The Platinum Group, REALTORS®Weldon HobbsColorado Springs | REALTOR®
Veteran | USAFA
Downsizing & Life Transitions

What home modifications make aging in place realistic in Colorado Springs?

ByWeldon HobbsTeam Hobbs RealtyPublished Last reviewed

Short answer: It depends first on the layout. If you can live on one level, with a bedroom, a full bathroom, laundry, and a step-free way in, most homes can be made safer with modest changes: grab bars, a walk-in shower, lever handles, clear pathways, and better lighting. If the only bedroom and full bath are upstairs, staying may take a larger remodel. Test your house the way you actually live in it, then weigh each project's cost against what it does for you while you live there.

Start with the layout

When someone is deciding whether to modify their home or move, the first thing I look at is whether the layout is ideal: for modification, for renovation, or for staying as is with grab bars and other aging-in-place tools. It's a cost analysis, but there's also an emotional side to all this. People want to stay. So if there's a possibility, we try to make it happen.

The key layout question is whether you could live entirely on one level if you had to. Picture six weeks after a knee replacement or an illness: a room that works as a bedroom, a full bathroom close by with a shower you can enter without stepping over a tub wall, laundry without a trip downstairs, and an entrance without steps. One-level living doesn't have to be your life today, but it does have to be a real option for tomorrow. See how to find a single-level or accessible home for the same checklist from the buying side.

I'm not in the business of telling people they have to move. I'm also not in the business of pretending that staying is automatically the safest option. The goal is to understand the trade-offs well enough to choose with your eyes wide open.

Seven tests for your house

This framework comes from my video If your house does these 7 things, it helps you age well. The idea is simple: test the house, not you.

1. Can you move freely? Walk your everyday routes, garage to kitchen, kitchen to your chair, bedroom to bathroom, carrying a laundry basket in both hands. If you turn sideways, step over something, or touch the furniture to get by, the path is already too narrow. Two people should be able to pass, and a walker should fit without moving furniture first. Modifications: rearrange or remove furniture, declutter, and widen tight spots where possible.

2. Does your house ask for grip strength in the right places? Round doorknobs, stiff faucets, heavy drawers, and pans in low cabinets all take grip. Modifications: lever door handles and faucets, a shelf beside the entry door for bags, and moving everyday items to storage between shoulder and knee height.

3. Does the house make it easy to get out and stay active? How much has to go right before you can take a walk? Modifications: a safe, well-lit entry with sturdy railings on every step.

4. Is your house counting on your balance? The bathroom is where I slow down in every house: a tall step over the tub, a slick floor, a low toilet, a rug with a curling corner, and a towel bar where a grab bar should be. Towel bars are excellent at holding towels and much less impressive when an adult puts weight on one. The goal isn't proving you can navigate a dangerous bathroom; it's a bathroom that isn't dangerous. Your balance should be the backup system, not the only thing keeping you upright. Modifications: grab bars anchored into solid framing, a walk-in shower or tub cut, a shower seat and handheld shower, a comfort-height toilet, non-slip flooring, and removing loose rugs and cords from walkways.

5. If you fall, can you get help? A phone on the nightstand doesn't help on the bathroom floor. Options: a medical alert device worn on your body, or smart speakers that can call for help by voice. They aren't the same product: a speaker only helps where it can hear you, and a button goes where you go.

6. Can you actually live on one level? See the layout section above. Modifications: converting a main-floor room to a bedroom, adding or updating a main-floor full bath, moving laundry to the main level, and creating one step-free entrance, often from the garage.

7. Can you see where you're going at night? Walk the route from your bed to the bathroom in the dark. You should be able to see the edge of the bed, the doorway, the rugs, and any change in flooring. Modifications: motion-activated night lights, brighter bulbs, a switch you can reach from bed, under-cabinet kitchen lighting, and stairs lit at both the top and bottom.

Your house and your body may both pass these tests today, which tells you little about five years from now. Run them once a year, and again after a surgery or a big health change.

Deciding which projects are worth doing

Not every project deserves the same budget. In my video on what to update even if you aren't moving yet, I run every project through four questions:

  1. What does it cost?
  2. What do I get out of it while I live here?
  3. What's the potential return when I sell?
  4. What happens if I do nothing?

