New Construction Home Designs & Features for Aging in Place in Minnesota

‘Universal Design’ is a philosophy rooted in the belief that everything we build should be both aesthetically pleasing and accessible to all, regardless of age or disability. It’s also the guiding principle used to plan and build new homes that support aging in place.

While many homes can be retrofitted to support some degree of aging in place, building new allows one to implement a universal design approach from the get go. It ensures everything functions right, right from the start, and allows you to rough-in the necessary infrastructure for accommodations that may be required in the future. If you or a family member is interested in aging in place, this blog will cover how a Country Joe Homes build can help you do so in comfort and style.

Key Takeaways:

• Universal Design is about making space for everyone.
• Building new is often less expensive than retrofitting for aging in place.
• Minnesota must-haves include heated driveways, zero-step entries, and radiant in-floor bathroom heating.

The "Forever Home" Mindset: Why New Construction Wins

The number one request for 2026 semi-custom builds in Minnesota is ‘main-level living’. In other words, a floorplan that accommodates every essential element of a household on the main floor. The time, expense, and stress of trying to retrofit an older multi-level home to meet this standard is often prohibitive. But with new construction, you can build from the ground up with a forever home mindset. This ensures your space is just as beautiful and functional for you 30 years from now as it is today.

Beating the Minnesota Winter: Safe Entry and Exit

A Universal Design approach to a home starts even before you’ve stepped inside.

• A zero-step entry eliminates step-ups between you and your garage or front porch. This is useful pretty much anywhere to help with mobility, but is especially critical in a state like Minnesota where icy steps pose a major safety risk. 
• Heated driveways and walkways are another Minnesota essential, allowing mobility-impaired folks to live independently without having to negotiate shoveling snow or salting the pavement. 
• Building an extra-wide garage facilitates easy transfer to and from your vehicles, even with groceries or mobility aids in tow.

The Main-Level Primary Suite: Your Private Retreat

Moving on to the interior, let's start by examining the Universal Design approach to creating a main-level, primary suite bathroom. The goal is to create a space that works for all mobility and ability levels, but doesn’t look oppressively utilitarian or medicalized.

• A curbless "wet room" style shower eliminates any form of step-up, minimizing slip and trip risks and maximizing accessibility. This design is so popular, it’s become a 2026 top design trend.
• Laying reinforced blocking prior to drywalling ensures the necessary structural support for grab bars. This makes it easy to add these safety features in as soon as the need for them arises.
• In Minnesota specifically, radiant in-floor bathroom heating supports healthy circulation in the feet and lower legs. It’s also a wonderfully cozy experience during Minnesota’s sub-zero months.

Kitchens Designed for All Ages and Abilities

Next, there’s the kitchen. Being able to cook healthy meals for yourself is essential to staying independent at home. Fortunately, it’s quite easy to create a universally accessible space when you’re building a new semi-custom house.

• Multi-height countertops help create different zones for food preparation that are suitable for both standing and seated cooks.
• Creating drawer-based storage with full-extension glides eliminates the kneeling and overexertion required to fish supplies out of deep cabinets.
• Installing lever-style hardware is a stylish and practical solution that significantly reduces the grip strength required by traditional knob pulls.

The "Invisibly Accessible" Floor Plan

The last big element to consider for main level living is the accessibility of the space as a whole. This involves setting a home-wide standard for your design that seamlessly accommodates all generations.

• Widening all hallways & doorways to a minimum of 36-inches makes a home look grander and more spacious while also accommodating future mobility aids.
• Installing rocker-style light switches at a height accessible for wheelchair users and children makes it easy for anyone to adequately control environment conditions.
• Smart home technology can also be used to integrate voice-controlled lighting and thermostats, which eliminate the need to fumble or stretch for switches entirely.

The Flexible Basement: Multi-Gen & Caregiver Ready

Finally, there’s the basement. In Minnesota, a basement remains an essential part of a home, even if you plan to exclusively occupy the main level. This is in part because foundations must extend beneath the frostline, and partly to provide shelter in the case of severe storms and tornados.

• A Country Joe Homes basement is designed to be easily customized to create a live-in caregiver suite or a safe, accessible space for grandkids.
• Elevator pre-shafting can also be laid in during construction by stacking closets now. This allows an elevator to be easily installed if it becomes necessary later, without demanding major structural work.

The Country Joe Commitment to Longevity

At Country Joe Homes, our semi-custom process makes it easy to modify any of our existing plans to create a beautiful and adaptable forever home. One that makes aging in place an easy solution, for both you and the people you invite into your home. To ensure your new build is the last home you’ll ever need to buy, get started with Country Joe Homes today!