What conveniences, options, room design,etc. are important to you that weren't before? (friendly, friend)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Electrical outlets at least three feet from the floor and four feet on the wall behind my computer desk. I have the same rules for phone jacks although I currently only have one box on the wall.
At least one outside door at ground level. I had to have a ramp entrance built for my old and arthritic dog. It needed to be carpeted as well so he can get traction. At some point I may not be able to pick up a forty pound dog.
I'm looking for a Chinese wheelbarrow but so far have had no luck. They require far less strength for an old person. If anyone wishes to build one please let me know.
Outside view, yard, windows to see out, deck and patio. All to enhance outdoor living and to bring the outside indoors.
And fortunately we were able to get them. We are lucky to have two decks, one covered. They are on opposite ends of the home and have interestingly different views. Our largest patio is off of the Family Room. It was all the large windows sold me in the home--especially the large ones in the kitchen--I had always wanted a kitchen with a view.
1. NO high ceilings! When I'm "eighty and shaky" (LOL) I don't want to have to either haul out a big ladder or have to pay someone to come over in order to change a lightbulb/clean a ceiling fan/fix a nail-pop etc etc simply because it's too high for me to reach via a two-step mini ladder.
2. Hallways wide enough to maneuver a wheelchair in, should the need ever arise.
3. Large (minimum 3x5) shower, with solid surface walls -- no grout to maintain!
4. Side by side washer/dryer instead of stacked.
5. Wide doorways
6. Extra wide gutters that don't need to be cleaned out as often.
On the subject of high ceilings, what the heck is with all of these 55+ builders who are designing houses with two-story ceiling high rooms, lofts, and "volume ceilings"??!! That's about as inaccessible as an interior house part can get, and for an older person it just does not make sense.
Vaulted ceilings give a spacious feeling and tall windows let in plenty of light without requiring so much square footage to maintain. If you're in the south there is no real increase in electricity as you rarely use heat, which rises and makes high ceilings expensive. And in the summer the cool air stays close to the ground. Of course I am talking about reasonably high ceilings - not like the inside of St. Peter's.
Also, at a certain point, one should convert to LED lighting which uses less energy and often doesn't even HAVE a screw in bulb! I haven't replaced an LED fixture yet and it's possible I never will.
All on one floor, especially the laundry room. Smaller and easier to care for, low maintenance. By the ocean, tiny yard with just enough room to grow a few things. Deck and little screened porch.
Small town atmosphere. Good hospital nearby. YWCA nearby. Outlet shopping not too far away (but no malls--fine with me.)
Would have liked a place that birds would come to so I could have birdfeeders again. I never realized that all I would get are gulls and starlings. There is a wildlife preserve about five minutes away though and that helps. Would have liked a place with more cultural activities. I can take a train to Boston but rarely do so cultural activities nearby would be a plus.
A a great view and chair-height toilets ... (not necessarily at the same time). We also like condo living; simply lock the door and leave, without worrying about anything (we've never been 'yard people.') Instead of a yard, we've got a marina/harbor and a boat club as our back yard. Also, since the grandkids are here all the time, we appreciate quiet, separated bedrooms, a large pool and other amenities for them (and us) to enjoy anytime. A separate office and sewing room that don't interfere with bedrooms; plenty of easily accessible storage (pull-out drawers, built-in closets, adjacent storage units); Double, indoor parking spaces ... and a lot of other things that we didn't really have time to think much about or enjoy as much when we were still working.
We had replaced the toilet in the master bath 15 years ago with one of chair height and will probably think about doing the same in our new home--they are definitely more comfortable when you are on the taller side. All of the other things bolded we also were lucky to get--though instead of a sewing room I got a painting studio.
Large shower, unfortunately mine still has a small step-over.
One level, with wide doorways.
Lever style door hardware.
Plenty of natural light.
have lever style door hardware--but had a Siamese who would reach up and open any door she pleased, even the ones to the outside, letting the rest of our pets out too!
