What to Look for in a House if You Plan to Age in Place
Look for details like these when designing or shopping for your forever home
Laura Gaskill
April 2, 2017
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
Hunting for a house that will work for you now and allow you to stay safely and comfortably in your home as you grow older is no easy feat. If you’re looking to age in place, consider putting these 10 things on your home buying wish list to ensure you can happily stay in your home for many years to come.
1. Covered, zero-step entry. A well-lighted, step-free approach to the house is essential to allow access for wheelchairs and walkers. Also, look for an entry that is sheltered from the elements and has room for seating both outside and inside the door, for resting or setting down bags.
Bonus: Lever door handles. Lever handles are easier to use than knobs, so if the house already has these installed, it’s a plus. If not, this is a fairly inexpensive change to make, so it doesn’t need to be a deal-breaker.
2. Nonslip, comfort flooring. Wood, linoleum, cork or even rubber flooring (which is shown here) are good choices for hardworking rooms. These materials are easier on the joints (and safer for falls) than harder materials such as stone, tile and concrete.
7 Kitchen Flooring Materials to Boost Your Cooking Comfort
7 Kitchen Flooring Materials to Boost Your Cooking Comfort
3. Table-height kitchen seating. Traditional kitchen island seating can be too difficult to use as we age — and the fall from a higher seat is also more dangerous. Look for a kitchen with some table-height seating, or room to place a kitchen table.
4. Drawers and pullouts. Being able to pull out shelves to reach exactly what you need is a huge help, so look for a kitchen with plenty of drawers and pullouts. This is something you can add to a kitchen in the future, but since the cost of kitchen renovations adds up quickly, finding a home with a well-designed kitchen already in place is a huge plus.
5. Ample clearance. Look for a home with plenty of clearance in halls and passages if you want to be able to accommodate a wheelchair or walker. In the kitchen, the Americans With Disabilities Act guidelines require at least 60 inches of clearance between opposing cabinets, walls or appliances for U-shaped kitchens; galley or “pass through” kitchens require at least 40 inches of clearance between opposing surfaces.
Bonus: Easy-grab cabinet pulls. Wide, easy-to-grab cabinet and drawer pulls are something else to be on the lookout for. This style is easier to grasp than small knobs and pulls. However, if the kitchen is otherwise accessible and well-designed, swapping out knobs for handles is a pretty simple change to make.
Kitchen Confidential: 10 Ways to Promote Aging in Place
Bonus: Easy-grab cabinet pulls. Wide, easy-to-grab cabinet and drawer pulls are something else to be on the lookout for. This style is easier to grasp than small knobs and pulls. However, if the kitchen is otherwise accessible and well-designed, swapping out knobs for handles is a pretty simple change to make.
Kitchen Confidential: 10 Ways to Promote Aging in Place
6. Elevator. A single-story home makes a great choice for aging in place, but if you do go for a multistory home, be sure it has a safe staircase with secure banisters and, ideally, an elevator as well. Elevators are extremely costly to add to a home, so if you choose a two-story (or more) home that doesn’t already have an elevator, factor the cost into your planning.
7. No-threshold shower. A curbless shower (without a rim or step to get over) is easier and safer to use. Grab bars can always be added later, but if the basic design is accessible, you won’t have to do a major redesign down the road.
The No-Threshold Shower: Accessibility With Style
The No-Threshold Shower: Accessibility With Style
8. Main-floor powder room. If the home has more than one story, be sure there is at least a half bath on the main floor that doesn’t require climbing any stairs to reach. Some powder rooms can be quite tiny, so look for a powder room with enough clearance to easily maneuver a walker or wheelchair into the space.
9. Convenient laundry. Having the washer and dryer near the bedroom and main bathroom means less distance to carry the laundry basket. At the very least, look for laundry hookups on the main floor of the house, rather than in the basement or garage.
