Your home should accommodate the ebb and flow of your family’s growth. Planning for future changes in your life can be a critical component in your ability to remain in and enjoy your family home.

As your family enlarges, you can add to your home in harmony with your existing house and lifestyle. Initially, your house should be large enough to meet your current needs and near-term family plans. Changes may occur that require future expansion. Reasons could include the need for an at-home office, an exercise room, or additional space related to your children or parents, such as an au pair or in-law suite.

Children may grow up and move out. They may also return home to search for a job or save money for a house. Your parents may want to sell their home, move to an island, and use your home as the anchoring family location.

In some cases, your home may require renovations to enable handicapped accessibility related to family members’ mobility issues. You may consider modifying layout or adding a ramp, an elevator, and wider doors to support aging comfortably in your own home.

Your home can adapt with changes in your family over time. At Raphael Architects, we enjoy helping our clients navigate the natural tides of family growth, avoid moving and remain active members of their communities. Like a great wine, a home can improve with age.