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Wheelchair Accessible Home Modifications Can Make Your Life Easier
Many of us will experience at least a temporary disability. Accidents will happen and you could find yourself using a wheelchair or walker. As we mature and grow older, getting around our home becomes more difficult. Then we ask “How can I get up those steps or through that narrow door?” Planning for this comes from far sighted homeowners, builders and remodelers who anticipate our limitations and changing needs.
Traditional home builders have never really considered the needs of those who are disabled or elderly, and that can make life really hard to deal with at times. We understand these difficulties (our owner went through them!), and we want to help you make your life a little easier and more productive. That’s why we offer handicap accessible remodeling and accessibility modifications in Rochester NY. We have the solutions to your home accessibility needs and modifications to enhance and improve the safety and accessibility in your home.
Move or Improve?
Most of us would choose to live and retire in our own home rather than move to a nursing home or assisted living center. Your home can be remodeled and modified to accommodate your needs and physical capabilities and conditions. Your house can become more accessible with a few minor home improvement and modifications.
Wheelchair accessible house plans:
What makes a home handicap and wheelchair accessible? It’s the ability to enter and move around without any of the obstacles such as steps and narrow doors. The bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchen are wheelchair accessible. Everyone’s needs are a little different, so you’ll have to make a few changes to any plan to suit your individual requirements and physical limitations.
Handicap accessible home modifications:
The demand for accessible housing will increase in future years as the elderly become a larger share of our population. Independent living and the ability to take care of ourselves allows us to remain active and depend less on others. Making your home accessible with simple home modifications, such as swing away hinges, can improve your lifestyle and the ability to live at home.
Bathroom Remodeling:
Your bathroom can be modified or redesigned for wheelchair access. Modifications to the bathroom will help avoid injury and is our most requested service.
Let’s start at the bathroom door. Why do architects design, and builders insist on installing a 24″ door to the bathroom? Wheelchairs need a minimum 32″ door for a straight in approach. If the doorway is located in the typical hallway and requires turning a wheelchair, you’ll need a 36″ door.
Doors can be widened for wheelchair and walker access. We remove the existing door unit, relocate the light switch, widen the framed opening, install a new wider door unit and repair the finished flooring.
A swing away door hinge is also an option and will increase the door width by 2″.
Bathtubs can be very hazardous. Transferring from a wheelchair to the tub can be difficult. The tub area must be carefully designed to provide maximum safety. Bathtub and shower grab bars can be installed to provide support. Tub transfer seats allow persons to sit in the tub and take a bath or shower without having to lower themselves to the tub floor. Many people find it difficult to use a tub. Bath tubs can be replaced with showers.
It can be difficult for some of us to step in and out of a bathtub because of the high tub walls. We can make it easier by replacing your tub with a shower. We custom build our showers depending on your site conditions. The configuration of most existing bathrooms will limit the size of the shower to the tub area (standard tubs measure 30″ to 34″ x 60″).
There’s also prefabricated molded acrylic/fiberglass shower units on the market. Some include built in shower seats. When remodeling, a 3 or 4 piece sectional unit can be used and assembled in order to get the shower through the door openings and into your bathroom. Rochester Contractors
Roll-in showers can be more difficult to install and use. We suggest a shower with a curb but, there’s times when a roll-in shower is your only option. There are problems associated with roll-in showers in a remodeling situation. The sizes of most existing bathrooms limit the options to a tub to shower conversion. This limits the dimensions of the shower to the same floor area as the tub. A wheelchair will fit into the area but it is tight. The bathroom floor will get wet.
We custom build ceramic tile roll-in showers using the same basic procedures as used for a shower with a curb. There is additional work required. The tub drain is usually the same elevation as the bathroom floor, requiring jack-hammering and removing the concrete, center and lower the drain, install a rubber shower pan and the new shower floor flush with the existing bathroom floor.
Prefabricated, fiberglass/acrylic roll-in shower floors can be considered. They can replace and are available in the same size as your standard 5″ tub, and comes with a right or left hand drain. This makes it easier since no jack hammering is required and only minimal drain adjustment is needed. If you have the room, these units are also available in assorted sizes.
Toilet seat height varies from one individual to another, usually between 17″ to 19″. Toilets can be replaced with special units or raised seats can be installed. Toilet grab bars can be installed for balance and support and to allow individuals to safely transfer from a wheelchair.
Sinks can be installed to allow wheel chair access. Vanity cabinets can be removed from below the sink. This will expose the plumbing pipes requiring covering with insulation or boxed in to prevent contact with sharp edges and burns by hot water pipes. Pedestal style sinks can give you a little more room to maneuver, but can be difficult to use from a wheelchair and are usually a couple of inches higher than the standard vanity top. We suggest a wall mounted lavatory.
Faucets can be replaced with single lever controls. Consider the use of anti-scald temperature controls that prevent the water temperature from exceeding an established limit.
Handicap Wheelchair Ramps:
Wheelchair ramp installation is also one of our most requested services.
Although there’s times when a wood ramp is the only alternative, we recommend aluminum wheelchair ramps or concrete as the preferred material. Concrete, when installed properly will last many years, requiring no maintenance and can be finished with a rough texture.
Accessible Doors:
In order to accommodate a wheelchair, (a standard wheelchair is 24-27″ wide), doorways should be a minimum of 32″ wide. If the doorway is located in the typical hallway and requires turning a wheelchair, you’ll need a 36″ door. It can be difficult to open a swinging door without a clear floor space (18-24″) on the pull side of the door. An alternative could be the installation of an automatic door opener, but they are very expensive. We don’t recommend an accordion door because of the space it takes up in the door opening. Pocket doors can be an option. Look out for plumbing and electrical lines. If there’s utilities located in the wall you can consider double wall installation.
