When you think of home remodeling, you probably think of extending a room or changing cabinets in a kitchen or modernizing an older home. Yet there is a whole new market of people needing home renovations – the elderly.

Renovations for the Elderly:

According to a recent CNN report, home renovations for the elderly are on the rise. These types of renovations are the fastest-growing segment of the remodeling industry, said James Lapides of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). NAHB’s recent study concluded that 75 percent of remodeling companies have seen an increase in requests for so-called “aging-in-place” work.

The “Certified Aging in Place” Specialist program, offered by the NAHB Remodelers Council to teach professionals how to modify homes for older adults, has increased in enrollment, according to Lapides. Representatives of NAHB and the AARP created the program in 2002. Over 1,000 participants have learned building techniques and structural awareness for accommodating physical needs. (CNN, “Builders: Home Renovations for Elderly on the Rise”, by Grace Wong)

Statistics Show Elderly Want to Stay in Their Homes:

According to the AARP, 83% of people over 45 own their own homes. A 2003 AARP survey, “These Four Walls,” sampled this group and found that 75% expect to stay there for the rest of their lives. 51% envision making changes so that can happen.

In addition, The National Association of Home Builders conducted a survey of remodelers and learned that:

• 75% reported getting more requests for “aging in place” projects

• 60% had done “aging in place” projects. Of those:

• 43% were for customers aged 45 to 54

• 76% were for customers aged 55 to 64

• 67% were for customers 65 and older

Remodelers reported that clients wanted aging-in-place remodeling because:

• 75% were planning for future needs

• 53% were living with older parents

• 46% had acute, age-related disabilities

• 23% had acute disabilities unrelated to aging

(realestate.msn.com, “Elegant Remodels Allow ‘Aging in Place’”, by Marilyn Lewis)

A Remodeling Project:

Some families are bringing older relatives to live with them and extending a part of the house to accommodate that change. Others are making modifications for physical reasons, such as widening doorways for wheelchairs, lowering bathtub walls and adding support bars. Other modifications simply include updating an older home because of wear and tear. However, the going trend is to do it all with style.

An example of an accommodating remodeling project occurred in a California backyard. A playhouse was rebuilt to become a livable apartment for one family’s 70 year-old father with Paget’s disease. Building aspects of the apartment include a walk-in shower with no obstructing ledge at the entrance, two-inch-square commercial nonskid tile, lever handles instead of doorknobs and an anti-scald device to keep water temperature even. (realestate.msn.com, “Elegant Remodels Allow ‘Aging in Place’”, by Marilyn Lewis)

Suggestions for Remodeling:

If you are contemplating a remodeling project, keep the future in mind. You can make simple changes now for what may be needed many years in the future. Sam Clark, a builder and author of “The Real Goods Independent Builder: Designing & Building a House Your Own Way” and “Remodeling a Kitchen”, provides the following suggestions for changes to make to your home to accommodate the physical bodily changes that occur over time:

• Remodel your home so that you can live on the ground level if necessary.

• Widen doorways to accommodate wheelchairs.

• Plan the front entry to be as level with the ground as local building codes allow. Eliminate stairs with sloping sidewalks.

• Try to think way ahead. For example, in a bathroom remodel, install reinforcement for grab bars.

• Plan for a lot of storage within the “optimal reach zone” – the space between 20 inches and 44 inches above the floor to a depth of 20 inches away from your body.

• Use drawers instead of cupboards where possible.

• Install lever handles throughout the house.

• Use hard flooring or choose an attractive, low-pile commercial carpet.

• Place electric outlets higher than usual and switches lower.

• Install a shelf outside the front door so you can put down packages while searching for keys.

Additional tips from the Home Remodelers in New Jersey (www.homeremodelersgroup.com) further suggests vinyl siding. Vinyl siding is made to look like real wood and it never needs painting, preventing any hazardous maintenance or painting. Vinyl windows are also suggested; they are easy to clean and energy efficient.

For additional remodeling articles, visit http://www.homeremodelersgroup.com/?source=articles

The trick is to focus on each and every room separately. Some, like the bathroom for example, may take no more than an hour or so to sort out. Other rooms such as the spare bedroom and the children’s room will probably take longer. Make sure you have the time to devote to each task before you begin.

You will also need to be determined for this tactic to work well. What you need to do is to go through the contents of each room and work to a ‘chuck it or keep it’ rule. Some items will obviously need to be thrown out – those that are broken, out of date or simply not required any more. Others may hold sentimental value.

Grab some bin bags and get rid of anything you really don’t want. Everything else should be sorted out into piles so that it can be properly stored away. You may already have some storage solutions available that you can use – make sure you go through all these and throw away anything that isn’t wanted as well. You can then make better use of that space too.

Clutter is one of the main reasons why a room will feel small and the living space will feel cramped. If you work at getting rid of it you will be surprised how much difference it will make.

Once you have gone through the contents of a single room, you will be able to look at that room through fresh eyes. Now you can think about the layout too. Is it good enough for your needs? Maybe moving some items of furniture around would make it feel even lighter and airier?

Moving items around like this may also make storage even easier. Look for storage cabinets, boxes and similar items that blend in with the furniture you already have too. Some storage boxes can be hidden by putting them inside or underneath other pieces of furniture. Ask yourself what type of solutions would work best for the room you are tackling.

Once you’re done, you should see and feel a noticeable difference in the room. It should feel brighter, lighter and much roomier. Now all you have to do is keep it that way!

Be sure to move on to the next room on your list and repeat the process too. That way, your whole house will soon have a lot more living space in it to enjoy.

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