There is much talk about recouping the cost of remodeling projects, and it is true that certain improvements contribute more to resale value when it’s time to sell your home. For instance, kitchen and bathroom remodels historically recoup a considerable percentage of the cost, as do exterior improvements such as new siding and roofing.

What is often overlooked when sharing this important information is the less glamorous improvements that benefit you right now and in the future whether you plan to stay or sell your house. It’s the simple things that mean a lot, and peace of mind is eternally valuable.

There are key home improvement projects that should be done because you are staying in your home for the long term, and if a day eventually comes that you sell it, then they will automatically add overall value to the selling price of the house.

Get the basics right the first time by investing in:

● A Solid Foundation – a weak or compromised foundation eventually affects the entire house, creating a whole host of structural problems. Attend to any foundation problems as soon as they become apparent.

● A Dry Basement – wet basements breed mold which breeds health problems. A water proof basement is healthy, safe for storage, and can be refinished.

● A Solid Structure – when the “bones” of your house are strong, windows and doors open easily and its easier to make modifications like removing walls or adding additional doors and windows.

● A Reliable Roof System with Proper Ventilation & Insulation – when a roof system is done correctly it extends the life of the roofing material, reduces maintenance, helps the HVAC system work efficiently and promotes healthy indoor air quality.

● Efficient Heating, Cooling and Water Heater – vast improvements to HVAC and water heaters makes investing in these new systems a way to lower utility bills, increase comfort and indoor air quality, and help reduce our dependence on natural resources.

● Water and Moisture Management – water is the constant enemy of every house, so make sure you have proper yard drainage and that your roof, flashing, gutters and downspouts are moving water away from the interior of your home.

● Accessibility Improvements – people of all ages and abilities benefit from accessible design ideas like 3 foot wide entries, zero-clearance thresholds, no-slip flooring and task lighting.

Whether it is next year or 20 years from now, these projects are timeless because they are immune to trends or personal taste – it’s all about soundness, efficiency and comfort. These improvements create a reliable and valuable house for you and future buyers, as long as they are done right the first time.

Mosby Building Arts is known for award-winning remodeling projects that enhance the lives of Metro St. Louis homeowners, but they also know from over 60 years of experience that form follows function. When the bones and muscles of your home perform at peak capacity, everything atop it has long-lasting value. Make wise home improvements that are done right the first time by calling Mosby at 314.909.1800 or contact them here.

Listen to Scott Mosby talk about this topic.

Aging tends to happen to us gradually, a gentle changing of perspective and priorities, but there are key moments that make it apparent we’ve aged: that one day it became difficult to read the ingredients on the soup can label, and realizing those treks up and down the stairs while doing laundry are a bit trying.

Changing eye sight can be corrected by a good optometrist, while the laundry problem is solved by a professional remodeler certified in accessible design, because the key to the laundry room is not the chore itself, but where it’s located.

In the older homes in the St. Louis metropolitan area, laundry areas are historically in the basement, which means walking the stairs multiple times to attend to the loads, and as we age that becomes a load on our knees.

Every time we go up and down the stairs with a basket of laundry it compromises our safety and our joints. It also becomes harder to hear the buzzers sound, so often our clothes sit too long in the washer or dryer. You can eliminate all these hassles by relocating the laundry room from the basement to the ground level.

This logical solution is what accessible design is all about: eliminating potential obstacles in your home by focusing on functionality and comfort.  Before you decide which location on the first floor would make the most sense for the new laundry room, contact a Certified Aging In-Place Specialist (CAPS) to assist in determining the best area for plumbing, efficiency and durability.

The goal of accessible design is to change standard features to make them more convenient for you to use. For instance, in the laundry room, the ultimate convenience is a front-loading washer and dryer mounted on a raised platform, which saves you from bending over.  If space is limited, the dryer can be mounted atop the washer, and this vertical treatment frees up more floor space.

Cabinets with a countertop at hip height makes folding clothes so much easier, and a laundry sink and ironing station can also work much better at a taller height.  All work stations in the room should be tailored to your present needs and future considerations.

A combination mud and laundry room (above) is a popular and convenient feature. By installing a ceramic tile floor to withstand moisture, and by increasing storage for jackets, shoes and personal affects, this area can quickly become the most used and highly functional place in your home.

The Mosby Building Arts accessible design project shown above brought the laundry room up from the basement into a new addition built on to the rear of the garage. One end is for laundry while the other end of the room serves as a mini-kitchen with a refrigerator, pantry, cabinets and countertop. The homeowner added a dining table, and it is now the place where she spends the most time because it connects to the garage and kitchen, has views to the backyard patio and gardens, and all the natural light makes it a pleasant place to take care of paperwork or read a book while doing her laundry.

Mosby’s Home Life Planning services will bring accessible living into the home you already love and keep it your home for a lifetime. And the Certified Aging In-Place Specialists at Mosby Building Arts elevate accessibility to the next level by emphasizing seamless style and design so that your home looks as great as it functions. To explore 50-Plus living options, call Mosby at 314.909.1800 or contact them here.

For those in their Golden Years, a common concern is the seemingly inevitable life transition of leaving your longtime home for a retirement community. Add to this major dilemma an unsure housing economy, and the concern becomes all the more perplexing.

What if you could turn your existing home into the ultimate version of the retirement villa you would envision? Would you stay in your home if it met all the wants and needs of your life?

A recent AARP survey found that over 80% of people over 60-years old desire to stay in their own homes for the rest of their lives, meaning they prefer to age in place. Typically, the aging process is blamed for many problems we encounter with daily activities, when, often, it is the home that creates the difficulties.

