Courtesy of Karen Braitmayer

By Karen L. Braitmayer, FAIA

When you are seeking a home to live in for the years to come, what features should you look for to allow you to remain in your home as long as you wish?  Finding a home with one or more of the basic features means the home could be easily modified to allow aging in place. Add the bonus features and little modification may be required in the future.

Basic features

• Entry with no more than two steps: An entry with no more than two steps to the door could be modified with a ramp that is modest in expense and perhaps less intrusive to the design of the home. Three or more steps to the entry or deck require a ramp that is longer and causes more impact on the look of the entry.
• Full bath on the main floor with nearby room that could be converted to bedroom: Two-story homes with a bedroom and full bath on the main floor are more versatile for a family or couple’s changing needs. Visiting grandparents might appreciate not climbing stairs or the separation to children and teens. Once climbing stairs becomes less enjoyable, a couple could choose to move downstairs and live primarily on the main floor. 
• Wide hallways and doorways: If a family member needs a mobility aid such as a walker or scooter, he or she will appreciate wide doorways and halls. The extra width eases maneuvering with these devices, as users need less precision to enter these narrow spaces. Look for doors to bathrooms and bedrooms that provide 32” clear when the door is open at 90 degrees and hallways that are 42” wide.
• Open kitchen: Kitchens with aisles between counters that are at least 40” wide provide the floor space to be modified to be usable when using a walker or wheelchair. 

Bonus features

• A no-step entry: Consider the benefit of a no-step entry at more than one door to the house. Don’t forget to consider the door to the garage, if the house has one. In some families, the main family entrance to the house is through the garage. Not having to climb steps when you cart in the groceries or bring in your golf clubs is an energy saver now and means that you could easily accommodate a friend who uses a wheelchair or scooter.
• One-floor living: Having all the main living spaces on one floor means that when a family member is not up to climbing stairs, he or she can continue to meet all needs (eating, sleeping, bathing, relaxing) on one level.
• Master and full bath on the main floor: Having a master bedroom on the main floor means that little needs to be done to allow one-floor living, even in a two-story home.
• Laundry on the level of the master bedroom: The laundry is the second most significant work area in the home. Most laundry is generated in the bedroom/bathroom zone of the home, so locating the laundry on that level limits the lugging of dirty laundry up and down stairs (bedroom to basement) or long distances through the home. This saves “human” energy!
• Main floor bathroom with clear floor space: If the main floor bathroom has enough clear floor space to allow a wheelchair to enter and roll up next to the sink, tub, or toilet, then it can likely accommodate a wheelchair user in the future, with modification to the specific fixtures.