According to AARP, approximately 90 percent of adults 65 years of age and older plan to age-in-place in their current home and community. Some of the top reasons are neighborhood familiarity, social connections, and relationships with health care providers.
If you are among this population and share the same ideals there are many ways to ensure your home will be safe, functional, and serve your needs for many years to come. Modifications can range from simple upgrades like installing safety rails or improved lighting, to a complete remodel of the kitchen, bathroom, or entire living space. Even if you don’t plan to stay in your current home through retirement, these are smart improvements that can appeal to prospective new buyers.
Bare Minimum Modifications
It is not necessary to engage in a large-scale renovation to make some very useful and affordable modifications. Stability bars in the bathroom, shower, and near the bed will assist with daily functions in locations where falls are most frequent. Increased lighting in dark spaces of a home, inside and outside, help minimize trip hazards.
Doorways
Doorways are a critical area of the home when it comes to accessibility for the elderly or disabled. Current Universal Design standards recommend no less than 32 to 36-inch wide doors, but 40-inch wide doorways are even more accommodating for mobility devices, such as a walker or wheelchair.
Accessible Bathroom
A bathroom on the main floor is optimal for this home improvement project. Widen the doorway or add a space-saving pocket door, replace the bathtub with a walk-in shower, install stability bars in the shower and near the toilet, add a pedestal sink for easy access. These are just a few unique ways to make a bathroom safer and accessible.
Lower Countertops
Lowering kitchen countertops makes the workspace more accessible and safer to use. Standard countertops are 36 inches. Reducing the countertop to 30 inches makes it easier to use from a seated position. Although this modification can be completed anytime, the ideal time is during a planned kitchen remodel.
Other considerations in the kitchen are installing an easier to grasp lever type faucet and slide-out cabinet shelves for easier access to those hard-to-reach places.
Non-slip Flooring
Although a glossy surface may be more visually appealing, slightly rougher surfaces are a better non-slip option. Do some research on what type of floor would fit your lifestyle and design preferences. Vinyl, wood, and laminate are hard, durable options. Area rugs are trip hazards and best limited to out of the way places or eliminated altogether.
It is never too soon to increase your home’s safety and functionality. Updating your home to be more accessible benefits you, as well as family and friends. Many simple features will make your home easier for visitors to navigate and the transition of merging households a smoother process. Even if you decide to sell the home at some point, these modifications will appeal to a broader market.
A home energy audit helps you learn how much energy your home uses and identifies ways to improve its efficiency. If you answer yes to any of these questions, an energy audit could help.
Are your energy bills excessive?
Are the floors cold in the winter?
Is there moisture on the windows?
Does the heating and cooling system run constantly?
Are there drafty rooms or variable temperatures throughout the house?
Is your home uncomfortable during hot and cold seasons?
Do you have excessive dust?
Other times to consider an energy audit is before making a significant home improvement, such as replacing a furnace. Addressing air leaks ahead of time will increase the efficiency of your new HVAC system.
Planning a remodel? Having an audit completed before starting a remodel will help you plan and incorporate energy saving upgrades into your project.
A thorough inspection will provide you with a good understanding of your home’s energy efficiency, recommended improvements, and an idea of estimated costs and potential annual savings in energy bills. A professional audit can cost upwards of $400 or more but when used wisely can pay for itself in a short amount of time.
A professional auditor uses a variety of techniques and equipment to determine the energy efficiency of your home. A thorough audit will include:
Blower Door Test (used to de-pressurize the home and expose air leaks)
Infrared Camera Scan (reveals air infiltration and missing insulation)
Combustion Safety Testing (detects carbon monoxide leaks)
Complete Basement to Attic Inspection
Survey of Appliances & Lighting Systems
The video Energy 101: Home Energy Assessment provided by the Department of Energy explains each of these steps in detail.
A Home Energy Auditor should be certified through either the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). Both BPI and RESNET have set standards for home energy professionals and are recognized by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. Find a certified BPI accredited contractor near you.
If you are not ready to commit to a professional audit, there are things you can do on your own, such as caulk and weather strip around doors and windows, or wrap exposed water pipes. You can also conduct your own energy assessment. It won’t be as thorough as a professional audit, but it will help identify some of the more accessible areas and remedies.
Do-it-yourself audits are a good start but are no substitute for a professional home inspection. A home energy audit is an investment to help you determine the best steps to increase your home’s efficiency.
Quality home improvement contractors remain in high demand. It can be frustrating to get time and attention from highly recommended professionals and risky to settle for less.
With some advance planning and patience, there are things you can do now to expedite the process and not compromise your choices.
Advance preparation and a little patience will go a long way toward getting the best results from your favorite contractor.
Get Your Ducks in a Row
Depending on the size of your job there may be a lot to consider when planning your next home upgrade or remodel. Prior to meeting a contractor, take some time to prepare. This will show the contractor you are serious and ready to move forward and will help you get that much closer to starting your project.