Homes geared to younger adults do not properly support the physical and sensory changes we experience as we age. With even minor aging changes, an insignificant home feature can have significant effects. For instance, a change in lighting can change how well you see in your own home.

50+ living is all about independent, barrier-free comfort and function.  Accessible design benefits all the generations of family and friends who come into your home, and it will be as beautiful and stylish as you desire.

Interior Accessible Design Success Story

A St. Louis County couple had been in the same home for decades.  They had raised a family there, and their children and grandchildren all lived nearby.  Nearing retirement, they realized that they wanted to stay in their own home within their community, and worked with Mosby Building Arts on planning their home for life.

Working with a Mosby Certified Aging In-Place (CAPS) designer, they reviewed current needs and future concerns and decided to make the master bathroom their first accessible design project because this where we tend to first notice changing capabilities.

To look at this bathroom, you would not immediately know that it’s accessible, but it certainly is.  The His & Hers bathroom vanities have single-lever faucet handles for ease of use, and are separated by a chair-height counter top with open space below.  This can accommodate a chair now or a wheelchair if needed in the future.

The toilet is of taller height than average which makes sitting down and getting up much easier, and a stylish grab bar to the right adds to the ease of use. The push-button control pad mounted to the vanity controls flushing, heating and lid functions.

The walk-in shower has a low-clearance threshold, multiple brushed, coordinated stainless grab bars, a handheld shower wand and a retractable teak wood bench mounted to the wall.

See more photos of this accessible bathroom project.

Exterior Accessible Design Success Story

A long-time Mosby Building Arts client is currently vibrant and active, but is thinking ahead by teaming with Mosby to create a long-term plan for her home. Mosby moved her laundry room from the basement to a new ground floor addition off the garage, and even built new, shallow steps for easier access from the garage to the house (above).

She is also a veteran gardener with a gorgeous backyard, so Mosby came up with designs to make her outdoor living just as accessible as indoors.  The Mosby CAPS team designed and built a new patio with a lightly textured concrete surface for better traction, and a screen porch with a zero-clearance entry from the patio so that a walker or wheelchair can pass with no difficulty.

Her favorite feature is the concrete ramp that leads from the patio down into the garden.  She already enjoys how convenient the lack of steps is, which highlights how so many accessible design features just make good sense for everyone who uses them.

See more photos of this accessible outdoor living project.

Other features that add mobility and beauty to outdoor living include increased lighting, raised flower planters and beds, raised height water spigots and wide sliding or French doors leading out to the area. When done properly, nothing looks out of the ordinary because it looks extraordinary.

Mosby Building Arts has three CAPS team members – including Scott Mosby who was the first national CAPS ambassador – who are certified and experienced at helping you live more comfortably in your home for life. To explore your accessible design options, call 314.909.1800 or contact Mosby here.

Remaining in your home requires thinking about how your life is currently, and what your needs might be for the future.  This is where a Certified Aging In-Place Specialist (CAPS) can assist you with the questions, designs and remodeling you will need to turn your house into a home for a lifetime.

Interior Accessible Design

A St. Louis couple had been in the same home for decades.  They had raised a family there, and their children and grandchildren all lived nearby.  Nearing retirement, they realized that they wanted to stay in their own home within the their community, but wanted to explore how to prepare the house for the years ahead.

Working with a Mosby Building Arts CAPS designer, they reviewed current needs and future concerns and decided to make the master bathroom their first mobility project because this where we tend to first notice changing capabilities.  Standing in the shower, the low height of a toilet bowl or operating the hot and cold taps on the sink becomes a bit more difficult.  There are many functional solutions to all of these issues, but it should also be attractive so that we are inspired by our surroundings.  Or as we say about all our CAPS remodeling projects: “Mobility Is Beautiful!”

To look at this bathroom, you would not immediately know that it’s accessible, but it certainly is.  The His and Hers bathroom vanities have single-lever faucet handles for ease of use, and are separated by a chair-height counter top with open space below.  This can accommodate a chair now or a wheelchair in the future.

The toilet is of taller height than average with a grab bar to the right which makes it easier to access, and comes with a push-button control pad mounted to the bathroom cabinet.

The walk-in shower has a low-clearance threshold, multiple brushed, stainless grab bars, a handheld shower wand and a retractable teak wood bench mounted to the wall.

See more photos of this accessible bathroom project.

All of these accessible master bathroom items can be used now for ease of use and security, and should there be a time when they need these features, having them already in place helps with these changes.  And at all times, it is a beautiful space that is already enhancing their lifestyle.

Exterior Accessible Design

We have a remodeling client that we’ve worked with on previous mobility projects.  She is currently vibrant and active, but is thinking ahead and prefers to be prepared.  We have moved her laundry room from the basement to a new ground floor addition off the garage, and even built new, shallow steps for easier access from the garage to the house (above).

She is also a veteran gardener with a gorgeous backyard, so we came up with designs to make her outdoor living just as accessible as indoors.  We designed and built a new patio with a lightly textured concrete surface for better traction, and a screen porch with a zero-clearance entry from the patio so that a walker or wheelchair.

Her favorite feature is the concrete ramp that takes one from the patio down into the garden.  She already enjoys how convenient the lack of steps is, which highlights how so many of the universal designs just make good sense for everyone who uses them.

See more photos of this project.

Other features that add mobility and beauty to outdoor living include increased lighting, raised flower planters and beds, raised height water spigots and wide sliding or French doors leading out to the area. When done properly, nothing looks out of the ordinary because it looks extraordinary.

Mosby Building Arts has three CAPS team members – including Scott Mosby who was the first national CAPS ambassador – who are certified and experienced at helping you live more comfortably in your home for all your days.  To explore your options for beautiful mobility, call us at 314.909.1800 or contact us here.