10. Accessible outdoor space. A home with an easily accessed, no-stairs-required outdoor space is a big plus. Look for a deck, patio or porch with direct access from the indoor living space. Even better? Large windows or French doors so you can enjoy the view even when you’re relaxing inside.
Tell us: Are you planning to age in place? What features do you have and love (or wish you had) in your home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
More
11 Ways to Age-Proof Your Bathroom
Kitchen Confidential: 10 Ways to Promote Aging in Place
Tell us: Are you planning to age in place? What features do you have and love (or wish you had) in your home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
More
11 Ways to Age-Proof Your Bathroom
Kitchen Confidential: 10 Ways to Promote Aging in Place
What are you working on?
Related Products
Related Stories
Decorating Guides
12 Design Features Pros Say Homeowners Are Asking For Now
What people want from their homes has changed since the pandemic, these design and building professionals say
Full Story
Bathroom Makeovers
Bathroom of the Week: Modern, Chic and Wheelchair-Accessible
A design-savvy couple, one of whom uses a wheelchair, get a stylish bathroom tailored to their current and future needs
Full Story
Bathroom Design
11 Ways to Age-Proof Your Bathroom
By Sam Ferris
Learn how to create a safe and accessible bathroom without sacrificing style
Full Story
Remodeling Guides
10 Things to Consider When Creating an Open Floor Plan
A pro offers advice for designing a space that will be comfortable and functional
Full Story
Bathroom Design
Bathroom of the Week: A Curbless Shower Adds Accessibility
A design-build firm helps a homeowner with a walker and his wife create an attractive and functional en suite bathroom
Full Story
Landscape Design
Yard of the Week: Elegant Curves in an Accessible Backyard
By Kate Burt
A landscape designer creates an inviting, wheelchair-friendly space in England for playing, entertaining and gardening
Full Story
Bathroom Design
10 Design Tips for Preventing Slips in the Bathroom
Find out how to create a safe bathroom environment without losing the benefit of tile and other waterproof materials
Full Story
Kitchen Design
How to Design a Multigenerational Kitchen
Follow these 8 tips to create a space that works well for everyone
Full Story
Bathroom Design
Which Shower Bench Style Is Right for You?
Shower benches can be sturdy, floating, fold-away or movable. Read about 6 types to find one that suits your needs
Full Story
Homes Around the World
Wheelchair-Accessible Design Brings Joy to Homeowners
Architects found on Houzz renovate a home to improve a family’s quality of life and lighten up the space
Full Story
The zero edge of a good beach is a place for children to get comfortable around water. I used to scuba dive - I have adopted a 'little stuff" life - beach means towel and Frisbee (maybe a book). After awhile all the stuff begins to own you and a lot of the stuff comes with "moments of fun" combined with too much work and maintenance. Swimming is pretty minimal and one of my favorite things to do - I just wish it was more common/available around here. Just got back from Minnesota, so much beautiful, COLD water with a stiff wind almost the whole time. I can handle the cold water if it is good and hot out. My children and I swam in a trout lake at ten thousand feet in Colorado to the chagrin of the anglers - couldn't swim under water for too long - not enough oxygen.
Dream Doctor: I would not say that you are insensitive at all. But it is all fine around the water until it isn't. Since you have been a diver I know that you know that even well trained people can get into difficulties. I love the water-oceans, rivers, lakes, pools and want everyone to have safe fun and exercise. It is just that children drown every other week around here in the summer and we have all ethnicities and the sorrow is quite ecumenical. You seem like a kind person. I also no longer dive although I enjoyed it. As we age I just don't think it feels like a vacation to haul a freight train full of equipment around. The people in the dive business though are usually great and I'm worried about their incomes now as well.
To tie it back to the thread - my forever home needs a (natural) pond/pool - to keep active in a low impact way and it would help to get natural light into the back of the house in winter via refection. It would probably bring the needed/beneficial intellectual and cultural interaction of many different types of people as water is fairly universally enjoyed in one way or another.
I went to the funeral of a young drowning victim many years ago - I will never forget it.