Kitchen renovations to age at home | Real Estate Newsletter
And trying to bring back affordable homes.
Jan Volin and Philip Goldstein love their community in Maple Glen and want to stay in the house they’ve called home for more than 40 years.
But they had a choice to make as they entered their 70s: move to a place where they could get more support as they age or stay in their current home and renovate.
They decided to dive into a major home makeover, which included a kitchen transformation. The kitchen is a common focus when homeowners adapt their homes to age in place.
Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:
Affordable no more: See what steps officials are considering in this local borough to make homes affordable like they once were.
A standout: Find out which Philly-area county is one of the few in the Mid-Atlantic where the typical home is affordable for the typical buyer.
Deteriorating history: See why a judge ruled that a Chester County home at the center of a preservation fight should be demolished.
No millennial gray: Peek inside this vintage and funky home in Delaware County.
— Michaelle Bond
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Many kitchen renovations these days are focused on making life easier for people aging at home, according to a national renovation report this year.
And these changes can make a home more accessible for everyone living in it.
For Jan Volin and Philip Goldstein, kitchen upgrades for aging in place included:
an open floor plan with wide aisles
a large island with a counter designed without legs, so a wheelchair can fit underneath
a double-stacked oven with side openings
faucets that turn on and off with the tap of a finger
Flooring types, lighting choices, and smart features are some of the elements that can make all the difference when it comes to being comfortable in your home as you age.
Keep reading to learn some tips you can use in your own home.
📮How have you made a room in your home more accessible? Give your fellow newsletter readers some ideas by emailing me.
Narberth is a pricey housing market in a pricey county. The small borough is one of the most expensive places to buy a home in Montgomery County.
But that wasn’t always the case. The president of the borough council said Narberth used to be relatively affordable. Now, borough officials are trying to figure out how to make it that way again for current and potential residents.
This spring, they’ll consider some changes to the borough’s land-use laws that are meant to allow for more homes and more types of homes to be built.
Keep reading to learn more about the proposed changes and why borough leaders may face an uphill battle.
The latest news to pay attention to
A Philly-area county is one of only five in the Mid-Atlantic where the typical home is affordable for the typical buyer.
Pennsylvania has reached an $11.5 million settlement with the polluters of a site in Chester County where a developer plans to build homes.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker wants $10 million to bring a factory that manufactures housing to Philly.
A Chester County home at the center of a preservation fight will be demolished, a judge ruled this week.
Apartments, a coffee shop, and an art store may be coming to downtown Kennett Square.
This homebuyer dreamed of returning to Philly with her mother. They landed in the perfect home in Brewerytown.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority just bought hundreds of apartments in North Philly for almost $50 million.
Philly-area residents share how much they paid to keep their homes warm this winter.
House of the week: For $415,000 in East Falls, a three-bedroom rowhouse with an outdoor fireplace in the backyard.
When Genevieve DeChellis and Jesse Blankschen were looking for a home, they didn’t know exactly what they wanted. But they knew what they didn’t want.
“No millennial gray, or millennial beige, or a house without any sign of life,” DeChellis said.
When they saw a listing online for their current home, they fell in love. The mid-century, 1,450-square-foot house is full of color, including the pink and green bathroom and stained glass and a yellow oven in the kitchen.
The avid thrifters have made the home their own with their unique finds, including a lamp shaped like an ice cream cone.
Peek inside the couple’s vintage and funky home.
📷 Photo quiz
Do you know the location this photo shows?
📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.
Last week’s quiz featured a photo of the Commandant’s House at Fort Mifflin.
Shoutout to Rich C., Bruce R., and Gene B. for being some of the first newsletter readers to get that right.
📹 On the street
It’s an eyepopping stat: In the month after a Philadelphia City Council member introduced a bill that would ban housing construction at the former Hahnemann University Hospital, permits for 824 apartments were issued for the area.
My colleagues put together a video that gets into what’s happening.
Watch the video and join the conversation here.
And enjoy the rest of your week.
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