House renovations can be an essential choice for refurbishing your home and increasing its value. You can choose to make minor changes or go all out in your house renovation endeavor. Our expertise and experience can help make the whole process easier. If you’re short on ideas, our tips in this post can help you get on top of your house renovations.
Useful house renovations ideas for seniors
You should be able to quickly make your house functional with a few changes. Here are some ideas you should consider implementing. Whether you’re renovating for retirement or thinking of increasing the value of your home, taking these steps can help.
Provide hand support
As a senior, finding balance is often a top priority. You want to make sure that you increase your grip as much as possible. Making small changes like installing handrails by the stairs can make a big difference. Fix stronger handles on doors and windows, making sure you change handles that are lapsing to prevent a fall. Check that all cupboards, cabinets, microwaves, and refrigerators can be held easily and opened without added stress. With the years gone by, these handles may need to be changed. The same goes for locks. Replace whatever doesn’t support a firm grip.
Improve lighting
Another renovation idea you want to try is making everywhere appear brighter. It is usual to experience diminishing eyesight with age. As such, you want to ensure that your home has better lighting so you can see things around the house more easily. You need brighter rooms, hallways, kitchens, and so on. This is essential to aid in moving around the house and avoiding obstacles more easily. It can also prevent a fall. Try to ensure that lamps around the house are secure. That way, they won’t fall off to the ground and cause harm. Another thing you can do is ensure that your light switches are more easily accessible. Now is the time to reduce the height of such switches. Ensure that they are not too high to reach. Consider differentiating light switches from the wall by using alternate colors. Groping around looking for a switch can lead to a fall among other things.
Ensure the floors are safer
Floors that were easy to walk on for younger persons may pose harm to seniors. As such, you want to ensure that your floors are safer. You can choose to change the floors or to opt for a more affordable alternative such as replacing mats with rugs. Furry rugs can be easier to walk on and are less likely to fold if they are glued. Another idea for seniors’ house renovations is to make stairs closer to each other. That way, you wouldn’t have to stretch so much to take the next step. You should also consider replacing small blocks of stairs like those on the front porch with something that’s more suitable. You might want to make the stairs wheelchair accessible where this is appropriate.
Provide easily accessible storage
Some older people could find it challenging to reach high or bend low to access items. As such, you want to make sure all items around the house are easy to access. Storage spaces should be within easy reach. This also means that things can no longer be stored under the beds or sinks, in the back of cabinets, or on top of wardrobes. Opt for tables and shelves or cabinets of accessible height.
Move to the first floor
For houses with multiple floors, it is wiser for seniors to stay on the first floor. This would keep them from taking the stairs, a wise decision that helps to avoid possible falls and take good care of their knee joints. If this would not be possible, a lift or elevator can be installed in the house. You can also limit movements to save cost and keep the need to access stairs to around twice a day.
The house renovations that are essential will depend on the circumstances of each senior. This is why having professionals evaluate each situation will help you make better decisions regarding which renovation ideas you should implement. Safety should come first in all cases and our expert team at Nationwide Builders will be happy to help. Click here to contact us or call us at 469-505-9595 to know everything we can do for you to make sure this next stage in your life is as comfortable as possible.
