Guide to home renovating during your retirement
May 12, 2021
As soon as you step away from the office for the last time you’ll suddenly have many more
hours to play with. And renovating your home could be time well spent. For starters, it can
be fun redesigning your home. You might be making changes you’ve been wan
ting to do for a long time, or planning for the future when you might not be as mobile as
you are today. Either way, there are lots of things you can do – some expensive, some not
so.
Accessibility
Your house could remain your home for decades to come. But you’ll want to make sure it’s future proof now, so if you suddenly find yourself less mobile in the future, you can more easily adapt.
Low budget options include adding handrails, grab bars and door levers (as opposed to door knobs). Replacing steps with ramps might also come in handy one day and, if your bedroom’s on the top floor, it might be a good idea to make use of extra space you might have without the kids at home by converting a ground floor room into a bedroom.
Other bigger projects to improve accessibility for when you’re older include a walk-in bath, a shower without a lip to step over, or re-designing the kitchen with easier handles and more appropriate worktop height.
Renovations worth doing
Some retirement renovations are for pleasure, rather than for accessibility. It could be that you’ve been chomping at the bit to redesign your kitchen, but have never had the time to do it. Well now you do, and you can make it the perfect place for you to cook, meet up and eat up.
Perhaps you’ve always liked the idea of a home office and, now the kids have left home, you have the space to do so. This could be used for part-time work (if you plan to carry on working), or to sort out your paperwork or embark on a hobby.
Or why not knock down the wall between yours and your nest-fledged child’s bedroom and create the master suite you’ve always dreamed of?
Your garden
Don’t forget, you’ll have more time now to enjoy your own patch of outdoor haven, so you can turn this into the paradise you’ve never had the chance to create. And to enjoy it for decades to come, it might pay to make this more accessible too, with decking or patios, paths with handrails, and conveniently-located garden benches.
Budgeting
Some of these options might set you back tens of thousands of pounds so you’ll need to make sure you have the money available before you start. Luckily, retirees are eligible to an equity release from their home for more cash. This frees up their money and allows them to spend it on other things, such as home projects.
Now that you’ve retired it’s time to think about the changes you’d like to make to your home and how much money you have to play with. You might find it’s the most fun you’ve had in years.