Planning Your Remodel for the Retirement Years BY DREAMBUILDERS HOME REMODELING
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If you’re already retired or planning to retire soon, chances are you’ve been thinking about all the great things you’re going to do. Perhaps a trip to Europe, indulging in some cooking classes, or that brand new boat or sewing machine that you’ve been dreaming about. And if you’re like many homeowners, you want to enjoy your retirement in the luxury and comfort of your own home. Accordingly, you may have great dreams about remodeling your kitchen, bathroom, and other rooms in your house. You may even be thinking about what you can do to make your home meet your future needs.
“Retirement is the time that many homeowners are thinking about their present and future needs,” says designer Kathe Russell and co-owner of DreamBuilders Home Remodeling. Russell believes that this kind of thinking often involves space planning for entertaining family and guests, as well as making things accessible for future needs. Jan and Ron Wilson a teacher and doctor, had recently retired. Like many of their friends, they had put off remodeling their home until they had the time to deal with it. Although they had plans to travel and take lengthy vacations, they wanted to have a great home base to come back to. In fact, they wanted to create an open space plan that would make family gatherings easy and inviting. They wanted to plan for their needs now, as well as for the future.
According to Mike Russell, co-owner and General Contractor, one of the most popular projects that the firm does is creating an
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open plan kitchen space. Russell adds, “Like the Wilson project, it’s often all about making room for family gatherings. And sometimes creating this space involves relocating the kitchen.” An open plan kitchen connects with a family room or great room and joins the spaces. If space doesn’t allow the creation of an open plan kitchen, moving the kitchen can sometimes be the best solution, explains Russell. Re-designing a kitchen is also an opportunity to build in accessible features such as pull out steps and storage features that make things more reachable.
Another popular project is creating a spa-like master bath. Kathe Russell, a Certified Aging in Place Specialist by the National Association of Home Builders, emphasizes the importance of incorporating universal design into remodeling projects for homeowners of the retirement age. Russell explains that universal design is about making the space accessible to people of all ages and abilities. “In a bathroom,
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