Retrofitting homes for a growing and aging demographic

An ARP revealed that 83 percent of those polled do not want to have to move out of their homes due to illness, disability or just plain aging. No doubt retrofitting the home to address access, mobility and other pertinent issues is bound to become an increasingly popular request.

Steve Calvin knows. As a home improvement contractor in Massachusetts, the 56-year-old “Boomer” has an intimate understanding of the importance of modifying the home to meet the specific needs of its occupants. And, like many in his generation, he is handlinations,” he says. “If they are a couple, and one of them has a functional deficit, the other one will almost always take on the kitchen duties. In this case there’s no need for modifications. The other disincentive is that as soon as one begins structural modifications (raising/lowering counters or changing appliances) you are immediately into the multi-thousand-dollar range.”

Aging with style

Aesthetic considerations are also a major consideration. “Nobody wants their home to look institutional, or to have their disability shining brightly as a central point of their lives,” Calvin says. “Raised toilet seats seem to be a particularly objectionable item. Raising the toilet froajor surgery.

“Whether you refer to these improvements as ‘aging in place’ or ‘disability/accessibility’ projects, there is a common thread between the two: making a home more livable for its occupants based on their immediate and future needs. Each project is evaluated based on our clients’ individual needs.”

Like Calvin, Wilburn also knows that aesthetics are an important factor in addressing accessibility concerns. “Be sure to consider the surroundings and style of the area around the improvement to blend it in as much as possible whether indoors or outdoors,” he says.

“For example, you are constructing a handrail on steps leading up to a front porch. Look at the yard and house to see what type of materials are predominant in the surroundings. Are there other metal or wood railings or trim pieces on the home? Maybe there are no railings, but there are large rocks where handrail posts can be placed to help them blend into the landscaping. Or perhaps you do something as simple as planting a vertical growing plant or ornamental grass on the unused side of the handrail. All of these considerations can improve the aesthetics and mitigate the obvious reason for the new handrail.”

Most important, Wilburn notes, there is no cookie-cutter approach. “Each client is individual and deserves time and care to determine the actual needs of the project,” he says.