Remodeling For Retirement

[Larry Caldwell]

My wife and I are both 70. I'm doing fine, but her mobility is starting to suffer. She has already had knee surgery and has a hip going bad. This has limited her exercise enough that she is starting to go downhill pretty fast. With that in mind, we are remodeling one bathroom into a wheelchair accessible room, with a floor level wheel-in shower and horizontal grab bars on each side of a high seat toilet. Our house is a one storey ranch style, and we had an eye toward old age when we bought it. The way the driveway lays out I could install a dead level wheelchair ramp from the driveway to the front door. We have to put an addition on the back of the house to accommodate the larger bathroom, so this is going to be an expensive project.

The logic behind it is staying in the home rather than having to move somewhere with assisted living and elevators. Those old folks facilities cost an arm and a leg. One more year in the home will more than pay for any conceivable bathroom remodel.

I'm looking for more ideas of remodels to make life easier for a couple of old folks who are losing some of their physical capabilities. I'm doing fine at 70. By the time I hit 85, I don't know.

 

[jeff9366]

I am 70. My wife is 68. We built our retirement home eight years ago.

All LED lights. Never climb a ladder to replace a bulb.

LED lighted switches, indicating lights on in other rooms and closets.

Automatic on LED night lights in master bedroom on path to master bath.

Sunscreen fabric screens on south and west facing windows. Reduces AC need 15%.

All tile. No no carpets, no fabric. Most seniors develop dust/mould/pollen allergies with time.
Our blinds are between two panes of high-E glass. Never need cleaning. Never damaged.

One light in each large room on a motion timer, so when you walk around at night you avoid a fall.

Security lights outside, all around house, below roofline. One switch in kitchen, one switch in master bedroom.

Pressure hot water circulation which includes a timer. Always have hot water instantly at distant taps. ($200)

Grab bars in master bathroom AND master bedroom closet. Seniors experience many falls dressing.

Zumba for my wife, three times per week. Yoga in a Yoga studio for me twice per week, 6-8 mile bicycle ride once or twice per week, tractor 3-4 half days per week. Use it or lose it.

 

[RNeumann]

Is the house on a slab or raised wood floor? The curbless shower can be done in both but it will be some work in a remodel situation. Schluter makes a waterproof product that is thin and you can tile right over it. However, you will still need to remove the subfloor or concrete to get fall into the drain.

Other general tips that will make life easier. Remove the clutter. I know this is basic but we see far too many homes with little tables in the hall and lamps etc that seem to fill every spot. Moving in a house like that is a chore. Another thing that cause issues is the area rugs over the regular rug- major trip hazard!

When building new a good architect can design a home that is wheelchair friendly without it looking bad. 3' wide doors everywhere, curbless entry points etc.

 

[tcreeley]

Get her one of those armchairs that lift her electrically to her feet - take the strain off of her hips. Have a walker, canes handy for stability. Dry floors, no scatter rugs that can slide. no sills to step over. Chairs that don't require her to lower herself into them. Comfortable office chairs with high seat work well. Solid edges that she can guide her self along (counters.tables,chairs). A hospital type bed that folds to accommodate different sleeping angles will help ensure that she gets her rest. Design things so that a compact mobility scooter can get around. - Independence and if the wheels are large enough. can handle lawn and gravel drives. A folding one is great for car transportation.
I like this one! -
EV Rider Stand-N-Ride Mobility Electric Powered Scooter - 2017 Model

 

[newbury]

Change lights over to "smart" LED fixtures that can be run from your phone. Like those discussed at this link.
Get a good whole house generator that self starts, tests, etc.
Consider a "walk in" tub, some people just have to take tub baths. I shower frequently but have not taken a tub bath in many years.
Go to Harbor Freight frequently and pick up their free LED flashlights and scatter them around the house so there is always one handy. Or buy a box of them from China.
If you haven't done it already search out the best tradesmen in your area for plumbing, a/c, electricity etc. and get on their good side. Last year I put an "addition" on a house I own that me son, his wife, and two children are living in. We worked closely with the contractor and got to choose and know some of the tradesmen. Last Sunday, as our area started into the first week of real summer heat our 10 yr old a/c compressor died at dark. Monday morning I called the a/c guy we had used at the other house, he was over in a couple of hours and the unit got replaced. He told me he had many new customers calling that he wouldn't get to for days. Don't be the new guy in an emergency.

 

[oosik]

We built our current house in '82 with the idea of retirement. Single level, wide hallways, wide doorways, extreme insulation( no air conditioning required & minimal heat required in the winter). I can get anywhere on the property with my ATV if required and can maintain the driveway with the tractor both summer and winter.

