A ground floor bathroom will be the deciding factor whether you choose to move in your later years.

First-time homebuilders and homebuyers have so many things to check, off their to-do list, that they often forget to think about future needs that a home is supposed to provide. New couples might be planning for children, so they need a certain amount of rooms; they want something affordable, something nice design renovation, and something in good repair. But how many people go beyond these basic criteria and think about something as important as the ‘visitability’ of their home?

Canadian Architect Ron Wickman is all too aware of the issue and has dedicated his life to designing accessible buildings. Son to a paraplegic politician, Percy Wickman, he recounts stories of how his family could never visit friends, because of a lack of wheelchair access into other peoples homes. On the rare occasion that a family friend did have ground-level entrances or ramp access, dinners had to be cut short because of bathrooms that were a staircase away.

Retrofitting a house to become wheelchair accessible is a costly expense, usually, a $10000 minimum and the cost, only climbs from there. That is why Wickman wants to get people thinking about what exactly they are getting themselves into before they buy. Building a visitable house, on the other hand, is much more cost-effective than retrofitting because it comes at an expected cost of $1000 for basic accessibility features. Building an accessible house requires extra planning too, but having a visitable house is something that just might pay off in the long run.

Visitability will play a big factor in whether you decide to stay in your home once you get older.  When you grow old, you will probably experience a form of reduced mobility at some point, limiting your ability to walk up staircases and get into bathtubs safely. If you have to move, you will run the expense of real estate agents, movers, and added stress during your retirement. In the meantime, while you may not have very many handicapped friends, you will probably know some elderly people like I just described, who don’t dare use the upstairs bathroom in your house.

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation have stated: “By the end of 2031, the figure for seniors over age 75 will increase by 277 percent to about four million, following from 1.5 million in 1995. The number of seniors in the over-85 age group will more than triple to over 1 million from 352,000 in 1995.” If Canadians consider their future need for accessible housing, they won’t find themselves getting bills for huge renovation costs.

Additionally, there is a pretty good chance that a loved one or close friend will be in a wheelchair at some point in their life. If you have an accessible house, you are prepared for this type of added challenge, because you can provide a place for loved ones and important friends to stay if an accident does occur. And then there are those strollers that new couples use, and not to mention those awkward furniture pieces that need to come through the doorway. Are you planning to crane-lift that grand piano in your home? How about you just build a big door instead.

Ron Wickman’s story has a happy ending. He renovated his house so that his father could come over for the first time in decades. Percy was able to roll into the front door and use the spacious ground level bathroom at his own convenience. It was a happy occasion for the whole family, shortly before Percy passed away.