How to future proof your home

​This is a collaborative post

Did you know I turned 50 this summer? While it is by no means considered old, it has made us think about how our home may need to change as we get older. This post is just a few of our suggestions for how to future proof your home.

When we first moved here, we were all about getting the home ready for a baby and toddler but thankfully those days have passed (until grandchildren arrive but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there). We are talking about gradually getting to future proof our home, introducing techniques for making it easier to get around the home and stay at home longer when we are older.

Whilst we are very much an outdoor family, we really do love our living space and frequently say how lucky we feel to live in this house. (The only thing that we would change is to move it by the sea but that’s a post for another day!) There are some simple solutions that can be used when looking at home design and homes for the future. 

Storage

This is a big one that we have already started making a change on – We have removed absolutely everything from the loft to stop us having to go up the ladders. This involved binning or donating a lot of belongings that we no longer need (baby clothes anyone?) We have since completely filled the loft with good insulation to stop us putting anything back, which keeps the upstairs of our house really warm and reduces energy bills too.

We are moving all bed sheets and towels to an Ottoman bed as all family members will be able to easily access. We are also fitting built-in storage units in the rear of the living room within the next couple of years, which will be a great option for keeping heavy items that can be difficult to get out of hard to reach cupboards, whilst also reducing clutter and trip hazards. 

Kitchen

In the next few years we are hoping to change around the layout of our kitchen, using more pantry type cupboards and sliding shelving units, rather than hard to reach corner cupboards.

Energy Efficiency

Being energy efficient is an important consideration in our future plans too. We are looking towards using as much green energy as possible, hopefully changing our cars to electric cars as they need replacing. We are incredibly lucky to have room for 2 cars to park on our driveway and enough space for electric car chargers.

We are looking around for the best energy providers that can offer lower environmental impact which also reducing our gas and electricity bills in the long term. We can always search out expert advice on the best tariffs and ways to save on energy consumption too.

A new boiler fitted earlier this year should ensure hot water, which combined with efficient appliances will hopefully keep costs down in the years to come, particularly good news if energy prices continue to rise going forward.

Mobility

We are aware that any point, we made need wheelchair access or at least easy access around the family room and reception room. Our coffee tables can be easily moved in these areas and we already had wider doors when we did our major home renovation over 15 years ago. At the time, we thought the open plan area was just good design for living with toddlers and young children but now we realise that actually having so much open space gives us plenty of options if we need to change the layout of our furniture.

Home Office

The likelihood is, I’ll still be writing this blog well into my retirement so I might as well make my dining room (which doubles as my home office) suitable for purpose. Things like moving the printer from the floor and placing on a shelf will prevent having to bend far down (Can anyone do that without groaning even at 50?) A wheely chair with a good back is a must for keeping comfy while you are working at home. 

Smart Technology

New homes now have regulations about placing power points and light switches at a suitable height for people with wheelchairs.Unfortunately, our house is not a new build but as we have gradually worked on home improvements (Its like the Forth Bridge, we are constantly tinkering) then we can look at placement in the long run.

Stairs

We have made sure to have a sturdy bannister, have avoided a runner that could be a tripping hazard, in favour of stair carpet and when the time comes would look to install stair lifts.

Home Surveillance Systems

With the introduction of CCTV and Ring Doorbells, its great to feel that we are covered for security. 

What we wish we had done differently

Its all very well looking towards our future needs and congratulating ourselves on our forward-thinking design options, but there are still some things we wish we had done differently:

Front Door

We replaced our very old front door last year with a beautiful wooden one that we thought we love. What we didn’t realise was how hard it would be to open – elderly parents have no chance as it takes all our strength and both hands to manouveur. We also didn’t consider the self locking door as soon as it closes, which would be an issue if anyone was having health issues and someone needed to get into the house quickly.

Underfloor heating

When we originally did the major home renovations, we didn’t really consider underfloor heating, thinking really such things were so out of our reach financially. Now, so many of the uk’s homes have installed this fast-growing trend and we wish we had done the ground floor when the wiring process wouldn’t have made such a mess as we were already changing the floor. This would be a great way of keeping our home warm without unsightly radiators.

​We know we potentially have many years left in our current home – We will continue to look at the best way of trying to provide a future-proofed home as we develop different needs through the years. We are very glad that we started to thinking about future-proofing our home as we go along so any changes hopefully will involve minimal structural changes (and less cost) going forward. One thing is for sure though, we’ll always find something to keep us occupied planning the finer details for our future needs.

Let me know if you have considered how your home may suit your needs differently in the future? Have you got any great tips for future proofing? Please share!

Helen is a family and lifestyle blogger, writing about her experiences of bringing up 3 girls. For more information about the Costello Family and the services they can offer visit the Work With Us page