Changing demographics and a flat housing market have more parents and children sharing the home as adults, and that often means remodeling. Ken Conner, a Germantown remodeler with the Milwaukee area chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, says it's important to know what's allowed in your area.
"My past experience has been that if you have a good set of plans, you know what the rules and guidelines are for the municipality, you simply need to go before the architectural review board and, in most cases, they'll approve it," says Conner. Conner says, where older adults are concerned, the most important consideration is accessibility. "If at all possible, that space would be on a main level, so they're not really having to travel up and down stairs."
Conner says with the stagnant housing market, people are looking to re-purpose existing space as living space for adult children or aging parents.
