When it’s time to remodel the kitchen in your forever home, Eco Home Builders Home Remodeling can help ensure you and your family enjoy your remodel for years to come! Mitch Speck is a NARI Universal Design Certified Professional (UDCP) and is skilled in all aspects of universal design and ADA compliant residential remodeling. As we grow older, we want to consider design choices that prevent stooping, reaching, and falling to keep your kitchen space safe and accessible – while still being stylish and functional! Our team will help you design a kitchen that is optimized for your current and future needs! If you’re thinking about remodeling your kitchen in the near future, here are a few features to consider in your kitchen:   1. Install a pullout pantry. Pull out pantries are wonderful because they allow you to see everything at once without having to shuffle items around and put less strain on your knees and back. They also make great spaces to store your portable appliances like blenders, IntantPot, slow cookers, and the like. 2. Place your microwave at or below counter height. Whether you have a freestanding or build in microwave, having it counter height or below is easier on your back and shoulders. If you don’t want to sacrifice counter space create a space for your microwave in a base cabinet. It’s easier to set a heavy plate below you that to lift it above your shoulders. Spills are also less likely when removing hot food from the microwave at counter height or below. 3. Make corner cabinets accessible. Corner cabinets provide quite a bit of storage but can be difficult to access. The bend-reach-lift motion can also be difficult for people with back problems, so let’s minimize that! When adding corner cabinets, consider an option that will reduce the need to bend over/reach and dig. A traditional Lazy Susan is a good option, but we would also recommend drawers or shelves that slide out. 4. Pick drawers over doors. Drawers eliminate the need to get on your knees and peer into the back of your cabinet to see what you have available. No more emptying your cabinet for one pot or roasting pan. Drawers make it easy to see all your kitchen items at once! What about traditional cabinets with slide outs? If you absolutely can’t do full drawers for your lower this is a better option, but know you will lose cabinet space and also add a step to remove an item from your cabinet. Drawers just make sense. 5. Keep the sink close to the stove. We will help you with the spatial layout of your kitchen, but its good to have a vague idea of where you want your key appliances to go. Plan to have your sink close to the stove. As we age, it’s hard on our arms and backs to carry big pots full of water to and from the cooktop. If any spills happen along the way, you then have a slipping hazard. So, keep your sink close to your stove with a workspace in between.