It’s always prudent to keep an eye on the future trends in home design and innovation. Among them is future proofing! Many people nowadays are choosing to future proof their homes, but what does this actually mean? Well, let’s find out!
What Is Future Proofing?
Future proofing involves considering what is to come in the years ahead . In the home, this will result in equipping your home to deal with any issues you foresee arising. For example, if you are a couple planning on starting a family, then future proofing would involve choosing a home suitable for children. Likely, this kind of home will have all the modern appliances you can use now and in the future.
However, if you are retired, future proofing may look different. For example, making your home a single level so you don’t have to deal with stairs or a wheelchair-accessible bathroom. You might even plan to move to a more suitable property and then make those future proofing decisions in your new home.
The main aim of future proofing is to create a flexible home design that can adapt to your changing lifestyle. The changes may be to do with the design or layout of your home. However, they may include technological advancements so you can have the latest tech infrastructure in place in the years to come without expensive building renovations and rewiring down the line.
Here we’ll take a closer look at the advantages of future proofing your home and some of the main things you can do to keep your home functioning well into the future.
The Benefits of Future Proofing
There are so many advantages of future proofing your home. Of course, it’s wise to focus on the future instead of just letting it approach passively and dealing with arising situations. For those of you who want a ‘forever home’, future proofing is a must. Let’s take a look at just some of the benefits of future proofing your property:
Comfort: Staying comfy is a top priority in a home you intend to spend the rest of your life in. So, use future proofing to prioritise your comfort now and forever! For example, install underfloor heating for toasty winters and invest in long-lasting, durable furniture,
Flexibility: When you are in your 50s and 60s, you don’t have trouble climbing stairs or walking from room to room. However, when you’re in your 70s and 80s, these things can present a real problem. Making the property flexible as you age is good foresight.
Stability: Future proofing your forever home means you’ll never have to move out! As you will have done all of your room decorations and furnishings to your exact taste, they will always be there for you.
Safer: Stairs can prove difficult and dangerous for both young children and the elderly. So thinking about the layout of your home is a good idea ahead of time. You can also change the height of your kitchen surfaces so little ones don’t get burned or add better security to the doors.
Cost-effective: You might think it’s a large outlay to undertake some of the improvements you’d like to future proof. However, inflation means things will cost more in the future, and projects that affect your thermal efficiency will pay for themselves in the long run anyway.
Why Should You Future Proof Your Home?
There are many reasons future proofing your home is a great idea. And it doesn’t have to consist of major renovations, but small changes that will make a big difference as time goes on.
You should consider how sustainable the property is in terms of environmental impact. It may be something as simple as ensuring your main windows and solar panels are south-facing to keep the property warm without using heating systems.
However, something as simple as underfloor heating is an excellent way to get the most out of your floor space without having huge monthly energy bills. Couple this with a material like stone for the flooring to capture and radiate that heat for hours after you’ve turned it off, and the benefits are clear to see.
Insulation is another good way to future proof. Whether it’s on the walls or on the roof it’s always a good idea to keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer. Choose modern techniques such as spray foam rather than dated methods for maximum efficiency.
Choose your power sources carefully too. Will you be fully connected to the grid with your electricity and gas or are you going for a more renewable choice like solar or wind, or even choose a wood burner to power with coal or timber.
When you take the time to invest in your home and make it future proof, even though you may intend to live in it for many years to come, it will undoubtedly increase the market value. If you already live in a desirable area, then such improvements will only serve to make the property more appealing and attractive to prospective buyers who can buy a property they can spend the rest of their lives in.
It also greatly boosts the rental potential if everything is taken care of in advance, and you don’t need to be constantly updating and improving the property as a landlord.
8 Trends For Future Proofing Your Home
There are hundreds of ways you can futureproof your home successfully, but here we’ve chosen our top eight trends that will see you right well into the future.
Introduce Smart Technology
Smart homes are gaining in popularity, and already millions of properties around the world are considered ‘smart’. It may be something as simple as lightbulbs controlled by your voice. However, many homes now have heating systems that can be turned on with a smartphone or tablet.
Prioritise Energy Efficiency
Thinking about energy efficiency encompasses many different aspects of home design. Older toilets can be replaced with newer models which don’t use as much water per flush, windows can be double or triple glazed instead of single, and new spray foam insulation can be used.
Choose Durable Materials
We live in a world of cheap and fast building construction, however when you want to maintain your property for a long time, you should opt for the best materials in regard to insulative qualities and durability. It might be timber or stone flooring for longevity, or brick walls instead of plasterboard.
Make Eco-Friendly Renovations
While you are renovating your home, think long-term when it comes to eco-friendly solutions. You can choose paints which have low VOCs and won’t emit toxic particles. You can choose sustainable woods for your kitchen cabinets, or solid furniture for your home instead of chipboard flatpack.
Upgrade Wiring
Many British homes are simply not wired correctly to cope with the amount of gadgets, devices and high-tech solutions we want in our future proof homes. With so much cabling needed to access high-speed internet in every room, it’s wise to strongly consider future device and appliance usage.
Plan For Senior Occupants
You might be comfortable in a three-storey home in your younger days, but your body won’t like it when you hit your later years and find stairs a struggle. Larger doors may be needed for wheelchair access, handrails outside to assist with mobility, or wetroom style shower rooms for ease.
Prioritise Your Home’s Layout
Consider the overall structure and layout of your property especially for aging. Are you able to access the outdoor space easily? Is the bathroom a long way from the bedroom or do you need an ensuite? Is your living room on one level, or do you have steps between rooms in an older property?
Consider Open Plan
Choosing an open plan style of home has multiple benefits for future proofing. A joint kitchen and living space is much more inclusive for growing families. Open spaces can be filled with light and become a truly multi-functional space for cooking, eating, working and relaxing.
Future Proofing Your Home
Future proofing can be as big or as small as you require, every homeowner and property is different. If you live in a new build then there are still things you can do to make it more relevant for the future, but if you live in an older property that you love, there’s no reason you can’t bring it up to speed and ready for the years ahead.
If you are choosing to build your own property, then it’s the ideal way to get in all of these features as the building is going up, so everything you need has already been thought of in advance.
Whatever you decide to do in your home, every little will count when you finally need those features in the future. It may be something as small as a bathroom renovation, or you could install a downstairs toilet for ease of use, or add solar panels to charge the electric vehicle you plan to buy.
Sources:
- https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/hot-trends-future-proofing-your-home.html
- https://www.self-build.co.uk/17-ideas-creating-lifetime-home/
- https://www.stiltzlifts.com/the-benefits-of-future-proofing-your-home/
- https://www.tatlerasia.com/homes/architecture-design/tatler-homes-guide-to-future-proofing-your-home-part-1