Larger projects may require plans prepared by an architect or designer. You can hire a design-build firm that can take you through the entire process. Alternatively, you can start with an independent architectural designer. Either way, if your project requires building plans this process will take time. Plan on 3-6 months from when you first speak with an architect to when you have a preliminary set of plans ready to review with a contractor.
Selecting finish materials (cabinets, countertops, flooring, plumbing and light fixtures, etc) takes more time than you might expect. The more research you can do in advance, the better. Keep your ideas organized in a paper or electronic folder, or both. Keeping a visual list of your favorite floor plans, finish materials, and colors will help the designer or contractor better understand your preferences and needs.
Budget
Decide on a budget before meeting with contractors. You may not know at this point what your dream kitchen would cost, but you likely have a limit of what you are willing to spend.
Sharing your budget up front will help the contractor or designer steer you in the right direction. If your budget for a kitchen remodel is $50,000, but your tastes reflect a $100,000 remodel, you can spend a lot of time and money on design only to discover you need to revise your plan.
Think Off-Season
Many trades have a high and low season. Scheduling your projects during the off-season whenever possible is worth considering. Contractors may be more readily available, and you may save some money. Some trades even offer discounts during the off-season. Be sure to ask!
In the Pacific Northwest there are many opportunities throughout fall, winter, and spring where the weather cooperates for these often overlooked ‘seasonal’ projects. Following are a few.
Roofing
Most roofs can be removed in a matter of hours, promptly followed by the installation of a waterproof felt paper. It usually only requires one reliably dry day for this procedure. The new roofing material can be installed during inclement weather without compromise to your home. Most roofs will be completed in less than a week, start to finish.
Decks & Fences
Calls for deck and fence repair and new installations peak in spring and summer. Fall is a great time to start talking with these type contractors. They are winding down from summer and welcome your business in winter. Your project will be completed and ready to enjoy by next spring or summer.
Kitchen & Bath Remodels
Remodeling contractors do not have much down time these days. That said, there is still a spike in spring and a slow-down during the winter months and holidays. This can be a tremendous opportunity to get your remodeling project completed timely and with less competition than the rest of the year.
Remember, a remodel requires some advance planning. If you are close to finalizing your plans, this could be a great time to get on your contractor’s schedule for winter.
Have you ever wondered what a kitchen or bathroom remodel may cost these days? Or what type of home improvements are likely to bring the highest return on your investment?
The Remodeling 2023 Cost vs. Value report is a valuable resource for any homeowner. The information will help you budget realistically and know when a contractor is providing a fair proposal. Perhaps your goal is to make improvements that are the best value. The report will help with that, too.
As in prior years, exterior improvements such as new siding and garage door replacement remain at the top of the list. Interestingly though, this year a new improvement has made the list. Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) ranks second place in Seattle for highest return on investment. Technology has evolved significantly as demand increases for electric heat pumps. If warmer temperatures have you thinking of adding AC to your home, now might be a great time to consider this project.
According to the Remodeling 2023 Cost vs. Value Report, the following top five projects in Seattle are expected to bring the largest return on investment.
Download the free Cost vs. Value Report (www.costvsvalue.com) to see all 23 featured projects and a more in-depth scope of work and cost. Input your zip code for details that even more closely resemble those projects in your neighborhood.
Siding Replacement | Fiber-Cement
According to the Cost vs. Value Report, this improvement can yield a whopping 151.3% return on investment. It includes replacing 1,250 square feet of siding with new fiber-cement that has been factory primed and painted. Now that’s good value!
HVAC Conversion | Electrification
Converting from a fossil-fuel-burning furnace to an electric heat pump is next on the list with a potential 103.4% return on investment. The example reflects adding an electric heat pump for heating and cooling a 2,000-square foot-home.
Siding Replacement | Vinyl
Upgrading your home with new vinyl siding rates as the third highest value investment. This improvement could yield a return as high as 99.2%. It includes replacing 1250 square feet of siding with factory trim around openings and at corners.
Grand Entrance | Fiberglass
Nothing makes a positive impact on a home’s street appeal quite like a stately front entry. The example includes a ‘grand’ entrance upgrade from a standard 3-0 door to a fiberglass door with a wider opening to accommodate dual sidelights, new threshold, lockset, and decorative half-glass to match sidelights. This investment in your home’s entry is expected to bring an 89.6% return.
Garage Door Replacement
Lastly, replacing the garage door ranks fifth on the list with an anticipated return of 88.7%. This investment includes replacing an older 16×7-foot garage door and tracks with a new, four-section, insulated, high-tensile steel door, with a lifetime warranty. Includes new heavy-duty galvanized steel tracks (reusing existing motorized opener), factory-applied paint, thermal panel seals, and insulated windows in the top panel.
© 2023 Zonda Media, a Delaware Corporation. Complete data from the Remodeling 2023 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com.