Creating a Lifetime Home: Design Solutions Part One

ABOVE: Accessible kitchen fittings - A kitchen with easy-to-reach storage and lever taps will be usable by everyone in the family. Also consider drawer fridges and dishwashers.

Good orientation and planning: By carefully positioning the building, you can maximise the number of rooms that benefit from sunshine and views. This then gives future flexibility on how those rooms are used — for instance, a bedroom with a sunny aspect at ground level can be used as a future living room for an elderly relative.

An annexe: Plan the house so that part of it can become self-contained. For instance, two bedrooms with a bathroom can become a one-bed flat with the addition of a small kitchen. It’s good for guests or older children who want to be partially independent, can act as a granny flat for relatives who need care in the future, or provide accommodation for a carer. If your budget gets stretched, it gives the option of renting it out, providing an income to help with mortgage payments.

Ground floor accommodation: By planning for a downstairs bedroom, a huge degree of flexibility is possible, especially if combined with a downstairs bathroom. Rather than designing a minimal-sized downstairs WC off the hall, plan it so that it can become a proper bath or shower room, even if you just allow space for it to become one in the future. This can then provide facilities for a disabled relative using the downstairs bedroom, or can provide independent facilities for guests.

Working from home: At some stage it is increasingly likely that someone in the household will want to work from home. Instead of a dark, poky corner, plan for a room – possibly a bedroom – that in the future can become an office. Preferably it should be close to the front door for visitor access and have good light and views. Allow for plenty of power sockets and a broadband connection.

Access-friendly staircase: Design stairs with a gentle gradient and landings, and a width of around 900mm. This makes them far more user-friendly. Try to avoid spiral stairs and winders, as they can be tricky to negotiate. A simple straight stair will make a future stairlift installation easier and cheaper, and by extending the wall on one side by 400mm beyond the final steps, expensive and ugly hinged mechanisms to stow the stairlift will not be needed.

ABOVE: (LEFT) Extra-wide usable corridors are essential for wheelchair-users, but they can also provide extra storage space, a hobby area or just a sunny spot to take a long pause; (RIGHT) Oversized doorways look great and make life far easier for wheel chair and pushchair users — as well as those moving big furniture

Open plan: Many people now want open plan homes to get that seamless living experience in a fluid large space. This is great, but can actually reduce future flexibility rather than increase it. For instance, children playing in one part can severely impact on the peace and serenity in another. You can keep the flowing space, but plan for full-height glazed doors to be able to close off areas and yet still permit views and light through. You could design zones that allow screens or doors to be added later.

Generous hall: Allow for a good-sized hall. You may not need it yet, but manoeuvring pushchairs, wheelchairs or frames is much easier with a bit of space.

Fittings: Pay careful attention to fixtures like taps, cookers, fridges, etc. Mixer taps with lever handles can be used by all, and putting as many kitchen fittings at counter level as possible makes them much easier to use for the elderly and disabled.

Quality storage space: Plan good-quality storage space – wide 600mm-deep wall cupboards – which will mean that all items are visible and retrievable to everyone.

Services: Look at splitting the heating system for a potential self-contained unit. A layout using manifolds for each heating zone allows areas to be controlled independently or shut off altogether. Underfloor heating is great for all stages of a house’s life, whereas hot, hard-edged metal radiators are not ideal for young children or the elderly. A whole-house ventilation system negates the need for draughty trickle vents — particularly irritating to the elderly.

Construction methods for flexibility: Building with non load-bearing internal walls – using post and beam timber or steel frame – allows internal walls to be moved or altered with minimal disruption to create alternative layouts. If you are planning future layout options, think about the position of windows so that they suit both options.

Read part two for advice on choosing materials and sustainable design...

Find out more about creating a lifetime home...

See an example of how a home can be designed to evolve with its users...

This article was written in conjunction with Richard Hutchinson, Warren Rosing and Agata Perepeczo, Directors of Kosi Architects, based in London and Chichester. Kosi won the British Homes Awards’ House of the Future competition in 2009 with Valentina Del Fuoco of Afterhourstudio, and is particularly interested in designing customised homes that can adapt to future requirements. Kosi Architects: 020 7622 2534 kosi-architects.co.uk.

Further reading:

• Self-building for Your Special Needs
• Building Regulations
• Organic Architecture