Your Forever Home

It seems every day there’s a new article or theory about “aging in place, “ but rarely is starting really early addressed. We were recently talking with some potential clients about designing their “forever home”. It’s not unusual for our clients to be thinking about retirement, but this couple is still young with small children. They’re building on family property and plan to stay, so their house needs to be designed to adapt as their family grows and changes. There are many things to consider when thinking this long term.

When babies are part of the family, there might be an area off of the primary bedroom for a crib which can become a sitting area once the children are in their own room. Likewise, the house might be designed with two primary bedrooms, one on the first floor and one on the second. When the children are small, the parents can be on the second floor with them and the first-floor bedroom is a guest room. As the children grow up, the parents can move to the first floor, giving everyone a bit more privacy.

We’ve also found that how a house is used pre- and post-retirement can also change significantly. Before retiring, couples often share the house after work in joint activities. After retirement, many of our clients express the desire for individual retreats for personal pursuits and hobbies. Quite often, spare bedrooms can be re-purposed or re-designed.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) conducted a recent study titled Aging in Place in America, which not surprisingly found the majority of older adults prefer to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. Design strategies for aging in place are covered in this post.

Ideally, your house will reflect every stage of life. Planned flexibility makes it an integral part of your personal story where lifelong memories and emotional attachments ensures it’s always your home sweet home.