Help! Assessing options for aging-in-place.

@officerripley , Not only am I worried about house repairs but our trees around the house are so big and old they could come down on the house, also appliances are getting old. We just replaced a washer and stove and both of them are substandard.. I'll never get the years out of them that we did with the old ones. Time will tell I guess.
 

Thanks for the responses and advice, everyone!
If you hired a contractor to do the home upgrades, how or where did you find trusted ones?
 
@officerripley , Not only am I worried about house repairs but our trees around the house are so big and old they could come down on the house, also appliances are getting old. We just replaced a washer and stove and both of them are substandard.. I'll never get the years out of them that we did with the old ones. Time will tell I guess.
I hear ya, Ruth, espec. about the appliances; my BIL has a water heater that's at least 60 years old--maybe even older; it was in the house when my dear, departed MIL moved into the place back in the 60s--Huzz and I, since we moved into this house back in the late 80s, have had to replace our water heaters about every 5 (5!) years; except for this current water heater which is a little over 6 years old so that means it's got 1 foot in the doorway and the other on a banana peel. :LOL:
 

We’re renovating our house currently, upgrading and modernizing the look of the 60’s ranch house. Structurally it’s in really good shape.

As we renovate we’re making decisions to accommodate being able to age in place for as long as possible. The house is all one level so that’s a plus. There’s an addition which was added in the 70’s....the garage was turned into a den, and two additional rooms and a bathroom we added on next to that, which is now our master suite and large laundry room/mud room.

There’s a step up from the laundry room (we enter from the back door into that room) to the den, and another step up from den to kitchen. There’s more than enough room for a gently graded wheelchair ramp if one is needed.

The biggest problem would be the lawn/yard maintenance. We live on almost an acre on a corner lot, and Ron’s been slowly redoing the landscaping so that there’s a minimum of weed eating, no flower beds (all our flowers are in pots) and no other landscaping needs except some mulching around the trees.

If he should pass before me, I wouldn’t stay here for long. I’d sell the place and buy something with a zero lot line so no yard to tend or other exterior maintenance.
I love ranch houses! They are perfect for aging in place but when people are younger they don't think about that. Stairs are killers! Your home sounds lovely, especially the addition!
 
I have a ranch home with a walk-out basement. The washer and dryer are downstairs so the steps will eventually become an issue for me. My house is in a rural location. I purchased it 7 years ago with the intent of making it my 'forever home'. It needed so much work when I bought it, more than I ever imagined. Much of it has been done with one more project in 2021.

I've started thinking about a time in the future when aging will make some things difficult, if not impossible. I already hire people to fertilize, aerate and mow the lawn, weed and mulch the flower beds and clear the snow in the winter. Upkeep has to be done but the costs are impinging on my finances.

I'll likely move to a CCRC but finding one that is a good fit will take time. And between now and the time I finally move, there will be routine replacements that will need to be done (hot water heater, maybe some of the kitchen appliances, possibly a new roof) so I keep that in mind as well.

No easy answer.
 
Those of use living upstairs and by ourselves will have to move sooner or later. Carrying things up the one flight of stairs is no fun with a sore knee and a sore hip.
 


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