The Sarasota and Longboat Key communities are wonderful places to live for those who are retired or snowbirds. The year-round temperate and sunny weather allows for fresh air and sunshine throughout even the winter months, allowing for more activity and exercise. As many age and decide that the cold and snow are too difficult to manage, South Florida is a great residential choice.
For those looking to build a new custom home, aging-in-place features are a smart addition to the project.
Aging-in-Place Custom Home Construction
Although the family members in your home may not currently need these features, it is sometimes far easier to build these features into a new home, rather than renovating the home later on. Not only will these construction ideas make life easier as residents age, it can also allow for families to move elderly parents in at a later date, and also have good resale value for others looking for similar home features.
Wide Doors and Hallways: Constructing a home with an eye towards possible mobility issues later on does not have to mean less style. Wide open floorplans are quite common these days, and adding a few extra inches to doorways is easy to do. You’ll want to make sure that you think about moving throughout living areas such as the kitchen and living room, as well as into bedrooms, and at least one full bathroom. If you don’t want the design to be obvious, try one of the latest popular trends – sliding barns doors instead of traditional doors allows for privacy and room separation, while offering (and concealing) a larger opening. Consider a double front door, and sliders in the back to allow for wider access.
Downstairs Master Suite: A downstairs master suite is actually more common than not. Still, many people from other areas who prefer a two story home should be sure that at least one large bedroom and bath is located downstairs if possible. This will accommodate elderly or physically-challenged family members, while still offering a comfortable space.
Elevators: Although you may not have thought of this option, many homeowners in the area have decided to incorporate elevators into their home design. By doing so, you alleviate the need to have additional sleeping quarters downstairs, and can easily transport even a wheelchair upstairs without effort. If the feature is not yet needed but you have a lot of stairs, you may wish to consider this feature – useful even for laundry, groceries, or rooftop barbecues as well.
Smooth Transitions: If you will possibly have a physically challenged family member in the home in the future, you may wish to make sure that flooring transitions can be easily navigated. This means no step-downs, wide lips or other transitions which may be hard to push a wheelchair over, or could cause a fall. You can also install ramps or bridges if the gap is only a few inches.
Intercoms and Grab Bars: If you or a loved one has issues with balance or dizziness, you may wish to install grab bars in the room, closets, and bathrooms in order to provide a safe place to hold on. Installing a voice-activated system can also allow someone in distress to call for help even if they cannot leave the room. These safety features will make aging-in-place more convenient and secure.
Mother-in-law Suites and Cottages: If you want to have you parents live with you, but they still want their privacy, speak with our design team about creative ways to incorporate mother-in-law suites, apartments, or even standalone cottages on your property.
Aging-in-place features will allow people to remain in their homes as long as possible, comfortably and with more peace of mind. If you are moving to the Sarasota area and would like to discuss innovative solutions to these issues, call the team at Lindahl Construction for a free consultation. We specialize in making a house a home.