10 Projects to Help You Live in Your Home Forever

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 12 September 2017

In response to demands from baby boomers, aging-in-place improvements that help seniors stay safely in their homes are more stylish and functional than before. Think of a curved and tiled shower soap dish that also serves as a grab bar. Or a decorative kitchen cabinet pull with a wider loop for arthritic hands.

More forward-looking homeowners are including aging-in-place features in home renovations such as a kitchen makeover, so they won't face last-minute decisions during a health crisis. And improvements such as curbless showers and LED nightlights in soothing colors in a bathroom can benefit everyone from grandchildren to their grandparents. Such changes can also add to a home's resale value, says Mary Jo Peterson, a Brookfield, Conn., kitchen and bath designer and aging-in-place specialist.

We've pinpointed five areas where improvements could help you stay in your home longer. For each area, click through to see a big project solution followed by a less expensive suggestion. Estimated costs include labor and installation, and they are based on average prices [prior to Hurricane Harvey] in Houston, Tex., says aging-in-place specialist Dan Bawden, who is also president of Legal Eagle Contractors in Houston.

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Live in a Multilevel Home? Install a Pneumatic Vacuum Elevator

Cost: $60,000 to $80,000 (big project)

A newer alternative: the pneumatic vacuum elevator. It looks like something from "The Jetsons," and it operates on the same general idea behind the tubes at your bank drive-through but with a fold-down seat for you. The tube whisks you up to the next level, powered by a vacuum pump. It's cheaper and takes less time to install than a traditional elevator. Another bonus: It takes up less room in your house.

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Too Many Stairs to Climb? Add a Stair Lift

Cost: $4,000 to $6,000 (small project)

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Boost Bathroom Safety With a Curbless Shower

Cost: $8,000 to $11,000 (big project)

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Add Grab Bars to Your Bathroom

Cost: $1,000 (small project)
Shop for grab bars

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Revamp Your Kitchen Cabinets With Pull-Down and Pullout Shelves

Cost: $1,600 for three pull-down shelves in upper cabinets; pullout pantry shelving system, $1,100 to $2,500 (big project)
Shop for pull-out shelves

You can put the pull-down shelves in upper cabinets, the pullout shelves in lower cabinets and install a pullout pantry system for good measure. There's a handle on the bottom of the shelves in the upper cabinets, so you can pull down the shelves toward you and bring them to countertop level. The pullout shelves in the lower cabinets eliminate the problem of bending and reaching into the back of a shelf to get things. And the pantry system eliminates the need to reach up for spices or other items. You can install the shelves in your existing cabinets.

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Update Your Kitchen Drawer and Cabinetry Pulls

Cost: $300 (small project)
Shop for cabinet pulls

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Brighten Things Up With LED Canister Lights

Cost: $200 per fixture (big project)
Shop for canister lights

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Add Nightlights (With a Twist) Throughout Your Home

Cost: $60 to $100 for a light-rimmed toilet seat (small project)
Shop for light-rimmed toilet seat

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Build a Ramp for Easier Access to Your Front Door

Cost: $8,000 (big project)

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Eliminate the Door Threshold

Cost: $400 (small project)

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Mary Kane is a financial writer and editor who has specialized in covering fringe financial services, such as payday loans and prepaid debit cards. She has written or edited for Reuters, the Washington Post, BillMoyers.com, MSNBC, Scripps Media Center, and more. She also was an Alicia Patterson Fellow, focusing on consumer finance and financial literacy, and a national correspondent for Newhouse Newspapers in Washington, DC. She covered the subprime mortgage crisis for the pathbreaking online site The Washington Independent, and later served as its editor. She is a two-time winner of the Excellence in Financial Journalism Awards sponsored by the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. She also is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, where she teaches a course on journalism and publishing in the digital age. She came to Kiplinger in March 2017.