Making the home you love today, a home you can retire in tomorrow
For homeowners who want to continue enjoying their home long into retirement, a renovation geared to aging in place can make that both easier and more enjoyable. Photos courtesy MAC Renovations
Among the core values Ed McDonald set out for his team at MAC Renovation is “care.” So, when they were working with a widow on a renovation that would let her age in place in the home she loved, a MAC carpenter helped her into the empty bathtub to determine where to perfectly position the grab bars, just for her.
It was a small, albeit thoughtful, detail, but one that would let her continue enjoying her bathroom easily and safely.
Those kinds of details are at the heart of the design-build process for clients looking to adapt their home for their needs as older adults.
“Often, we have clients who want to stay in their home as long as they can, in a neighbourhood they love, close to friends and their favourite activities, so we look for ways to help them do that,” explains Chris Willis, Project Leader with MAC Renovations.
For those homeowners, after considering their goals and exploring the costs and benefits of moving to a seniors’ residence, a renovation that keeps them safe and comfortable in their home for years or decades, just makes sense.
So, what comes next?
The benefit of a comprehensive design-build process is that your renovation will be designed specifically for your needs and to your style.
“Even with clients in their 50s or 60s, we’re looking at how they’ll be using their home five years, 10 years or even 15 years from now,” Willis notes.
The MAC Renovation design team can call on the services of an occupational therapist, for example, but their designers are also adept at knowing what questions to ask.
If you like to cook or bake, a lower kitchen counter height may be more comfortable, for example, while pull-out shelves or drawers will make cupboard space much more accessible. And if you typically shower, rather than taking a bath, removing the tub in favour of a no-step, walk-in shower significantly reduces tripping hazards.
Other common changes range from widening doorways and creating a more open layout to smaller, but meaningful details like adding task lighting and changing doorknobs for levers – much easier to use for anyone with arthritis.
“We’re really in tune with what makes sense for folks because we’ve been through it with many homeowners – we know what to look for and what often makes sense for people,” Willis says.
Once you’ve created that comprehensive wish-list, detailed plans and renderings will help you visualize your project. “It’s the difference between using your imagination and having our designers draw something that you can actually see and visualize,” Willis says.
Add that to MAC’s knowledge, experience and investment in technology like the valuable tracking tool Buildertrend, along with regular communication with your project lead, and the home you love today will be the home you enjoy even more tomorrow.
To learn how MAC Renovation’s design-build process can help you enjoy retirement in your home, visit macreno.com or call
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