Updated June 2026
Aging-in-place remodeling is one of the fastest-growing service lines a contractor can add — and most of your local competitors aren't marketing it at all. 75% of adults 50 and older want to stay in their current homes as they age (AARP 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey), but only 10% of U.S. homes are currently set up to support it. That gap is your market. This post explains how to position your remodeling business for it — and what your website needs to actually convert those clients.
This is based on GrowLocal's proprietary research into top-ranking local remodeling websites across Raleigh, Denver, and Phoenix.
What Is the Aging-in-Place Remodeling Market?
Aging in place means modifying a home so the owner can stay there safely as they get older — grab bars, nonslip flooring, wider doorways, accessible bathrooms, step-free entries. The demand driver is simple: 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day, and only 10% of U.S. homes have a step-free entry, a first-floor bedroom and bathroom, and at least one accessibility feature. That's 90% of the housing stock that needs modification, owned by people who want to stay put.
According to NAHB's Q1 2025 Remodeling Market Index, 56% of professional remodelers now take on aging-in-place projects, and 96% say their clients are familiar with the concept. The work is mainstream. The opportunity is in the contractors who market it explicitly online.
For a remodeling contractor, this is a defined service line with a specific buyer (homeowners 55+ or adult children), a specific project set, and low local competition. If you're already doing this work but not calling it out on your website, you're invisible to the people searching for it.
What Is CAPS Certification and Do You Need It?
CAPS stands for Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist. The credential was developed jointly by NAHB and AARP and launched in 2002. It's the industry's recognized mark for contractors who have been trained in home modification for accessibility and aging.
To earn CAPS, you complete three courses through NAHB:
- CAPS I: Marketing and communicating with aging-in-place clients
- CAPS II: Design concepts for livable homes
- CAPS III: Technical details and solutions
Each course costs $279 for NAHB members ($419 for non-members). The credential renewal costs $55 per year for members and requires 12 hours of continuing education every three years.
Do you need CAPS to take on aging-in-place projects? No. State contractor licensing covers the work itself. But displaying the CAPS credential on your website does two things: it signals specialized training to a buyer who is researching contractors carefully, and it puts you in the NAHB CAPS directory — a searchable listing used by families and healthcare professionals looking for qualified contractors.
Across our research into top-ranking local remodeling websites, every site that marketed aging-in-place services prominently displayed its credentials verbatim — including CAPS, state license number, and industry organization memberships like NARI. The credential isn't a legal requirement; it's a trust signal that converts a cautious buyer.
If you don't have CAPS yet, you can still build an aging-in-place service page today — just frame it around your relevant experience and project portfolio, and add the credential once you've earned it.
What Should an Aging-in-Place Remodeling Website Include?
The aging-in-place buyer is different from the kitchen-and-bath buyer. They're often an adult child researching for a parent, a homeowner recovering from a fall, or a forward planner in their late 50s. All three do careful, trust-driven research before calling. Here are the website elements that convert them:
| Website Element | What It Does for Aging-in-Place Buyers |
|---|---|
| Dedicated service page | Tells Google — and the buyer — that you specialize in this work, not just generalist remodeling |
| Before/after photo gallery | Shows the actual modifications (grab bars, walk-in showers, widened doorways) so buyers can visualize the result |
| CAPS credential display | Signals trained expertise; stands out from unlicensed handymen doing the same work |
| State license number | Universal remodeling trust signal — displayed verbatim (e.g., "NC GC License #82954") |
| Consultation request form | The correct conversion CTA for this buyer — aging-in-place jobs almost always begin with a home assessment visit, so a form with a 24-hour callback promise works as well as a live booking widget |
| FAQ section | Pre-answers the fears: How long does it take? Do I need a permit for grab bars? Can you do this while I'm living in the house? |
See our full remodeling website breakdown at GrowLocal's remodeling website guide for more on what the top sites in this category include.
What Do Aging-in-Place Clients Look for on a Contractor's Website?
This buyer researches more carefully than the average remodeling client. The project is personal — often a family member's declining mobility, or their own future independence. Three things they look for:
Real before/after photos of the specific modifications. A general portfolio doesn't close this buyer. They want to see a tub-shower before and a curbless walk-in shower after. Across our research into top-ranking remodeling sites, every competitor used only real project photos — no stock photography. Location-labeled before/after pairs add verifiability.
Specific modification types listed by name. Grab bar installation, curbless shower conversion, widened doorways (ADA-standard 36"), ramp construction, improved lighting. "Accessibility remodeling" alone doesn't tell the buyer whether you do the specific modification they need.
