Two Ways To Make Your Home More Attractive To People With Mobility Issues
Posted on: 16 February 2018
According to the Center or Disease Control, approximately 16.3 percent of people over the age of 18 have difficulty with their physical functions. If you live in an area where there are a lot of people over age 65 (40 percent of whom have mobility issues) or you simply want to make your home a little more accessible for those with disabilities, here are two changes you can make to your home to make it better for those who have difficulty walking or climbing.
Convert the Living Room into a Bedroom
Multistoried homes tend to put all the bedrooms on the second floor, though there may be one or two in the basement as well. This requires the occupants to negotiate the stairs anytime they need to go to their rooms and sometimes even the bathroom. While one way around this is to install a stair lift, a more attractive option may be to convert a room on the first floor into a bedroom.
Typically, a formal living room is a good choice for this type of transformation, especially if you have a large family room you prefer to use anyway. These areas generally have enough space to accommodate a bed, dresser, and other items. Additionally, they're usually located right by the front door, so the person won't have to travel far in the home to get to their room.
Living rooms generally already have three walls, so it should cost much to add a fourth wall to close off the area completely. The biggest challenge you'll have is converting a first-floor half bath into a full bath (or adding one if all bathrooms are on the upper floor). As a perk, though, this may make your home more valuable to people with kids or who constantly have guests staying over.
Accessible Cabinetry
Another thing you can do to make your home more comfortable for people with mobility challenges are accessible cabinets. While it's okay to have the traditional wall cabinets, you should also have plenty of cabinetry near the floor that can be accessed without having to stand or use a step ladder. It may even be worth converting an unused closet near the kitchen into a walk-in pantry.
Additionally, having cabinets with pullouts, lazy Susans, and other adjustments that make it easier to reach the stored contents can be the thing that makes a disabled homebuyer put in an offer.
For more tips on making your home more accessible to mobility-challenged homebuyers or assistance with selling your home, contact a real estate agent.
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