If you’re wondering how to live in your home successfully as you age, you’re not alone. Accessibility for Aging in Place is at the forefront of much of Northern Virginia’s population.

Just 3.5% of all homes in the US have the basic accessibility features, like grab bars or handrails in baths, widened hallways and doorways, or a first-level bedroom, reports the Housing America’s Older Adults 2019 report released by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. And with 31 million households whose head was over age 65 in 2019 (an increase of 4 million households since 2012), this increasingly older population will increase demand for accessibility.

The report goes on to state that ten percent of homeowners between the ages of 65 and 79, and 14% of homeowners age 80 or older completed a home improvement project related to accessibility between 2012 and 2017. Homeowners can choose to remodel their homes to add aging in place features, and if a remodel isn’t in the budget, there are number of simple changes that can be made as well. Talk to us about ideas on how you can adapt your home for successful living.

Schroeder Design Build’s Universal Design Project for Aging in Place

Schroeder Design/Build just completed a NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) award-winning whole house remodel for a couple who wanted to make their existing home their “forever home.” See photographs and details of how we added in Universal Design features for accessibility and Aging in Place in our Project Stories Spotlight feature in our Portfolio section. Feel free to browse through our Portfolio and our Houzz page for other inspiration!

If you are considering remodeling or renovating your home towards Universal Design and Aging in Place, come talk to us. Our interior design team can provide suggestions for easy fixes and our architectural design team can offer structural changes. We even have a team member Certified in Universal Design on staff to help you make the decisions you need to make to help you remain in your own, comfortable home throughout your lifetime.

Contact Schroeder Design/Build today.

--Excerpted from “As Households Age, Emphasis on Accessibility Increases,” Remodeling Magazine, November-December 2019