Adding ADA Features to Your Home

Let’s be honest, we are all aging and at some point we all have to decide on our long term care.

Will we go into a facility of some sort, will we downsize and move into a smaller/one level home or will we stay in our current home?

If you decide to move into a facility and you need to fix your house up in order to sell it, give us a call, we can help you with those repairs. J&R Construction is located in Lexington, KY and we do all kinds of remodels here in the Central KY area.

If you decide to buy something smaller / a one level home or if you plan to stay in your current home, let’s talk about a few things that you can do to age in place well and add some ADA features to your home.

In your kitchen: add pull-out drawers instead of doors with shelves, add pull-out shelves to your pantry, opt for a shallow sink, consider doing an apron sink cabinet instead of a full cabinet, install a touch-less sink faucet or a lower built-in microwave.

In your bathroom: enlarge the bathroom to accommodate a wheelchair (if needed), add a pocket or barn door to enlarge the area and make it easier to go in and out of, take out your acrylic shower and install a curbless tile shower (use bigger tiles to have less grout lines to clean), add a shower wand to your shower faucet with an adjustable bar, add a bench to the shower design, add grab bars and lots of them, and add an ADA high toilet.

For the exterior portion: add a ramp instead of steps (choose metal for a long lasting and low maintenance option), add handlebars where the steps are or where you added a ramp. Widen door frames if needed, the ADA standard is 32”. Make the house numbers visible on the house and mailbox in case of emergency.

Some general things you could do: change the door knobs out for levers to make it easier to open, make your home a smart home with voice controlled appliances and features, remove rugs and liners as they can be a tripping hazard, and lower closet rods.

When thinking about adding some ADA features to your home – try to think outside of the box – little changes that will help make your life easier when and if the time comes. Talk to someone who has had to make these adjustments before and get their advice. As always, check your local building guidelines to ensure you’re doing everything up to code.

I know, this can be overwhelming, but I promise you: with the proper guidance by experienced professionals you can enjoy your remodel! Even the tedious parts will be easier. At J&R we put you first in all that we do, so if you are ready to make the leap, we would love to help you Enjoy the Process!

Below are some pictures of some of our recent ADA spaces that we’ve helped create.

 

We’ve all seen the 30 minute TV shows that portray a quick and easy remodel process. We’ve all seen the before and after pictures of beautiful remodels but rarely do we hear the true stories of remodels. Because while the before and after pictures are gorgeous there is a journey that has happened to get there.

You meet with a contractor and their design team, you go shopping for your dream products for your renovation, you have a proposal meeting and go over your new design, you agree on a price and sign a contract. After waiting a couple of months for product to come in, you are ready for the production process!

Be flexible with your contractor. You may have to wash your dishes in the bathroom sink or tub during your remodel. We may open up a wall and find a plumbing pipe that we couldn’t see before. We may demo your flooring to replace it and find rotten subfloor that needs to be replaced. Expecting perfection and no issues is a huge mistake. If necessary, add extra time to your timeline or save back some extra money in case anything extra is found.

Be ready to compromise. Sometimes ideas just don’t work out. We’re limited on space, the walls are old, the measurements are weird… all things that can take an idea and kill it pretty quickly. Be open to changes and willing to compromise. If you have non-negotiables make those known up front so your contractor and designer know.

Forget about a clean house. When it comes down to it, no matter what project that you’re working on there will always be dust. Your contractor should make sure that there is plenty of plastic walls in place and floor protection but dust will always get through and your house will not be completely clean until the project is completed.

Are you ready to start your home remodel? Here at J&R, we can provide a free consultation to help you discuss and set a budget for the project! Feel free to set up an appointment with us by calling 859-225-0162 today!