Swing away offset hinge:
Additional door clearance can be economically obtained by using the swing clear, expandable door, offset door hinges, increasing the width by about 2″, and is often enough to provide the necessary minimum width for a wheelchair or walker to pass through the doorway.
Accessible Kitchens:
It can be difficult for people in wheelchairs to use standard counters because of the cabinets below. Under counter base cabinets can be removed to provide access to the sink or work area. A pull out or drop leaf shelf can be added for working space. Sliding shelves can be installed in lower cabinets. Electric receptacles, garbage disposal and exhaust fan switches can be moved to the front of the counter or cabinet.
Handicap Grab Bars:
We install grab bars and safety rails to insure you won’t lose your balance and provide a safe, accessible surrounding. Safety bars provide stability for everyone, including the elderly and those with physical limitations. It’s the most cost effective home modification we make! To learn more, check out grab bars and handrails.
Closets:
Most walk-in closet doors are only 24″ wide. The door can be widened, shelves and rods lowered or adjustable shelving installed. Usually the light switch must be relocated and made accessible to the individual’s requirement.
Do you need our help?
Finding a contractor familiar with handicap accessible home construction can be a real challenge for anyone. We offer wheelchair accessible home remodeling and modifications in Rochester NY and the surrounding area. Contact us today to see how our experience in handicap wheelchair accessible home modifications and accessories for the elderly, senior citizen, or physically challenged, remodeling and construction can work for you. We have the accessible solutions for you and make recommendations with your current and future needs taken into consideration so we can make your life easier!
Rochester NY Home Improvement Rochester, Rochester Contractors, Contractors Rochester, Rochester Home Improvement, Cedar Creek Construction Rochester NY.
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Simple Home Improvement Tips To Create A Better Home
Home improvement has got to do with the renovation and decoration of their house so as to match their own vogue and temperament. From the kitchen to the bedroom, everything has got to be renovated and adorned to some extent. this can be owing to the very fact that things begin to appear previous and unattractive over time. If you would like to urge the proper home improvement and enticing, but you would like to avoid wasting your cash, you would like to possess some things in mind. it’s best to follow some proven home improvement tips that i will be able to share with you below.
Before coming up with the decor of your home, you must build a note and provides due thought to some necessary sectors, as well as the election of the new kind of your home, selecting the correct colours and choice of matching furniture. To manage all this successfully, you have got to trust your style and rework your dreams into reality.
The on the market house in your home ought to be well used. Providing adequate house for storage will still build your space fascinating and comprehensive. try and be slightly inventive with this half, or take the assistance of an indoor decorator or designer with expertise.
Control of disorder is nothing to observe. It’s exhausting to stay your home clean and tidy all the time owing to his hectic life, however once many easy steps you’ll simply overcome this downside. Divide the work in several aspects and relations. Whenever you have got time to undertake to scrub up the mess.
Lighting vogue is incredibly noticeable and fashionable lately. The factor is that you just will improve the design and feel of all its rooms with the employment of hanging fixtures, table lamps and floor. Purchase chandeliers corner of the space. Visit your native store or searching on-line and you’ll notice many choices.
The kitchen is that the center of your home when it involves home improvement. It should be rigorously designed and adorned. Kitchen transforming has forever been the foremost difficult and expensive home enhancements. so as to scale back the value, you must select the elements of the kitchen that are long lasting and work effectively.
A final necessary a part of the roof of his house. nice importance ought to be given to the deck, if you would like a cushty home for the remainder of the year in any weather.
Are You Looking For a Local Home Improvement Contractor in The Greater Gardner, Massachusetts Area?
Do you need a local home improvement contractors in the Gardner, Massachusetts area? Do you have some construction work that needs to be done in your home but you don’t know where to find a reliable local contractor that is going to get the job done right the first time?
When hiring contractors always remember to do your homework when it comes to hiring a contractor in you area. Do a follow up on the possible contractors that you are going to hire by checking their references and see if they are listed on the Better Business Bureau website (http://boston.bbb.org/). Be sure to check to see if the contractor has a portfolio of previous work that he has done, examine the work, so that you can see the quality of work. Take the time to personally visit some of the completed work that they have done if it is possible, so that you can see the quality of their work. Talk to some on the contractors previous customers to see if they were satisfied with the work that the contractor did. Lastly, get more than one bid for the job so that you have a range of how much the job is going to cost to get done. Once that is all completed you can hire the contractor for your job.
In Gardner, Massachusetts there are three local home improvement contractors that I would like to suggest to you for a possible job that you might have done in the future.
1. Regal Structures Inc., 128 Harris Road, Ashburnham, MA 01430, (413) 272-2729. In business since 1993 at Regal Structures, Inc., “We are committed to working with our clients to create the projects of their dreams. Quality, integrity and communication are the cornerstones that our company is built on.”
2. Ron Keogh Home Improvement, 311 Leo Drive, Gardner, MA 01440, (978) 206-7774. In business since 1995 Owned and operated since 1995 and “dedicated to exceeding our customer’s expectations.”
3. Fontaine Custom Carpentry, 17 Teaberry Lane, Gardner, MA 01440, (603) 263-6184. “Rich and Scott are great! They replaced all the windows in our house (24 of them) and were the only company that recommended New Construction windows over Replacement windows – a very smart suggestion. Yes, a bit more time and a bit more money, but well worth. Quality work, they do not cut corners or rush things. Think twice before not hiring them. In fact, we’ve already hired them to do some additional work.” Robert T., Stow, MA.
Resources: http://www.servicemagic.com/c.Additions-Remodeling.Gardner.MA.-12001.html
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