Lifelong Housing Design: Options and costs for upgrading your current home 

Jim and Maria, a fictional couple in their mid 60s live in a 1960s home. They want to continue living in their own home and are considering refurbishing their home so they can continue to enjoy their active, engaged lifestyle into their 80s. What can they do? Their refurbished home, “Smart House” is on display at the University of Minnesota’s Goldstein Museum for visitors to tour and try-out everything they see.

The Vital Aging Network will partner with the Goldstein Museum to offer a forum exclusively to VAN’s network. Attendees will receive a 1 hour in-depth and hands-on tour of the “Smart House” with a museum curator. Diane Sprague will facilitate an interactive exhibit which displays options for retro-fitting existing home entrances; including stairways, steps, rails, and ramps. Steven Johnson will speak about how people can upgrade an existing home to be healthy and comfortable; while paying particular attention to air quality, heat/air conditioning, air filtration, doors, and windows.  Ron Peterson will break down the cost of these remodels and offer suggestions on where to start.

The Goldstein Museum is located on the second floor of McNeal Hall on the Saint Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. Parking is available at the nearby Gortner Ramp located at 1395 Gortner Avenue. Public parking is available at a rate of $3.00 per hour up to a daily maximum of $12.00. Free parking is also available at the State Fair grounds; and it is about a 5-10 minute walk uphill to McNeal Hall. The University is available by public transportation and people are encouraged to check Metro Transit schedules. To learn about parking or how to get to the U, click here. For more information visit VAN’s website at www.vital-aging-network.org. Registration for this forum is appreciated.

Presenters:
Lyn Bruin, Housing Studies Associate Professor, College of Design, University of Minnesota
Jodi Riha, Masters Student, College of Design, University of Minnesota
Diane Sprague, Lifetime Home Project
Ron Peterson, Residential Energy Auditor, ENERVISION
Steve Johnson, Sustainable Resources Center