She is gone now, and our new home has the round knobs, but the levers are something to think about as we age.
house with a view and it had balconies almost around the entire house to take in the views and get lots of fresh air. All the living and bedrooms are on one level. all pull out's in cabinets for the pantry we made sure the upper levels had pull outs that dropped down (no step ladders) Also used a lot of deep drawers that they could stack dishes in so they didnt have o reach up into high cabinets . We had an oven that was hinged on the right so they wouldn't have to lean over the door to get things out the oven and changed the cooked top to infa red type thing (no flames). Lever type faucets in kitchens and bath (mom had arthritis ) and door handles.Pull draw dishwasher as a regular one was too big most of the time for them.
Flooring we kept the same throughout the house …hardwoods -easy to clean and no trip hazard. Got rid of heavy furniture and trip hazards like rugs and made sure all the walking areas were clutter free and as wide as possible. Bathroom we gutted put in a roll in shower and easy access to toilets (eventually we added a bar in the toilet area and shower) Made sink area accessible if later on someone needed a wheel chair etc. Laundry was washer/dryer on pedestals so they didn't have to bend to far. Outside we made sure the stairs had sturdy railings and that pathways were not damaged (trip hazards ) Also that all door thresholds were as level as possible so no trip hazards .
As it worked out my mom ended up in a wheel chair and was able to live many more years at home because of the things we had done 20 plus years before…. So when we built our house we have wide hallways big bathrooms with easy access-everything has levers..the master bedroom is on the same level as the living areas…no outside steps and my kitchen is all drawers and a huge walk in pantry with easy access to everything and hardwoods floors throughout…And yes we built our house with lots of light and built to take advantage of the view.
Wow! you sure did a great job on your mom's home. Lots of wonderful ideas and information. I have seen the drawer style dishwashers and they would be something to consider when mine goes out--but it isn't very old. I did learn how to fill and empty it from a sitting position, when I was temporarily disabled from a car accident. My 90 yr old mom still fills and empties her dishwasher herself. I have just in the last few months convinced her to do it sitting down.
1. NO high ceilings! When I'm "eighty and shaky" (LOL) I don't want to have to either haul out a big ladder or have to pay someone to come over in order to change a lightbulb/clean a ceiling fan/fix a nail-pop etc etc simply because it's too high for me to reach via a two-step mini ladder.
2. Hallways wide enough to maneuver a wheelchair in, should the need ever arise.
3. Large (minimum 3x5) shower, with solid surface walls -- no grout to maintain!
4. Side by side washer/dryer instead of stacked.
5. Wide doorways
6. Extra wide gutters that don't need to be cleaned out as often.
On the subject of high ceilings, what the heck is with all of these 55+ builders who are designing houses with two-story ceiling high rooms, lofts, and "volume ceilings"??!! That's about as inaccessible as an interior house part can get, and for an older person it just does not make sense.
We do have volume ceilings on the main floor, but they are not terribly high as in 2story. Wide gutters are something I've never thought about. That could be an issue we really want to pursue, we have lots of trees with lots of leaves.
Electrical outlets at least three feet from the floor and four feet on the wall behind my computer desk. I have the same rules for phone jacks although I currently only have one box on the wall.
At least one outside door at ground level. I had to have a ramp entrance built for my old and arthritic dog. It needed to be carpeted as well so he can get traction. At some point I may not be able to pick up a forty pound dog.
I'm looking for a Chinese wheelbarrow but so far have had no luck. They require far less strength for an old person. If anyone wishes to build one please let me know.
1. NO high ceilings! When I'm "eighty and shaky" (LOL) I don't want to have to either haul out a big ladder or have to pay someone to come over in order to change a lightbulb/clean a ceiling fan/fix a nail-pop etc etc simply because it's too high for me to reach via a two-step mini ladder.
2. Hallways wide enough to maneuver a wheelchair in, should the need ever arise.
3. Large (minimum 3x5) shower, with solid surface walls -- no grout to maintain!
4. Side by side washer/dryer instead of stacked.
5. Wide doorways
6. Extra wide gutters that don't need to be cleaned out as often.
On the subject of high ceilings, what the heck is with all of these 55+ builders who are designing houses with two-story ceiling high rooms, lofts, and "volume ceilings"??!! That's about as inaccessible as an interior house part can get, and for an older person it just does not make sense.
Some folks still want a architectural design.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
These were on my list too
There is a wildlife preserve about five minutes away though and that helps. Would have liked a place with more cultural activities. I can take a train to Boston but rarely do so cultural activities nearby would be a plus.
