For most people, building a new home is a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime experience.
So when you build that new home, or buy one off the plans, is it more cost effective to make sure that the building now will work through all your life stages, instead of renovating later?
The not-for-profit organisation Lifemark works alongside designers and builders to make sure homes are usable and safe for people of all ages and stages. They provide star rating assessments, similar to the Green Building Council’s Homestar sustainability ratings, to measure how well a building meets the principles of universal design.
Lifemark general manage Geoff Penrose, says life-proofing the house includes ensuring access to the house and getting around easily inside, easy-to-use fixtures like switches, taps and handles, and bedroom, bathroom and kitchens that can be used by anyone.
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“It’s not just about aging in place, it’s also about future-proofing a house for temporary injuries or for push chairs,” he says. “It’s for for all ages and life stages. Renovating a house later to include features like wide doorways or easy-access shower would cost ten times more than building then in.”
The not-for-profit organisation has worked with builders and designers to create nearly 1000 safe homes this year.
“We found that 80 percent of these things do not cost you anything more to build in at the beginning.”
And while you are building, think about sustainability features that will make your home warm and dry and use less energy and water.
Henry McTavish, of building company Green Homes New Zealand says it is cheaper to build a green, well-insulated and age-proof home instead of renovating an old house.
“You want to insulate and while doing it you find out the house has any problems that’s where it might end up being something drastic in a renovation,” he says. “If it’s a villa you have to rip out everything but the frame and spending a lot more.”
Also, he point out, when life-proofing and renovating an old home, it is extra work to maintain its original character.
It is cheaper to build an age-proof home rather than making changes to the existing home.
Lifemark’s Penrose says the majority of life-proof measures are embedded in the original design plans and consents.
“When building a forever home keep in mind that you or your family members might not always be in good health.”
Penrose says if you build an elderly-proof house you also have a baby-proof house which also has an aesthetically pleasing design. Making sure you have a levelled pathway and entry to your home is as useful for easy push chair access as it is for wheelchair access, he says.
“When you think about homes for lives you need to think ‘who’s going to be in my life and who’s going to come and see me? Do I want to include everyone, or will I make it hard for some to come here?’”
A wider door (86cm instead of the standard 72cm) also makes life easier when coming home with grocery bags or carrying a child.
Think about the view and placement of your window as you want to look out to gorgeous scenery not only when standing but when sitting also.
Lifting power points higher (to about half a metre off the floor) means toddlers cannot access them as easily and elderly don’t have to bend too low.
The most costly aspect to renovate later for a forever home is the bathroom, Penrose says. You might have a few bathrooms, but ensure one is located on the ground level and can be easily accessed by all ages.
Strengthen the toilet and shower wall by laying extra timber in the structure, in case you need to put a handrail on it later, Penrose says. “If you try and do it later it’ll be a cost of strengthening the wall.”
Lifemark design makes sure the shower doesn’t require stepping into and is big enough for at least two people (for caregiver help, he points out). Fall-proof the bathrooms with non-slip tiles to minimise the risk of injuries.
“When you have a bathroom that’s not well lit, you have to step over a bath to have a shower and have a liner on the floor – you have a recipe for falling. When you fall when you are older it has consequences.”
He says you are not able to receive in-home services, if needed later, if the home is not built for it.
Penrose says that assessing a life-proof home also means thinking about its location. For example, does it need to be near medical facilities, shops and parks?
“If you want comfortable living, what are nearby places where you can walk, get about and about?” he says. “Those recreational things become very important later.”
