| If you are looking at retirement communities and | | | | age. Also, make all doorways wider. |
| viewing retirement floor plans, you may find this | | | | 4) Luxury Bathroom - At least the master bathroom |
| article of help in deciding what are the most popular | | | | should be more luxurious and a spa retreat. You will |
| floor plans for retirees. First, decide, how your life will | | | | spend more time at home and aging bodies will enjoy |
| be different in retirement. Here are ten features that | | | | whirlpool tubs, exotic fixtures, raised toilets and |
| are the most popular for today's retirement floor | | | | separate showers with bench seats. You will travel |
| plans and how they will work with your new | | | | more and stay at luxury hotels. You will want your |
| retirement lifestyle: | | | | own home to be as nice as any resort. Larger and |
| 1) Bedroom on the First Level - This is the most | | | | more elegant bathrooms with room for two people |
| important feature of a retirement home, and the | | | | are in demand. Large windows with scenic views |
| most popular. No longer do you need to be on the | | | | from the bathroom and glass block will create |
| same floor as the rest of your family, and you are | | | | spaciousness and more light. |
| probably an empty nester by now. If you buy a | | | | 5) Sun room - If you have moved because you want |
| two-story home, it is wise to have at least one | | | | more sun, adding a sun room makes sense. It's an |
| bedroom on the first level. Even if you feel very | | | | extra room, too, usually in the back of the home, |
| active right now, in a decade or two you may wish | | | | that can double as a guest room or hobby room. |
| you didn't have to climb stairs. | | | | 6) Covered Patio - In addition to the sun room, |
| Will you be working in retirement or do you have a | | | | boomers still want an outdoor patio for barbecuing, |
| hobby that will require extra space. If so, a good idea | | | | gardening and sitting in the fresh air. These are |
| is a third bedroom or den. Since retirees are living | | | | usually placed off the sunroom in the back of the |
| longer and working in retirement, they often need a | | | | home and accessed from there. |
| third room for hobbies or in-home office. | | | | 7) Informal dining room - Not many retirees need a |
| 2) Upstairs Bonus Room Over the Garage - Retirees | | | | formal dining room any longer. They would rather |
| who relocate to other states have out-of-town | | | | have the space be for a cozy dining alcove for two |
| guests that visit for longer periods. Have a Bonus | | | | off the kitchen and a smaller dining room for |
| Room, if you can, for guests upstairs--a larger and | | | | guests--getting 2 rooms for the space of one large |
| separate area for more privacy so guests can stay | | | | dining room. If there is room for a formal dining |
| longer. | | | | room, it follows the required rules: more open and |
| 3) Open Floor plan - Kitchen - Open floor plans are | | | | airy--not closed off. |
| what retirees want -- they do not want their | | | | 8) More and larger windows - Larger windows |
| kitchens enclosed. This makes for easier retirement | | | | throughout are in demand to create a comfortable |
| living. You can easily access the living areas and join in | | | | living space. |
| conversations from the kitchen to the living room. | | | | 9) Ceilings - More ornate ceilings - vaulted, recessed, |
| Like many retirees today, you may want a more | | | | with carvings, moldings--you get the idea. Again, |
| upscale-appearing home than you had before. Kitchen | | | | enjoying a more upscale interior is enjoyed by seniors |
| countertops and cabinetry are now made of luxury | | | | in retirement. |
| materials such as extra thick granite slabs, exotic | | | | 10) Great Room - Very popular now for easier living |
| hardwood cabinetry and commercial appliances. When | | | | -- one great room for everything eliminating separate |
| they are this beautiful, do not hide them from view. | | | | formal living and dining rooms -- entertainment, |
| Make cooking nutritious meals more fun: its easier for | | | | studying, relaxing, and living. Kitchens open onto |
| others to join in when the kitchen is a more open | | | | these rooms. |
| floorplan. | | | | Observe how you do everyday things such as doing |
| It is a trend now to hide appliances such as | | | | laundry or disposing of trash, and plan a path that is |
| microwave under the countertops. I would also | | | | the easiest. Living differently in retirement, you will |
| suggest a dishwasher raised off the floor and lower | | | | require a different kind of floor plan than you have |
| cabinets for holding dishes to make them more easily | | | | had before--one that functions well and makes your |
| accessible. Straining to bend over or reaching up can | | | | life easier. |
| become very uncomfortable and hazardous as we | | | | |