Renovating Now For The Future

Your home may be exactly what it needs to be right now, will that still hold true in 5, 10 or 20 years?  It’s never too early to start planning and adapting your home for future needs.

A little planning goes a long way 

There’s definitely wisdom in making updates to your house before they’re actually needed. Being proactive in planning and renovating now means less stress and not being overwhelmed when major life changes may be taking place later on. Plus having an actual plan in place means you can control the timeline and scope of the changes, whether it’s one big renovation or smaller ones to be done in stages.

Aging in Place: Does your home get a passing grade? 

A good first step is to do an assessment of your house thinking about what you might need to ‘live in place’ whether that means making your house age-friendly for your future self or for aging parents. Go room-by-room, looking for areas that could be modified, adapted and improved. Don’t forget to check the exterior of the house as well! Somethings to keep in mind when grading your home:

  • Ease of use and fluidity
  • Accessibility 
  • Safety (for all ages and physical levels)
  • Low maintenance 
  • Scalability (is there room for parents or grandchildren to stay?)

Not sure how to start? Check out our handy renovation toolkit for great resources. 

Accessibility Renovations: The usual suspects

The goal is to renovate or modify your home so that it works for you now, but is also able to support all of your future needs. With that goal in mind, there are definitely common areas of the house to consider:

Bright and spacious kitchen renovation by Menno S Martin

Accessibility Tweaks: Small things, big impact

There are plenty of smaller improvements that can be done that will have a big impact on making your home more comfortable, safe and accessible.

  • Replace doorknobs with lever handles
  • Make it brighter by upgrading the lighting 
  • Consistent flooring throughout
  • Grab bars in bathrooms
  • Hands-free faucets in bathrooms and kitchens
  • Widening doorways and halls
  • Easy to maintain landscaping
  • Railings on exterior steps (porches or low decks)

Renovating for the future in our own homes.

Trent Bauman from Menno S Martin

No surprise, Trent has a plan.

Always the planner, our own Trent Bauman and his wife Juanita recently thought about what they could change in their house now so they’d be set up to live comfortably for years to come. 

After accessing their home, and since the bathroom is already on the first floor, they decided to build a small addition on the back den. The addition will turn into a studio to be enjoyed now but can easily be converted into a first floor bedroom if needed later on. 

Work is slated to start at the end of this year and we’ll have updates on their progress in the months to come. 

Do any areas of your home need work to help you live comfortably and safely as you age? Then now may be the time to renovate.

We’d be happy to talk to you about the ways in which we can help ensure your home will suit your needs for years to come. Give us a call at 519-664-2245 to get started.

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