A low-friction consultation request. The top remodeling sites consistently frame the CTA as a consultation or home assessment — not a generic "get a quote." This buyer wants a specialist on site, not a form that asks for square footage. Frame it as: "Request a free aging-in-place home assessment."
How Do You Market Aging-in-Place Remodeling Services?
The most direct path: a dedicated service page optimized for local terms. "Aging-in-place remodeling [city]," "accessible bathroom remodeling [city]," and "CAPS contractor [city]" are all low-competition queries with motivated buyers.
Four practical steps:
- Create a standalone service page titled "Aging-in-Place Remodeling in [City]" — not a buried paragraph. Include specific modifications, credentials, project photos, and a consultation form.
- Build a dedicated before/after gallery for accessibility projects. Three or four bathroom conversion photos give this buyer something concrete to evaluate.
- Add your CAPS credential to your Google Business Profile in the attributes and description.
- Update your GBP category to include "Accessibility Service" — it helps surface you for nearby searches.
For more on what makes a remodeling website win larger projects, see How Remodelers Win $50k Projects Online. The websites-for hub shows how other home-services trades approach this.
Key takeaway: 75% of adults 50+ want to age in their current home (AARP 2024), but only 10% of U.S. homes are aging-ready — meaning 90% of the housing stock represents a potential project. Remodelers who build a dedicated aging-in-place service page with real modification photos, CAPS credentials, and a consultation request form are capturing a high-intent buyer that most competitors ignore entirely.
Is CAPS Certification Worth the Cost for a Remodeler?
CAPS is worth it beyond the website credential. The three-course program ($840–$1,260 all in) teaches formal home assessment technique, client communication with older adults and their families, and modification design that balances function with aesthetics. It's a skillset, not just a badge.
The directory benefit is concrete: the NAHB CAPS listing is searched by occupational therapists, hospital discharge planners, and care managers actively referring clients. These referral sources deliver leads that bypass Google entirely.
If CAPS isn't in the budget yet, start with a service page and your real project portfolio. Add the credential once earned.
Frequently Asked Questions About Aging-in-Place Remodeling Websites
What is CAPS certification for remodelers?
CAPS (Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist) is a professional credential offered by NAHB and AARP. It requires completing three courses covering client communication, livable-home design, and technical solutions for accessibility. It signals trained expertise to a buyer who is researching contractors carefully — and places you in a referral directory used by healthcare professionals.
Do I need CAPS to market aging-in-place remodeling services?
No. Your state contractor license covers the work itself. But displaying the CAPS credential on your website and Google Business Profile strengthens trust with a buyer who is making a long-term decision about their home's livability. It also connects you to healthcare-professional referral networks. CAPS courses cost $279 per course for NAHB members ($419 for non-members), and there are three required.
What modifications should I show in my website gallery?
Prioritize the five most-searched aging-in-place projects: grab bar installation, curbless (zero-threshold) shower conversion, widened doorways (36" ADA-standard), added lighting, and nonslip flooring. Before/after pairs are more persuasive than finished photos alone — this buyer wants to see the transformation, not just the result.
How many remodelers are doing aging-in-place work?
According to NAHB's Q1 2025 Remodeling Market Index, 56% of professional remodelers currently take on aging-in-place projects, and 96% say their clients are familiar with the concept. The work is mainstream — the opportunity is in the minority of contractors who market it explicitly on their websites.
Can I get leads from the CAPS directory, and do I need a booking widget?
Yes on the directory. The NAHB CAPS listing is searched by families, occupational therapists, hospital discharge planners, and care managers looking for contractors — a referral network that operates outside Google. No on the booking widget. Aging-in-place jobs begin with an in-home assessment, not an appointment slot. A consultation request form with a 24-hour callback commitment is the correct CTA for this buyer.
Is a website worth it for a remodeling contractor who focuses on aging-in-place work?
Yes. The buyer searching for "aging-in-place remodeling [city]" is high-intent and comparison-shopping. A dedicated service page with real modification photos and CAPS credentials converts this buyer at a significantly higher rate than a generic remodeling website with no accessibility-specific content. See Is a Website Worth It for a Remodeler? for the broader ROI case.
What features does a GrowLocal remodeling website include for aging-in-place contractors?
A GrowLocal remodeling website includes a project gallery with before/after photos, a credentials/trust section for your CAPS badge and license number, service sub-pages for specific modifications, a consultation request form, and an FAQ section. Sites run on fast static hosting — important given 66% of consumers use smartphones as their primary device for local searches (SOCi Consumer Behavior Index, 2024). GrowLocal doesn't include live booking or Google review integration; for aging-in-place work, a consultation form with a 24-hour callback handles the conversion. See our remodeling website guide or our local business website statistics for more.