A house can suit a family for decades before one familiar route becomes difficult. The step at the front door is harder to manage. Getting to the bedroom takes longer. The bathroom still has enough room for one person, but there is nowhere for someone to stand and help.
In our work on landed houses in Singapore, we have designed for older residents, people living with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, and people with reduced mobility. We have worked through the small changes, such as removing a threshold, as well as the larger ones, such as fitting a lift into an existing house. We start by walking through an ordinary day with the family. Where does the resident come in? Where do they spend their time? Which parts of the house can they use independently, and where would they like a little more support?
Start with the routes people use every day
In a landed house, the journey from the car porch to the living room can cross several changes in level. There may be a step at the entrance, a raised sliding-door track and another threshold at the bathroom. Each can seem minor on its own. Together, they can make an everyday route harder to use.
We look at the whole journey before deciding where to intervene. A doorway might need more clear space. A threshold might be reworked alongside the drainage so the entrance remains usable in heavy rain. The route from the bedroom to the toilet might benefit from better lighting at night. The changes that matter most often become obvious once we see how someone actually moves through the house.
Make the house easier to read
When we design for someone living with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, we ask the resident and family which parts of the house they already find easy to use. One person may want more room to turn or a place to pause along a route. Another may rely on familiar landmarks to find their way. Two people with the same diagnosis can have different needs and preferences.
In a retrofit, the familiar layout can be an asset. A clear view of the bathroom door, consistent lighting and furniture that stays where the resident expects it can all be part of the design. We discuss what to retain before moving walls or rearranging rooms. A house that is easier to use can still feel like the same home.
Fit the lift into the journey
When a family asks whether a lift can fit, we look beyond the space it takes up on the plan. Can the resident get to it from the entrance without crossing another step? Where does it arrive upstairs? Is there room to approach it, operate the controls and continue to the bedroom or bathroom? A lift that serves the upper floors can still leave someone separated from them by a short flight of steps.
In an existing house, we study where the lift could go, what structural work it would involve and how it would affect the rooms around it. We also consider whether a ground-floor bedroom and bathroom could meet the family’s needs. A lift can be worth the work when it connects the resident to the parts of the home they want to keep using.
Give the bathroom enough room to work
A bathroom retrofit often starts with a request for grab rails. We look at the sequence of using the room before deciding where they should go. Can the resident open the door easily? Where can they steady themselves as they approach the toilet or shower? If they need help, is there room for someone to assist while the door is closed?
Those questions can change the layout. A shower screen might need to move. A door might need to open differently. A seat needs to be somewhere the resident can reach the controls. We also consider how the floor drains, how it feels underfoot when wet, and what the wall needs behind it to support the rails.
Privacy matters as much as access. Where the layout allows, we want a resident to be able to close the door, reach what they need and take care of themselves in their own time. If someone needs to help, the room should give both people space to do that comfortably.
For a family planning ahead, we would start with one walk through the house. Follow the route from the porch to the living room, then from the bedroom to the bathroom. Notice where someone slows down, reaches for support or waits for help. That gives us a basis for deciding what to change now and what the house could be ready to accommodate later.