Having the option to live long-term in your home can be invaluable. It is familiar and rich with memories, which is why aging-in-place remodels are on the rise — especially in today’s housing market where it is sometimes more affordable to renovate instead of buy and relocate.

This was the case with a Villa Park, IL couple who made custom modifications to their beloved family home when one of them became wheelchair-bound years ago. But recently, more modifications were needed as ages and health conditions advanced.

Normandy Designer Ashley Noethe stepped in to help expand and redesign the first-floor powder room to include a shower, connecting it to an adjacent bedroom, so that the owners could live mainly on the first floor.

“Making the transfers to go upstairs was no longer serving this couple who have loved this home for nearly fifty years,” Ashley says. “We explored the idea of moving to a new home and renovating there, but it did not save on cost, and it did not come with the memories of raising their children, family gatherings, and the charming qualities of their meticulously cared for historical home.”

The first-floor powder room was tiny, as powder rooms tend to be, making it impossible to maneuver a wheelchair, with no room for aides and helpers to assist. Knocking down a couple walls helped get the process started.

“With some creative reworking of spaces adjacent to the powder room, we were able to create a spacious full bathroom,” Ashley says. “It not only features an accessible shower, but also two wide doorways with pocket doors — one leads to the hall, one to the bedroom — that not only allow for better wheelchair access, but for more than one person to move in and out of the space more easily when needed.”

For this new primary bathroom, Ashley designed a zero-threshold, doorless shower that is wide enough for a wheelchair, while creating a water-proof space that did not require a shower door or curtain. And on top of that, it is simply gorgeous.

Attractive grab bars in stunning polished chrome provide stability without a sterile hospital look, matching the handheld showerhead. Mirrors throughout not only reflect light but allow for use at seated heights, and features a soft-press recessed medicine cabinet above the sink. A seamless porcelain mosaic floor gently slopes towards the linear drain to keep water inside the shower. A pedestal sink and wall-mounted toilet give extra floor space, and the wall tile glistens in the light.

“We took a tiny space and hallway, and created a spacious, wheelchair-and-aide-friendly, functional bathroom that these homeowners love, all while adding value to the home. The homeowners affectionately call it ‘The Spa,’” Ashley says. “I’m very proud of this project.”

Are you considering some upgrades for your home to make it work for you in the long run? If you’d like to upgrade your half bath to a full bath, or talk more about your aging-in-place remodeling vision, you can set up a time to talk with Ashley. For more examples of home designs, visit our photo gallery. For regular updates on design trends and tips on home remodeling, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest!