A Case Study in Aging-in-Place Design
Hālawa homeowners are grateful for new accessibility features
By: Darlene Dela Cruz
Sep 1, 2026
The best way to understand the importance of aging-in-place home modifications is through the lived experiences of local kūpuna.
Architectural designer David Nadolney recently completed an aging-in-place project for a Hālawa couple in their 70s. Nadolney, a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist and founder of Open Concept Designs, says he worked with the homeowner and her husband “[starting] from scratch, drawing up plans to enlarge the house with a spacious primary suite with wider doorways, hallways and larger bathrooms with walk-in showers.”
Severe termite damage expanded the renovation to a full rebuild. The homeowner says the updates were beneficial and timely — new safety and mobility features made care and recovery much smoother for her husband after a medical emergency.
She encourages other kūpuna to start aging-in-place modifications before it’s too late.
“You might as well try to do a little first,” she says. “Do it soon when you can.”
The homeowner shares how this aging-in-place design came together.
Rebuilding a Family Property
The Hālawa homeowner says she and her husband first moved into their current house roughly 37 years ago.
“It was actually a family home that my father-in-law and mother-in-law had lived in, but they moved to Kaua‘i,” she explains. “We thought we were going to temporarily live here until we could find the real home we wanted, because [the family home] wasn’t laid out correctly. But we ended up buying it.”
Although they appreciated the size of the house to raise their two sons, past remodels and inconsistent home improvement projects made the spaces uncomfortable. The homeowner says they adjusted to the awkward floor plan over the years but eventually wanted to create a conscientiously designed residence.
“As we were getting older and the boys were getting bigger and one went away to college, we started thinking about how we could make this house possible to live-in-place for as long as we could,” the homeowner says. “My husband and I couldn’t agree whether we should tear it down or just renovate it. We went back and forth. It became more of a problem as my husband got a little older because he started having knee problems and then back problems.”
They tabled the decision until the original kitchen’s wall oven broke down before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the oven was irreplaceable and the kitchen was getting too tight to fit multiple people at the same time, the homeowner and her husband decided it was time to contact a professional for an aging-in-place overhaul.
“David [Nadolney] said to us, ‘why didn’t you do this 10 years ago, you could’ve enjoyed it much longer,” the homeowner explains. “That’s why people should think ahead [about aging-in-place].”
Bloom with a View
The homeowner picks flowers from her puakenikeni tree and makes lei for others. “I love to see the tree from my kitchen sink,” she says.
Around the Island
Since the ‘ohana likes to cook together, the homeowner’s son requested an island in the kitchen with additional space to comfortably move around while preparing food.
Cues from the Coast
“We’re beach people, so the house has a very beachy feel,” the homeowner says. Lake-blue tile, beige flooring and white ceilings pay homage to sea, sand and sky.
When Accessibility Matters Most
After the homeowner and her husband returned home from a visit to Kaua‘i in February, her husband started feeling ill despite paddling and being active days earlier. They went to the hospital and found out he had a severe case of diverticulitis.
“[The doctors] didn’t want to operate initially because he’s 78 years old,” the homeowner explains. “They wanted the infection to go down. On March 7, he had his surgery. He didn’t come home until April 7.”
Most of the home’s aging-in-place features were complete despite delays due to the Kona low storms. The homeowner had already purchased a hospital-style bed in case medical needs arose.
“We knew when we got him home that he would be OK,” she says. “We had the walk-in shower [and] the floors were one-level with wide, open spaces. There was no problem with the walkers. In the bathub, I could put a chair in there.”
“When the nurses from home care came, they said ‘wow,’” the homeowner adds. “The house is ready.”
This story appears in the September/October 2026 print issue of Ku‘u Home magazine.