Buying a home that will grow with your family
By Fiona Wagner • Bankrate.com

The family across the street from us has lived in their home for 45 years. There are three generations living under one roof and, quite frankly, I'm amazed how they've made it work. My husband and I are already talking about our next house, the one we move to when we outgrow this one, and we've not even been here a year.

But our needs are changing. Our kids are getting bigger, we'll soon need more space for extended visits from the grandparents and our old house just isn't equipped to accommodate any major renovations. So, like most young families, we'll move to a bigger house -- in the same neighbourhood, we hope -- and then when our kids move away, we'll move to a smaller, more suitable house.

My head (and my bank balance) is still reeling from the last move, and I hate the idea of uprooting our home. But what if there was another option? Read on to see how FlexHouses can help you to stay in your home longer, throughout all the stages of your life.

What is FlexHousing
FlexHousing is a concept developed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) that anticipates at the design and construction stage future changes a family might make to a home as their needs change. It could be that your need for another bathroom has become painfully apparent. Perhaps you're starting your own business and you need a home office. Or maybe you want your aging parents to come live with you, but they still want to maintain their independence.

Moving or renovating can be stressful, disruptive and costly, but FlexHomes allow people to adapt their homes affordably and easily, allowing families to stay in their homes longer. "The whole concept is to allow people to age in place," says Collinda Joseph, a senior researcher at the CMHC. "People are faced with situations where they love their neighbourhood but their home no longer suits their needs. [FlexHousing] allows you to stay in your home by making a few adaptations to it."

Any kind of home -- townhouse, bungalow, semi-detached or detached -- can be a FlexHouse. The key is that space can be arranged and rearranged as a family requires without expensive renovations and retrofits.

For example, rooms are constructed with non-load bearing partition walls that can be easily installed or removed so that two bedrooms can become one, and vice versa. Attics can be built with special trusses (the beams that support the roof), roughed-in stairs and electrical, telephone and cable lines and a planned two-piece bathroom to anticipate a future master bedroom or family room.

Basements with a private entrance can be roughed-in with the proper electrical cabling, plumbing, heating and ventilation requirements to make a self-contained in-law suite or rental apartment.

There are even smaller design features that anticipate a family's future needs should a member become physically impaired or disabled. For example, bathroom walls are reinforced at the time of construction to allow for installation of supportive fixtures such as grab-bars, which can be a costly retrofit. Doors are a minimum 34 inches wide (compared to the standard 32 inches) to accommodate a wheelchair or walker, and lever-style handles address the problem of reduced hand functionality due to arthritis or even a workplace injury.

All light switches are placed 33 inches from the floor and electrical outlets are installed 18 inches from the floor (rather than the usual 12 inches) so family members don't need to stretch or bend to use them. All this attention to detail illustrates the three key principles to FlexHousing: adaptability, accessibility and affordability.

Is it for you?
The idea of flexible housing isn't new. There are similar concepts elsewhere such as Universal Housing in the United States and Lifetime Homes in the United Kingdom. And let's face it -- we're all going to age and change, and most of us could make use of a FlexHome's practical functions and features.

"I didn't meet one person who didn't like the idea. There is such as range of consumers who would benefit," says Nicholas Varias, national winner of CMHC's 1996 FlexHousing design competition. "FlexHousing is not a concept that's limited to people in wheelchairs, seniors or people just starting out."

FlexHomes provide more than just functional living spaces: They embody the CMHC's concept of Healthy Housing that promotes the health of a home's occupants while considering the environment and preserving natural resources. FlexHomes are built with low-emission building materials, finishes and flooring as well as large, high-efficiency thermal windows, upgraded insulation and properly sized and energy-efficient heating, ventilation and cooling systems -- features that help families save on utility costs.

If they're universally liked, why don't we see more Canadian builders selling FlexHomes? Cost is one reason. Although the CMHC estimates that the cost of a FlexHouse is only two percent to five percent more than that of a comparable home with standard features, many builders are reluctant to sign on to the FlexHousing concept, especially given today's heated real estate market.

"With our lower-end housing that we build, we're competing strictly on price" says Greg Hussey, president of Karwood Contracting Ltd., a FlexHomes builder in Paradise, Nfld. "There is a small incremental cost to adding blocking for your grab-bars or just making the doors a bit wider, but it makes so much sense…consider it as your insurance policy so you can stay in your home."

Cost isn't the only deterrent to builders. Expertise is another. "Everything is unique," says Hussey. "With a FlexHouse, inches are important whereas in a typical house, the plan is a rough estimate of what the actual house is going to look like." He adds that he has to teach not only his design staff but his site crew, material suppliers, sub-trades and everyone who works with them about the specialized FlexHouse requirements. "There are so many things you have to be aware of that unless you [build these homes] all the time, it's difficult."

However, if you are interested in building a FlexHome or just incorporating some FlexHome features into a renovation project, the CHMC provides a Professional's Guide that outlines the FlexHousing features. Your local Home Builders' Association can help put you in touch with a contractor equipped to build with you. And maybe, your next home will be your last.

Fiona Wagner is a freelance writer in Georgetown, Ont.