Choose to Stay Put? -Baby Boomers Answer YES!– (Part 5)

Choose to Stay Put? -Baby Boomers Answer YES! –
Asheville Real Estate Journal

Here’s something new- but you might already have surmised it… Baby Boomers are choosing to  "stay put" in our  homes- (with a gorgeous healthy-built home like this,  who wouldn't?) - just another way we have a different sort of retirement than did our parents.

Of the almost 80 million American Boomers (born between 1946 and 1967…or thereabouts) surveys and our own experience tell us that the boomer generation is likely to:

1. work longer and/or entertain entrepreneurial quests
2. start a second career
3. keep active and engaged in the neighborhood and community
4. take classes for fun and/or profit
5. NOT head for retirement homes and institutional settings (many in warm climates)
6. choose the “aging-in-place” alternative and stay put in our current living spaces.

So…what do these choices mean in terms of trends in housing?  

While Baby Boomers may choose to avoid “retirement homes” we must, at the same time, make choices to prepare for age-feathering our nests.  I refer to this as aging-in-PALACE, where we make choices and consider how comfortably to accommodate the vagaries of time.

A Sterile Living Space?

But, who wants a sterile (nursing home) living space? Not the boomer cohort.  Enter the concept of universal design and the addition of universal design elements(UDE)- and a question my real estae clients are asking more and more these days about how a home that includes UDE actually might look. . ..

Question 5.How does a home that incorporates universal design concepts actually look?

Answer: It is can be as beautiful as we desire it to be- with NO VOC paint in wonderful colors, natural light in happy living spaces, and planning that makes a home easy-to-navigate. Here are 9 examples of  how UDE can be included in our feathered nests

Universal Design Features

1. 1.No-Step or “step-less”  entry - easy for one and all to enter from toddlers to bold oldies.
2. Lever door handles throughout the home- These handles simply are easier than door knobs, especially for those of us with  knobby knuckles- arthritis.
3. Upstairs-Downstairs: a)  Main floor living-  kitchen, bathroom, master (or at least one) bedroom . b) Guests, visiting or living in family spaces, home offices might be upstairs. Stairs – think about actually staining them in slightly different colors for anyone with vision issues. – And if you are building, you might want to design a space for and elevator.
4. Wide everything- hallways ( to accommodate a wheelchair's turning radius) and  just for a spacious and open look.
5. Natural and abundant light throughout the home
6. Hardwood floors as opposed to movement-restricting carpet.
7. Light switches, as well as outlets and thermostats, should be no higher than 48 inches.
8. Off to the kitchen for some healthy food where  everything is situated for ease of use by one and all.  If you use a microwave, plan a space for it on the counter, and if someone is on wheels, think about countertops and cabinets that are a bit lower.
9. And as for the spa bathroom here’s how it looks: a) comfy tall toilet b) a walk-in shower, (with shiny top-quality grab bar.)
   
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   Here is a video of a home in which you may discover a number of UDEs...tell me what you see

Stay tuned…next up: Is it hard to incorporate universal design elements? And what about costs?
References:http://www.ncsu.edu/project/design-projects/udi/

© 2012 whd atwww.WhiteHair365.com
10 Lifestyle Choices and Questions Baby Boomers Ask