If you are living in your 'forever home' you might want to think about how to make your home future proof - that is how to make sure that your home grows with you as you age. You don't want to be making expensive renovations to your home which you might have to reevaluate later down the line, so if you are planning on staying in your home until the end of your days these are some things you might want to think about.
Stairs
If you are doing any work to your stairs, consider in the future whether you might want to install a stairlift. Putting in a spiral staircase might seem appealing now, but in 20 years time you might have accessibility problems and a standard staircase would be much easier to install straight stairlifts into. You won't want the extra expense or huge undertaking of having to adjust the staircase to make it accessible, so putting in something that will last would be sensible.
External access
While you are thinking about access, make sure you think about the access to the property from the front and the back. If you can install a handrail that would be great, and keep any steps to a minimum. Make sure that if you are putting in a new front or back door that it is wide enough to comfortably accommodate a wheelchair. These considerations will not only be helpful now, but it might also help elderly family members be able to visit your home without worrying about difficulty accessing the property.
The garden
Try to minimise steps in the front garden and also try to avoid creating different levels in the back garden. If your garden is uneven consider a sloped path instead of steps between levels. Creating a seating area near to the house would be useful too, as would french or bifold doors looking out into the garden. This means that you can see the garden from the inside even if the weather is too bad for you to enjoy the garden from the outdoors. A seating area that is easy to access is also nice, meaning that it will be easier in the future for you to sit outside in the sunshine, even if you cannot move far. In years to come when you are able to use your entire garden you will be pleased it was something that you considered.
Open Plan Living
Open plan living works for all ages, and if it's something that you can manage to achieve with your home layout, you will reap the benefits now and in the future. Open plan living works really well for families, you can see your children playing while you are making dinner and open plan living makes it feel like you are spending more time together than when you are divided into separate rooms. As you get older open plan living will continue to make you feel at the heart of the action of the home. You can sit in your armchair whilst your grown up children make dinner in the kitchen and the grandchildren run around and you won't miss out on a bit of the action.
I hope you found this post about how to make your home future proof helpful. When you are spending a large amount of money on anything it is definitely worth considering the longevity of it so that you make the most of your money and don't have to make expensive alterations at a later date.
What have you considered when future proofing your home?
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