Are you tired of moving? Are you looking for the opportunity to design your “last” home? Ironically, I have two of these projects on my boards right now.
Life is life and is, of course, very unpredictable. But while you can’t control the circumstances and outcomes of life, we still owe it to ourselves to plan to the best of our ability. There is a huge movement in the design industry called “Age in Place”.
An “Age in Place” home is a design that is flexible to meet all the scenarios that might come your way in the future so that you do not need to move again. This makes for a better investment in building but also a much more enjoyable life as you age.
Design-wise, I find the challenge fascinating and fun. The goal is to keep square footage to a minimum but meet ADA requirement to the best of your ability. In the very least, plan for first floor living, 36” wide doors and keep the house as low to grade as possible should a handicapped ramp be required in the future. Creating flexible space that can easily be converted should a nurse need to live in the home is also a key component.
I’ve worked with these amazing clients for about a year to get the design right at the right price. Designing your last home is a special opportunity and one that should not be taken lightly. Since this house is located on the water, we wanted to also consider how the sun moves around the house as well as maximizing the view. While the floor plan is simple, it is extremely efficient and functional with plenty of options for future demands on the space. Overall, I feel very lucky to be a part of this process with them.
SPECIAL NOTE:
Getting ideas from online resources is one thing but I am NOT a fan of buying plans online (even though I will soon be selling our own plans online). The reason being that I am often the designer who ends up “fixing” the plans that people have purchased making your design fees double unnecessarily. It is more efficient and a better product to have your home custom designed because human nature is that you will make edits to plans to meet all your needs.
If you are considering designing a new home or renovating your existing home as an “Age in Place”, I hope you will give me a call. Let’s see what we can create together!