Barrier-free construction - what is important?

We are considering building small apartments, preferably for seniors, in an old industrial building. The floor needs to be completely renewed anyway. Walls, ceilings – everything new. That means some of the apartments could be built barrier-free or even accessible for people with disabilities from the start.

Does anyone have practical experience with what tenants with disabilities really want and need? What is important in a senior apartment? I look forward to ideas and useful tips.

You could first take a look at the corresponding KFW program, specifically the technical datasheet. There you will already find a bunch of requirements.

But I wonder spontaneously why you want that? To be honest, I can’t imagine that it will pay off in the end. The clientele you are targeting with "small" apartments usually probably doesn’t have the money to refinance the additional effort in construction through the cold rent.

I wonder spontaneously, why you want that?

Thanks for the tip. Wanting is exaggerated. First of all, we want to inquire.

I only ever find general blah blah about what is funded. But what it exactly looks like, unfortunately is not stated at KfW either, as far as I read. I had hoped for some more concrete tips like door widths, pathways or technical additional equipment, etc.

Where did you look? I was talking about program 159. There under "Downloads," "Merkblätter," and then "Anlage zum Merkblatt Altersgerecht Umbauen, technische Mindestanforderungen und förderfähige Maßnahmen"

There is already quite a lot in there, I think.

I always only find general blah blah about what would be funded.

You still have to read that very carefully, because the supposed blah blah also says the other way around what would not be funded.

There are actually "consultation and coordination offices" everywhere to support caring relatives, as well as Aktion Mensch etc., and also experts in all federal states in the ministries for "stuff."

Apart from that: you really don't want to pee into the territory of the welfare mafia as greenhorns.