Active adult housing
Encyclopedia
Active adult housing refers to communities either age-targeted or age-restricted to people aged 55 or older (sometimes 50 or older).
Homes for active adults tend to be single family detached homes, and typically range from 1500 to 2000 square feet (185.8 m²), and lots tend to be less than a quarter of an acre. “In single-family detached homes, two full bathrooms and three bedrooms are most common. In multi-family units, one bathroom and two bedrooms are most common. The only exceptions are among households age 75 or older, where one-bedroom multifamily and one-bathroom single-family housing units are more common.”
Active adult housing is often designed for complete single-floor living, with features like laundry facilities and the master bedroom and bathroom on the first floor. Active adult homes have few, if any, steps to get into the home, and often boast details like toggle/rocker light switches, lever handles, shower stalls with seats, wide doorways, and other features that make life easier for people who are experiencing the pains associated with aging (like arthritis
). Home exteriors are planned to require little or no maintenance, and often a monthly association fee includes landscaping, yard maintenance, and snow removal.
Active adult communities feature amenities consciously planned into the communities; “[a]mong these particular amenities, open space within half a block and recreational facilities are the most common.” These recreational facilities include walking trails and park spaces, along with a lifestyle center/ clubhouse that emphasize clubs and activities and feature resort-style amenities. Amenities often include an indoor and/or outdoor heated swimming pool, whirlpool tub, steam and/or sauna
rooms, separate facilities for aerobics
and weight training, rooms for cards, games and billiards
, and often feature a great room with a commercial kitchen as well as facilities for tennis, golf, shuffleboard
, bocce
, and more. Clubs and activities focus on scrapbooking
and other crafts.
Active adult communities are often managed by a Homeowners' Association
(HOA).
Homes for active adults tend to be single family detached homes, and typically range from 1500 to 2000 square feet (185.8 m²), and lots tend to be less than a quarter of an acre. “In single-family detached homes, two full bathrooms and three bedrooms are most common. In multi-family units, one bathroom and two bedrooms are most common. The only exceptions are among households age 75 or older, where one-bedroom multifamily and one-bathroom single-family housing units are more common.”
Active adult housing is often designed for complete single-floor living, with features like laundry facilities and the master bedroom and bathroom on the first floor. Active adult homes have few, if any, steps to get into the home, and often boast details like toggle/rocker light switches, lever handles, shower stalls with seats, wide doorways, and other features that make life easier for people who are experiencing the pains associated with aging (like arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
). Home exteriors are planned to require little or no maintenance, and often a monthly association fee includes landscaping, yard maintenance, and snow removal.
Active adult communities feature amenities consciously planned into the communities; “[a]mong these particular amenities, open space within half a block and recreational facilities are the most common.” These recreational facilities include walking trails and park spaces, along with a lifestyle center/ clubhouse that emphasize clubs and activities and feature resort-style amenities. Amenities often include an indoor and/or outdoor heated swimming pool, whirlpool tub, steam and/or sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
rooms, separate facilities for aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
and weight training, rooms for cards, games and billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
, and often feature a great room with a commercial kitchen as well as facilities for tennis, golf, shuffleboard
Shuffleboard
Shuffleboard, more precisely deck shuffleboard, and also known as shuffle-board, shovelboard, shovel-board and shove-board [archaic], is a game in which players use broom-shaped paddles to push weighted pucks, sending them gliding down a narrow and elongated court, with the purpose of...
, bocce
Bocce
Bocce is a ball sport belonging to the boules sport family, closely related to bowls and pétanque with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire...
, and more. Clubs and activities focus on scrapbooking
Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking is a method for preserving personal and family history in the form of a scrapbook. Typical memorabilia include photographs, printed media, and artwork. Scrapbook albums are often decorated and frequently contain extensive journaling...
and other crafts.
Active adult communities are often managed by a Homeowners' Association
Homeowners association
A homeowner association is a corporation formed by a real estate developer for the purpose of marketing, managing, and selling of homes and lots in a residential subdivision...
(HOA).