This past winter inadvertently tested the "system". Because of wildly rare circumstances I was "house bound" from Dec 27, 2016 thru March 16, 2017. The only affect was a bit of cabin fever. Man, was I ever glad when I could clear the driveway and get one of my vehicles out. This situation was not health related - it was vehicle related and because the tractor could not be serviced.

Anyhow, enough of that. Things we did to make life easier in this house - - quarry tile on all floors except carpeting in the living room(ease of maintenance), we purposefully aligned the house so maximum sunshine enters thru the windows in the winter and the summer sun shines on the side of the house with no windows. Two bathrooms - as one ages, the ability to stem the tides of natures callings greatly decrease(two people - two bathrooms). In the master bedroom a "small davenport" to sit on or hold on to while dressing. I don't remember what the wife calls it but its pretty handy to prevent falls when your foot catches on your jeans and you end up dancing around the bedroom like a funky monkey.

And then the final decision for happy times - we put large windows on the side of the house that looks out over our lake. I can sit in my easy chair and watch all the activities going on out on the lake - year-round.

 

[EddieWalker]

I build zero lip ADA showers for a living. With concrete slab foundations, I remove the concrete and dig down into the dirt, install a new drain line, pour new concrete below the liner, install the liner and work up from there. I like to make my openings between 32 to 36 inches wide and I've found the ideal depth for as shower to be 42 inches. For pier and beam foundations, I remove the sub floor so I can see the floor joists. I build a new sub floor between the floor joists so I have as much depth as possible. Then I use the full half inch Hardie backer board on the bathroom floor under the tile. Bathroom I'm doing right now also has radiant floor heating, which goes on after the Hardie, before the tile. With the subfloor removed from the shower area, I have over an inch of drop from the top of the bathroom floor tile to the top of the drain tile in the shower.

I'm not a big fan of some of the newer, plastic, Styrofoam and fiberglass materials out there that have been on the TV shows. For me, I like Hardie backer board for the walls, Oatly rubber floor liners with the proper drain and sealing the Hardie with Redguard waterproofing membrane painted onto all the seams and screw heads.

 

[Paddy]

Can you look into buying a home already outfitted? Houses do get these upgrades but eventually folks do move out to assisted living sites. Kinda like motor-homes in Florida

 

[teejk]

I build zero lip ADA showers for a living. With concrete slab foundations, I remove the concrete and dig down into the dirt, install a new drain line, pour new concrete below the liner, install the liner and work up from there. I like to make my openings between 32 to 36 inches wide and I've found the ideal depth for as shower to be 42 inches. For pier and beam foundations, I remove the sub floor so I can see the floor joists. I build a new sub floor between the floor joists so I have as much depth as possible. Then I use the full half inch Hardie backer board on the bathroom floor under the tile. Bathroom I'm doing right now also has radiant floor heating, which goes on after the Hardie, before the tile. With the subfloor removed from the shower area, I have over an inch of drop from the top of the bathroom floor tile to the top of the drain tile in the shower.

I'm not a big fan of some of the newer, plastic, Styrofoam and fiberglass materials out there that have been on the TV shows. For me, I like Hardie backer board for the walls, Oatly rubber floor liners with the proper drain and sealing the Hardie with Redguard waterproofing membrane painted onto all the seams and screw heads.

I have built 2 showers using the Schluter systems and have had no problems.

 

[teejk]

My wife and I are both 70. I'm doing fine, but her mobility is starting to suffer. She has already had knee surgery and has a hip going bad. This has limited her exercise enough that she is starting to go downhill pretty fast. With that in mind, we are remodeling one bathroom into a wheelchair accessible room, with a floor level wheel-in shower and horizontal grab bars on each side of a high seat toilet. Our house is a one storey ranch style, and we had an eye toward old age when we bought it. The way the driveway lays out I could install a dead level wheelchair ramp from the driveway to the front door. We have to put an addition on the back of the house to accommodate the larger bathroom, so this is going to be an expensive project.

The logic behind it is staying in the home rather than having to move somewhere with assisted living and elevators. Those old folks facilities cost an arm and a leg. One more year in the home will more than pay for any conceivable bathroom remodel.

I'm looking for more ideas of remodels to make life easier for a couple of old folks who are losing some of their physical capabilities. I'm doing fine at 70. By the time I hit 85, I don't know.

I wonder if your county or state has people that advise on ADA issues...things like light switches, countertops etc.