Adapting your home
Most people want to stay in their own home for as long as possible. Usually it is not the home as a whole that stands in the way but a few specific points: the bathtub, a threshold, the stairs. These can generally be dealt with at manageable cost – if you know the right order.
Not with the bathroom, but with a sober walk through the home. Where do you need to steady yourself? Where is it too dark in the evening? Where do you trip over an edge, a rug, a cable? These points cost little to fix and prevent exactly the falls that most often lead to a hospital stay.
Only then is it worth looking at the big items. Many advice centres offer an on-site home check for this – often free or for a small fee.
Replacing a bathtub with a level-access shower is the classic conversion and usually the most expensive single item. It involves more than the shower itself: the floor has to be opened, the waterproofing renewed and the drain repositioned, often with new tiling and a new door.
Allow several weeks of lead time and a few days without a usable bathroom. Get at least two quotes and have the dimensions confirmed in writing – the manoeuvring space in front of the WC and the clear door width determine whether the bathroom will still work later with a walking frame or wheelchair.
There is no single pot but several, some of which combine. Certain aids are covered through the state and disability insurance schemes – the scope differs depending on whether entitlement arose before or after retirement. Supplementary benefits can cover costs that support independent living. On top come cantonal and municipal programmes, which vary widely.
Advice centres such as Pro Senectute or the cantonal offices for accessible construction know the local situation and help with the application. That route is almost always faster than researching it yourself.
Standard SIA 500 «Barrier-free construction» sets out how homes must be built to be usable with a walking frame or wheelchair: door widths, manoeuvring spaces, threshold heights, operating heights. It is not mandatory for a private conversion in an existing building, but it is the best available benchmark.
In practice: if you are converting anyway, follow those dimensions even if you do not need them yet. The extra effort during the work is small and very hard to make up later.
Then you need the landlord’s consent in writing. Small adaptations that can be removed without trace are usually unproblematic. For structural work, the decisive question is whether removal will be required when you move out – put that explicitly in the agreement.
Many co-operatives and institutional landlords contribute to such adaptations, because they improve the property lastingly and secure long tenancies. Asking is almost always worthwhile.
| Measure | Effort | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Grab rails by the WC and shower | low | very high, prevents the most common falls |
| Better lighting, night light | low | high, especially on the way to the bathroom |
| Remove thresholds, secure rug edges | low | high, removes classic trip hazards |
| Replace bathtub with level-access shower | high | very high, usually the decisive conversion |
| Widen doorways | medium to high | decisive for walking frames and wheelchairs |
| Stairlift | high, varies widely with staircase shape | makes living across several floors possible |
Effort depends heavily on the building fabric, the layout and the region. Always get at least two quotes.
Adapting · Moving home
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Replacing a bathtub with a level-access shower typically runs in the region of CHF 15 000 to 30 000, depending on the building fabric, the layout and the finish. The main cost driver is not the shower but opening up the floor and renewing the waterproofing. Get at least two quotes.
Partly. Certain adaptations are covered through the schedule of aids. The scope differs markedly depending on whether entitlement arose before retirement through disability insurance or only afterwards through the state pension scheme – disability insurance benefits are generally broader. Clarify your specific entitlement with your compensation office before the work.
Yes, and this is the single most important rule. Contributions are almost never granted retrospectively. Submit the application with a quote and wait for the decision before placing the order. If you convert first and ask afterwards, you will as a rule pay for everything yourself.
Often yes. Increasing the mortgage is possible as long as the loan-to-value ratio and affordability hold – and that is exactly what becomes the bottleneck after retirement. So clarify any increase before you retire if you can. Value-preserving work is also tax deductible in many cantons; the rules differ from canton to canton.
Inside your own home, usually not. It is different if the lift is fitted in a shared stairwell: then you need the consent of the condominium owners or the landlord, and depending on the canton and the building a permit may be required. Fire safety in the escape route also has to be considered.
Compared with the cost of moving into assisted living, a conversion often pays for itself within a few years – a single avoided fall involving a hospital stay and rehabilitation offsets a large part of it. On top of that, a barrier-free home gains value for a later sale or letting.