No one wants to think about getting old and it may seem peculiar to have those thoughts while in the throes of buying or building a new home. Not being able to charge up the steps, climb into the spa tub or stand at the bathroom sink aren't on the top of most buyers' concerns.
But Mary Lee Quinn thinks about these problems every day. The founder of the Atlanta chapter of the National Aging in Place Council, Quinn is a veteran of the assisted living business where she learned that baby boomers, in particular, do not relish the thought of moving to care communities.
"So the idea of aging in place has become a very big deal," said Quinn. "People are more interested in having their home equipped with an accessible design so they can stay in one place. Especially with the economy the way it is, it's becoming a bigger movement."
In the metro area, there are numerous builders and remodelers who specialize in creating or retrofitting houses to meet the needs of aging owners. One of them is Kelly Dempsey, the vice president of sales and marketing for Jim Chapman Communities, a company that specializes in homes for adults 55 and older.
"We actually call it forward thinking," said Dempsey. "We think what it would be like for our parents or grandparents to live in this house and what difficulties they may have."
At Chapman properties in East Cobb, Johns Creek, Cumming, Duluth and Douglasville, homes are designed with aging buyers in mind. But Dempsey says the company takes a subtle approach to the aging-in-place concept. For instance, bathroom walls are braced for grab bars that can be installed when needed.
"If you were 55 and buying, you wouldn't want someone to say, 'It looks like you're buying into a nursing home,'" he said. "They are less obvious parts built into the house to let it adapt to the owners' needs."
One of the most important features in Chapman homes is the one-level design, though many incorporate a bonus room on a second level. A key component of the one-level plan is providing at least one access point without steps.
"Typically, that's where people encounter the greatest difficulty," said Dempsey. "We have no raised front porches or thresholds, so if you do need to be in a wheelchair, you won't have to modify your home."
The stepless approach extends to the master bath, where tubs are replaced by walk-in showers. And as is the case throughout the floor plans, the entry points are wider than most traditional homes; the three-foot doorways and hallways are broad enough to make wheelchair access easy.
One-level and open floor plans are also the hallmarks of the houses at Soleil, an adult community in Canton. When completed, the project will have more than 700 homes with aging-in-place features.
"We call them our 'easy living' plans," said sales manager Kirk Avery. "The doors are three-feet wide. The hallways are wider. There are stepless entries. But the biggest change we've made is to add very open plans, where the kitchen and great room are connected. Baby boomers who grew up with boxed walls now want open spaces."
At Soleil, where prices range from $199,000 to $500,000, the easy living approach extends to the exterior of each house as well.
"We take care of the landscaping, but people still want their own garden areas," said Avery. "We're offering outdoor fireplaces, larger porches and bigger patios that are all stepless."
The 55-and-older market has also taken to age-in-place homes in downtown Woodstock, where Windsong Properties builds stepless ranch plans priced from the $180,000s to $300,000s.
"Accessibility is the No. 1 feature of our designs," senior builder Mike Shina said. "We plan the whole community with walkability, including wider sidewalks. The homes themselves have features such as lower light switches, higher electric outlets and wide doorways. All the bathrooms are blocked for grab bars, so you can add them later."
Homeowners who like where they live also have options for reworking their existing houses. Diane Loffmin of Norcross-based Bath Fitter has an array of options for adapting bathrooms for easier access. Most of the work can be done in one day.
"We do a tremendous number of bath-to-shower conversions," she said. "When you take out the tub, it leaves a significant size that really surprises people. We can create a zero-entry shower with a rubber threshold that you can step or roll on and a seat and grab bars adjusted to the exact height the person needs."
Another option for improving accessibility is an elevator. Michael Graff of American Elevator in Suwanee said the demand for retrofits has soared in the last four years.
"We're seeing a lot of elevators installed for in-laws moving into a child's home, where typically the bedrooms are on the upper floor," he said. "You only need a five-by-five footprint to do it. Of course, you can't just shove an elevator in anywhere, so if it's not possible, a stairway lift is the next option. We can run them up a straight or curved set of stairs and we can do it in about 24 hours."
The important point for homeowners to know is that options for aging in place are available, said Darryl Hicks, spokesman for the D.C.-based National Aging in Place Council.
"A lot of people aren't aware of the different services in their own communities that can allow them to keep living in their homes," he said. "We can help people to go online and learn about what aging in place means. But the most important thing is they need to plan for it."
Local resources for aging in place are available at www.ageinplace.org.