Aging-in-place changes often score low on question 3 and high on questions 2 and 4. A grab bar or a lighting upgrade is inexpensive, used every day, and prevents problems. A large bathroom remodel costs more, so the question is how long you'll live there and use it.

The same thinking applies to the roof, furnace, and water heater. They add little at resale, but if you know their ages and plan replacements now, you choose the timing instead of having them come due at once, often in the middle of a sale.

Colorado Springs and El Paso County considerations

  • Permits: Most work beyond cosmetic updates, including structural, plumbing, and electrical changes, needs a permit from the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. Use a licensed contractor, and keep the permit records; unpermitted work can surface when the home is sold.
  • Winter: Snow and ice make exterior steps, ramps, and steep driveways harder to manage. Railings on both sides, good exterior lighting, and a plan for snow removal matter as much as anything inside.
  • Health First Colorado (Medicaid): Its Home Modification Benefit can pay for changes such as ramps, bathroom modifications, widened doorways, and kitchen changes for people enrolled in eligible waivers, including the Elderly, Blind, and Disabled waiver. It's capped at $14,000 per member over each five-year waiver cycle, and it works through a Case Management Agency.
  • Veterans: VA's Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) benefit can help eligible veterans with medically necessary changes, such as access to the home and bathroom and roll-in showers. Ask your VA health care team.
  • Local help: The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging and local nonprofits run programs that help some older homeowners with safety modifications and repairs. See what help is available for seniors who are moving or downsizing.

When modifying makes sense, and when moving might

  • If you can already live on one level, modest changes usually go a long way.
  • If one level is possible with a remodel, get an estimate and weigh it against what it would cost to move.
  • If the only bedroom and full bath are upstairs and a remodel isn't practical, moving may be the more realistic path.
  • If you're not sure, start with an occupational therapist's home assessment and a contractor's estimate before deciding.

Staying also has ongoing costs beyond the modifications themselves. See whether staying in a paid-off home is basically free, whether to downsize or stay, and, if you're an adult child helping a parent, how to help aging parents decide whether to stay or move.

What could change the answer

  • Health changes: A plan that works today may need to change after a new diagnosis, surgery, or fall.
  • Costs: Contractor pricing and availability vary; get more than one estimate for larger projects.
  • Program rules: Medicaid and VA benefit amounts and rules change; confirm current details before planning around them.
  • The house itself: Older homes can reveal problems, such as outdated wiring or plumbing, once work begins.

When to talk with a professional

  • An occupational therapist for a home assessment based on your specific needs.
  • A licensed contractor for estimates, and ideally one experienced with accessibility work.
  • Your doctor or VA health care team if a modification is medically necessary and you may qualify for help paying for it.
  • A Case Management Agency about Health First Colorado's Home Modification Benefit.
  • A real estate professional if you're weighing the cost of modifying against the cost of moving.

If you're trying to decide whether your current home can work for the long term, let's walk through it together. I can help you look at the layout, weigh the cost of changes against the cost of moving, and connect you with the right people for the work. If a move to be closer to family in another state is on the table, I can also help you find and personally vet a real estate professional there.

About the author

Weldon Hobbs is a Colorado Springs REALTOR® and co-founder of Team Hobbs Realty. He is a member of The Platinum Group, REALTORS®, Colorado Springs' #1 independent brokerage, which pairs deep local expertise with premium marketing exposure. A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and retired Air Force veteran, he and his family made more than 10 military moves. Since 2006, he and his wife, Kristen, have bought and sold their own homes, managed a portfolio of rental properties, and guided others through their own real estate decisions. He has also helped both family members and clients downsize, where the decisions are often complex and the process can feel overwhelming. Drawing on his background as a PMP® (Project Management Professional), he helps people break those decisions into clear, manageable steps.

Since beginning his real estate career, he has ranked in the top 7% by sales volume among the more than 4,000 members of the Pikes Peak Association of REALTORS®. He works with military families, seniors and downsizing clients, luxury and premium home sellers, and people relocating to Colorado Springs. He developed the Life → Wealth → Real Estate™ method, hosts the national YouTube channel Life & Real Estate Without Regret, and holds an MBA along with the SRES® (Seniors Real Estate Specialist®), MRP (Military Relocation Professional), and Certified Financial Coach credentials. More about Weldon

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