Your dream house can have all the fantastic features that could only be imagined fifty years ago.
The construction technology and designs have undergone such drastic transformation that one clearly can distinguish a modern house from that of the bygone era.
But if you want your dream house, you need to think beyond the superficial aesthetics of your home.
Apart from how your house will end up looking, you should also consider how your house can be made suitable for the inhabitants of the house.
If you have a baby, then the house should be child-friendly, if you have your parents living with you, then there must be suitable additions to the plan of the house to accommodate their needs, and, if you plan to grow old in your dream home, you have to start making changes in time.
Here are a few tips to make your house age friendly.
The plan of the house can create constraints for some people, constraints mainly in moving around the house.
Each constraint, however, is age specific.
For the elderly, their movement must be aided, and not restricted.
You can have railings along the walls, and stairs that are not so steep.
If you have any elderly residing in your home is wheelchair bound, then there must be ramps in place.
In the absence of ramps, the wheelchair bound inhabitants will be stuck in one part of the house.
If there is no space for a ramp, or if the house is too high for a ramp, then you can install a lift too.
Installing a lift in your house is a mean feat.
The fancy elevators you see in hotels or multistory are not required.
The basic function of the elevator in a house is to transport the movement disabilities to freely move over different heights.
Any contraption that can lift you to greater heights can do that.
There are eco-friendly lifts called vacuum elevators which rise and fall with the help of vacuum energy instead of the conventional electrical energy.
These are not only environmentally friendly, but also cost-effective.
Vacuum lifts are cost-effective solutions for an age-friendly house.
Apart from lifts, there should be appropriate arrangements for grips in the bathrooms and kitchens.
The lighting should can also be modified such that they can function through voice recognition or through a single remote control.
To make a house child-friendly, the idea one must adhere to is that the children's movement must be restricted.
Children can wander off anywhere and go unnoticed.
By the time you will have realized that they are missing, the damage may already be done.
In order to prevent all that, there are various barriers that one can install at home.
Fit windows, drawers, doors and toilet seats with locks so that children do not accidentally open them.
As for curtains, opt out of heavy and long draperies; they are tripping hazards.
Instead, opt for blinds or simple curtains.
Keep all stationary items- pens, scissors, etc.
- away from children.
Keep all sharp objects inside locked drawers.
Never expose your young child to the sight of guns.
A common requirement for both children and the elderly is that the furniture needs to be repositioned so that they do not cause any navigational problems or block sights.
An eye needs to be kept on both of them.