aroundthehouse: : Home Remodeling is Changing

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Home Remodeling is Changing – Are You?

While today’s emerging class of forward-thinking architects and designers are changing home architecture to our advantage, many of us may not be aware of it. by Mike Vowels, Holly Regan ed. Mindful alternatives to outdated standards are changing how our homes function and better serve us. Human Life Cycle Design is a unique approach to home construction and remodeling; it acknowledges the inevitable changes life will bring by designing flexibility into a home, so that one dwelling remains appropriate for multiple life transitions. This promotes aging-in-place and contributes to more stable and flexible communities, enabling continuity and variety of cultural values, family structures and social fabric.

Every seven seconds, a 'Baby Boomer' is turning 50 years old somewhere in the country. This means that approximately 10,000 Boomers turn 50 every day of the year. Americans are living longer than ever before. 50 + communities and other assisted-living options are not the answer for everyone, and the Boomer generation is much more inclined to remain in their homes indefinitely if they can. And it is not only age that drives the desire for built-in flexibility; many people would like the ability to work out of their home, or to accommodate a new baby or extended family members.

The goal of "think ahead" building is to create a home where you and your family can age stylishly, comfortably and safely, regardless of changing abilities and limitations. The term MECCA, used by Human Life Cycle Design professionals, describes the opportunity to change your home into a social hub that, throughout the years, remains a place of freedom, safety and comfort, and not a place that starts to confine or isolate you. Don't let your home keep you in, and don't let your home keep good friends and family out. The "think ahead" remodeling professional can help turn your existing home into your new and improved 'MECCA':

Maximizing your home's resale value and marketing potential with a "think ahead" design and remodeling approach.

Extending the length of time that your home can meet all of your family's needs.

Combining sustainability with creature comforts and making for a safer home.

Creating a home that accommodates aging-in-place, accessibility, and 'visitability' by people of varied abilities.

A home that is an environmentally responsible alternative to tortuous and wasteful future remodeling.

There are many available features that can make for easier and more desirable use of your entire home. Here are a few examples of what "think ahead" architects, designers and remodeling contractors are prepared to show you:

Curb-less European showers
Step-less (no-trip) grade changes and floor transitions
Wall-hung toilets and easy- to-use appliances
Changing outdated knob hardware to lever-style handles; an endless array of cabinetry accessories

Fashionable pocket doors; lighting upgrades and color breaks that help to define transitions within your home
Smart-technology to operate your blinds or other devices electronically

Seattle Architect Emory Baldwin is the originator of and leading expert on Human Life Cycle Design; his Wallingford Neighborhood home is a model showcase for this "think ahead" design strategy. Baldwin is the best resource for contacting a builder or remodeler who is capable of incorporating Human Life Cycle Design, a concept still in its nascent stages. These professionals will help you set out on a liberating journey of design, one that will enhance the lives of all who visit or inhabit your home. A home that incorporates Human Life Cycle Design will also prove more marketable to a broader population than more conventional homes in the same neighborhood; it's a win-win opportunity.

As you age in a home environment suited for your changing needs or abilities, life is easier, safer, more comfortable, more predictable, and more welcoming to family and friends whose needs may also be changing. The term "aging gracefully" is not reserved for looks and beauty alone; your home is an integral factor in how gracefully you age-in-place.

Emory Baldwin
Architect, AIA
(206) 275-2345
emory@zai-inc.us