Homeward Bound -- A Special Feature on Housing

It’s a simple fact. Life does not stand still.

People age, families change, and so do their needs -- especially when it comes to living space. FlexHousing is a new and innovative approach to home design, renovation and construction, able to adapt and convert affordably as people’s lifestyles change.

This practical and modern-day approach to designing and building houses of all kinds -- from single-family dwellings to duplexes, multi-units, townhouses and even apartments -- allows residents to convert space to meet their changing needs.

Imagine housing that is planned for subdividing rooms, expanding space or converting attics and garages into bedrooms, family rooms, home offices or self-contained suites.

FlexHousing brings together the best of everything we know about building houses and living in them. Adaptability, accessibility and affordability are the basic principles of FlexHousing.

The best FlexHousing design also includes the principles of Healthy Housing: occupant health, energy and resource efficiency, and designs built to endure. FlexHousing makes sense for those who want to create beautiful, practical housing that meets today’s needs.

In Canada, the United States and Europe, this new approach to home design and building is giving homeowners more flexible living space than ever before. Designed and pre-engineered to adapt to the changing needs of its occupants over their lifetimes, FlexHousing is housing of the future, available today.

FlexHousing means homeowners no longer have to move simply to get another bathroom or more living space. Need to convert a family
room into two bedrooms? With a FlexHouse, it’s no problem because the rooms are designed and built for change, complete with pre-wiring. Will your parents be moving in with you? A FlexHouse can give them their own suite of rooms, where they can live in comfort and privacy, yet always be close. Like a true friend, a house designed according to FlexHousing principles grows with you.

Most homes built in Canada in the last 50 years are for two-parent families with two or more children. Kitchens and bathrooms are usually small with narrow doorways, making them inaccessible to anyone with mobility problems. It can be difficult and expensive to adapt these houses to take advantage of new housing technology -- advances that can improve quality of life and save money through energy efficiency. Housing that meets Canadians’ needs in the 21st century will respond to the wave of change engulfing us by being adaptable to the needs of people at
every stage of life.

FlexHousing meets the needs of its occupants, whether they are single, traditional families, single-parent families, multi-generation families, empty nesters or simply friends living together. On the outside, it looks no different from conventional housing. On the inside, many of its features are barely visible. Yet this type of housing improves its occupants’ quality of life by bringing together barrier-free design with adaptable,
convertible space.

Combining FlexHousing principles with the latest in housing technology, healthy materials and improved air ventilation systems creates more comfortable and convenient living space, and helps protect occupants’ health and the natural environment.

FlexHousing applies to any new kind of housing construction -- from singles and duplexes to multi-unit condominiums and apartments; it also works in renovation projects. Referred to as Universal Housing in the United States and Lifetime Homes in the United Kingdom, FlexHousing offers more people more choice in housing than ever before and addresses the key housing challenges of a changing world.

Changing with the Times The baby boomers are aging. That means the population as a whole is getting older. By the year 2017, half of all Canadian households will be headed by people 55 years old and older. Many baby boomers will be single or couples whose children have moved out. With more older households and fewer households of young families, Canada’s rate of population growth will likely decline.
A lower rate of population growth means fewer new households -- and fewer new homes. Existing houses will need flexible features to accommodate different occupants’ requirements easily and inexpensively.

Most aging baby boomers will be accustomed to independence and comfortable lifestyles. It will become increasingly important for housing to support self-sufficient, independent living because public institutions and governments may not have the resources to care for so many older people.

FlexHousing anticipates the day when renting a house, staying in one’s own home as one grows older or acquires a temporary disability, or accommodating a child with a disability will be that much easier because more and more homes will have a basic level of access.

(Adapted from: "FlexHousing: Homes that Adapt to Life’s Changes," published by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, ISBN
0-660-17477-4. For more information about FlexHousing, contact Tom Parker, Senior Researcher: Housing Choices Research Division,
CMHC, (613) 748-2050 or e-mail: tparker@cmhc-schl.gc.ca.)