessible Home Design Architecture
• Before “Aging in Place” Ever Happens
• A House to Live In and Die In
• Bathroom Remodeling Not a DIY Project

Posted in Home Design Reviews