As retirement beckons, crafting a living space that not only accommodates newfound leisure but also supports evolving needs becomes paramount. Designing a home for retired life involves careful consideration of comfort, accessibility, and personal fulfillment.
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Retirement Comfort
When you retire, you want to have a comfortable home to live in and not have to worry about difficult it is to maintain the home. If possible, before retirement, consider moving your water softener to the main level if you will be filling it yourself.
Another thing to consider is how difficult it is to change lightbulbs. If your ladder climbing days are growing shorter, purchase some floor lamps to more easily change light bulbs.
How is the lighting in the stairway? If that light is way up high, it's high time to get an electrician to place the bulb closer to the stair entry so you can easily change that bulb.
Think of all the current maintenance tasks you currently do and how you will do them when your body begins to slow down.
Accessibility During Retirement
If someone in your home will eventually needs a walker or wheelchair. Think about the stairs. Can you place a ramp somewhere? Or, if that's not possible, can you install a wheelchair lift system?
Also consider how large your bathroom is. Can you get in there, and shut the door for privacy or is it just too small? You may need to enlarge the bathroom or add a larger one on a main level.
What about laundry? Will you be able to get to it? Or is your laundry on a lower level? Consider all these things for the long term.
Fulfilling All Your Home Needs In Retirement
If you imagine yourself relaxing on the porch with your loved one watching the sunrise or sunset, be sure your porch or deck are ready for this, with nice deck furniture and a side table to place your beverage. If you don't have covering over you there. You may want to add it by adding a porch or a sun screen.
Another thing to consider is looking at nice, green grass. Watering can be difficult and tedious however, so if that is important to you, it could be time to add an underground lawn sprinkler system that you can either set to a timer or turn on and off yourself when the grass needs watering.
Consider your yard structures, are they easy to mow around? Or is it time to simplify? Decide what is important to you and gives you the most joy and let go of others, if necessary.
In this infographic by McKay Vassaur Custom Builders, we will dive deeper into how to design your home for retirement to fulfill all your needs, exploring key elements that ensure a seamless transition into this fulfilling phase of life. From adaptable layouts to innovative amenities, let's embark on a journey to create a sanctuary tailored to embrace the joys of retirement.
This is a contributed post.
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