Boomers get their homes ready for old age

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Moonbeam, Zonker and other baby boomers are thinking ahead to a time when they can no longer get around too well.

According to a survey released Thursday by the American Institute of Architects, boomers are driving a trend in design that calls for greater accessibility in their homes, presumably so they can navigate them in walkers and wheelchairs.

Outdoor living rooms are getting very popular.

Demand for outdoor amenities, like swimming pools, is growing.

Homeowners are rediscovering the virtues of formal dining rooms.

Many of the 77 million baby boomers, the largest age cohort in U.S. history, likely will stay in their long-term residences.

"We see many more households start to plan, at an early age, what they need to have at an older age," says Kermit Baker, the AIA's chief economist.

Here's what homes will have as a result: wider hallways and doorways; bed, bath and kitchen facilities all on one level; and few, if any, steps to the front entryway. The AIA found that 74 percent of its members reported their clients had increased their interest in those types of home features this year.

Another major trend spotted by the survey may be a cooling in American's passionate love affair with ever-bigger houses. In the past 50 years the square footage of newly built homes has more than doubled.

But only 21 percent of respondents to the architect's survey said their clients had an increased interest in square footage. That's down from 32 percent last year.

Said Baker, "For the first time in our survey, respondents said they were decreasing home sizes rather than increasing them."

Higher energy costs may be playing a role. "Concerns over affordability are resulting in a decrease in extra interior spaces that add to heating and cooling expenses," said Baker.

At the same time, there's more interest in upgrading the backyard. Some treatments growing in popularity include upscale landscaping, gazebos, tennis courts and swimming pools.

There's actually been a kind of blurring of indoor and outdoor space. The transitions designed to move people from indoors to out are more seamless than ever. Many new homes feature three-walled rooms with the fourth wall completely exposed to the outdoors or entirely lined with glass sliding doors.

If that's not enough, architects are incorporating entire entertainment suites into outside spaces. Patios today can boast complete kitchens with gas ranges, grills and ovens, posh dining room sets and living rooms with fireplaces that guests can cozy up to in their soft upholstered furniture - all under cover of roof.

Another departure from the past is a seeming waning of interest in what has been the design de rigeur for quite a while: the open floor plan.

Only 51 percent of the architects said they observed increasing client desire for open space layouts. That's down from 56 percent last year and may indicate a change of direction back to more formal dining and living rooms again.

In addition to the design trends, the release reported on housing market business conditions. Slightly more than 50 percent of respondents reported positive billings and inquiries for new projects but overall conditions have weakened.

That parallels housing markets overall, which have been stagnating for many months.