With the housing market slowly continuing to recover from the recession, homeowners are more interested in building or remodeling homes to increase the square-footage. They are also beginning to be more thoughtful about the home’s design as they plan for the future - as is shown by last year’s American Institute of Architects (AIA) report showing the increase in universal design (or aging-in-place) additions.

AIA’s chief economist Kermit Baker stated in a recent press release that “An increase in home square footage with the rising popularity of accessible design concepts points to a population that is preparing to age-in-place, or, perhaps, is anticipating responsibility for caretaking of older relatives in the future.”

Bestbath’s marketing director Greg Wells agrees. "Bestbath has definitely seen an increase in orders and plans featuring universal design elements like walk-in tubs and showers. That not only reflects the expectation for older generations to stay in their homes longer, but also that younger generations are utilizing universal design principles to open their own home options in the future."

Learn even more about Bestbath’s Universal Design projects by following our Universal Design Blog.