A March 2026 analysis from the Home Improvement Research Institute found that approximately 90 percent of U.S. homes lack the features that make them safe and functional for older adults. That number is drawn from Census Bureau data. It is not a projection. It describes the housing stock that professionals in every aging-in-place field are walking into right now - and the scope of the opportunity in front of them.

NAHB is projecting 3% growth in residential remodeling in 2026 and 2% in 2027. The underlying driver is not new demand. It is aging housing stock and aging homeowners who are choosing to stay where they are. The average U.S. home is now 41 years old. Most were built before accessibility standards existed. If you are a builder, designer, or remodeler reading that forecast as "business as usual, plus a little," you are reading it wrong.

The phone calls are starting. An adult daughter wants to know if she can add a small unit to her parents' property so her mother doesn't have to move to assisted living. A couple in their early 60s wants to build now, while they're healthy, so the space is ready if they ever need it. A builder is fielding questions about accessory dwelling units from three different clients in the same month - and realizing that each conversation is actually about the same thing: aging safely