It’s not much fun to think about getting older, but for homeowners, making aging-in-place preparations early can save you a lot of worry down the road. If you plan to someday retire to your Cape Cod home, or you’ve already settled down on the Cape for the long haul, you can make thoughtful home renovations that will simplify your golden years without sacrificing your design aesthetic.
Aging-in-place considerations are particularly important when it comes to bathroom design, and the expert team at C.J. Riley Builder can renovate your home so it’s ready for the years ahead.
First-floor accessibility: First things first: If your master bath isn’t currently on the first floor of your home, you may want to consider a change. Climbing the stairs could become overwhelming as you get older. If your children recently moved out on their own, now is a great time to reconfigure where your master bedroom and ensuite bathroom are located in your home. Making the transition to the first floor now could spare you a lot of work later on.
Zero-threshold options: While it may seem like no problem currently, there’s a possibility that stepping over the lip of your shower or edge of your tub could become trying in the years to come. With a zero-threshold walk-in shower, the problem is solved. If you’re more a bath person (and who could blame you?), there are also bathtubs that allow for walking in, providing a watertight seal when the opening is shut behind you. With these options, you can make spa-like bathing a lifelong experience.
Slide and grab bars: Bars that will help with mobility in the future are one of the easiest elements to install in your bathroom right now. Slide and grab bars in the shower, and near the tub and toilet, can be stylishly incorporated into your bathroom design. (We promise, your space will not look like a public restroom with these safety elements.) An adjustable shower head that can accommodate a seated bather is a helpful addition as well.
Updated tech: There are many design upgrades that incorporate helpful technology to facilitate aging in place. You may want to install a toilet that includes bidet-like features, making it easier to stay clean in case of limited mobility. Kohler and other luxury bath design brands offer toilets that make sitting and standing easier as you age, faucets that don’t require too strong a grip, and more.
Height considerations: Many bathrooms cannot accommodate wheelchairs or walkers, and in the event you may someday use one, you’ll want to be sure there’s enough clearance built into your bathroom design. Consider installing a lowered or cantilevered vanity, with appropriate space beneath so a wheelchair can be rolled right up to the appropriate spot. While we’re renovating, we can also determine if your bathroom door could be widened to better allow for wheelchair or walker access.
Safe flooring: You may love your marble bathroom tiles, but your older self may find that the risk of slipping isn’t worth the visual appeal. We can retile your bathroom with a material that’s less likely to become slick, such as vinyl, greatly decreasing the risk of a fall.
Helpful lighting: While your bathroom may already be effectively lit, overhead lighting can become more difficult to manage as you age. Consider adding sensor lights that turn on when you enter the bathroom. And lights that are positioned lower, like those on either side of a vanity, are much easier to reach for cleaning or replacing bulbs.
When you work with C.J. Riley, you can renovate with the future in mind without sacrificing your home’s distinctive style. Contact us today to get started on your own bathroom renovation.
