Since elementary school, Wentworth, Inc. Project Architect Matt McDonald has wanted to design houses, but back then he was a bit more interested in ones that might not work in the real world. “I was drawing these floor plans with go-kart tracks and ice rinks in the basements,” Matt says.
As your family grows and the years pass, your needs will change and the way you use your home will, too. You might find the smaller home in the neighborhood you love is a bit too cramped for your teenager clamoring for his or her own bathroom. Or maybe the lack of a separate TV room makes family movie night difficult. In this case, moving isn’t your only option – you don’t necessarily have to settle somewhere else. A properly designed and built addition can solve a growing family’s needs for many years.
Homeowners love kitchen islands and peninsulas, and if you’re considering renovating your kitchen, it’s worth thinking of how you might incorporate an island into your space.
Many homeowners are fortunate to have garages built as an integral part of their homes. A one-car garage is about 220 square feet, with a two-car garage providing as much as 500 square feet of space. But many people don’t use their garages for their cars. The Wentworth design-build team has remodeled homes in the Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia area, and over the years we’ve seen junk, sports equipment, toys and gardening tools stored in that space. That’s 220-500 square feet of underutilized living space!
Nanny suites, in-law suites and home caregiver suites may go by different names, but they are all virtually the same: practical living spaces that allow you to live in your home comfortably for the long-term. A nanny suite that serves a young family with children can easily transition into a future in-law suite for elderly parents, and eventually, the same suite can become an in-home caregiver suite for the aging homeowners who want to age in place.
A powder room – a lavatory and toilet located on the first floor of a home and sometimes referred to as a half bath – is a practical and functional amenity for any home. And with a few design embellishments, a powder room can also be an impressive space for guests to use while visiting your home.
Staying in one’s own home for as long and as comfortably as possible is a reality with the right design, and a right many of us expect. Today, with innovative home design and new technologies, aging in place is a realistic option for the majority of Americans, and nearly 75 percent of those surveyed by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) hope to remain in their homes as they age. Staying in one’s home is a practical and cost-effective path for retirement, and Wentworth, Inc. can help make this happen.
