78 Million Boomers Can’t Be Wrong
For the record, I am not a Baby Boomer, but I know and like a lot of them.
Because there are so many Baby Boomers — 78 milliion — their tastes and attitudes towards everything from cars to vacations to housing are seemingly measured and re-measured on a constant basis. Since the late 60’s, when Boomers first asserted themselves as a mass group of young people, Boomer attitudes have been shaping the future for the rest of us. Now that the leading edge of boomers is hitting age 60, the persistent question is how Boomers will handle the aging process. (A shocking example includes Deborah Harry from the ’70s band Blondie in a copy of AARP magazine! She’s over 60 now.)
Debbie Harry
In terms of housing, there are some clear differences with previous generations. Gone are the old folks homes and retirement villages that our parents and grandparents seem to favor. They want to remain active forever. In a previous life, when I covered the new construction market (please don’t hold it against me) I toured numerous “Active Adult” communities from Del Webb and others who build age-restricted communities. The shuffle board courts have been replaced by climibing walls and mountain bike trails. The appealing message for the aging Boomer is… you don’t have to slow down when you get older.
But the real impact of Boomers on the housing market in the years ahead will be felt on the remodeling side of the equation. Look no further for proof than the rapid rise of a relatively new professional designation offered by the Remodelors Council of he National Assocation of Home Builders. Since its launch in 2002, the Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) designation has become the most popular designation offered by the 212,000 member organization. More than 1,000 remodelers, builders and contractors have succuessfully navigated the coursework required to get the designation.
The message is clear. Baby Boomers are going to seek to be active as long as possible. They will seek to live in urban areas. They will seek to have vacation homes. And they intend to not let the aging process alter their current lifestyle. What they will allow is their home to be altered to better accomodate their needs. Many will add master bedroom suites to their first floor and leave the second floor guests and returning children. Many will add decorative grab bars and use home automation technology to help them manage air tempurature etc.
But don’t take my word for it. According to the survey data from the most recent Remodelers Market Index conducted by the NAHB this summer, remodelers are getting more calls for aging-in-place jobs.
-
75% have seen an increase in requests for aging in place work
-
60% already perform aging in place work. Of those:
- 76% said they had clients who were 55 to 64 years old
- 67% had clients 65 and older
-
43% had 45- to 54-year-old clients.
From the same survey came the following reasons for aging-in-place modifications.
- 75% said planning ahead for future needs
- 53% said living with older parents,
- 46% said acute age-related disabilities,
- 23% said acute non-age related disabilities
The numbers don’t lie: Boomers are remodelers’ best friends.
I was a design/build contractor from “82″ to “91″ and did residential remodeling and light commercial. After the recession of “91″ I switched to straight architecture. The criteria for the plans I draw is slowly changing with more requests for things like residential elevators and handicap accessible master baths. I also am also seeing a move in the requirements for residential remodeling. One large remodel I am drawing plans for in the Tustin Hills area of Orange County, Ca. is for a very active couple in their late “70’s”. We are doing a two story addition with a master bedroom/ bath/ and separate his and hers walk-in-closets all on the second floor. The interesting thing about this remodel is we are building a shaft for a residential elevator to be installed at a much later date when they “might” need it. The are more active than my wife and I and we are almost 30 yrs. younger. Pretty amazing.
I agree that the baby boomers are looking to live long, healthy lives and a lot of them are looking for ways to defy the aging process.
My parents would be considered baby boomers and are just now starting to go camping. In their first 60 years of life it didn’t even appeal to them and now they love it…go figure.