How do I locate equipment and contractors to adapt my home before my BF moves in. I need to have a stairwell lift that he can roll his chair into, and adapt the master bath as well and don't know where to begin. The house he lives in now doesn't afford him access to the bathroom and I want him to live as independently as he can here, he really wants a lift for the toilet as well.....we'll be living in Michigan and need to get this started soon - so if anyone has suggestions on where to look or to see adaptive houses online so I can get ideas - please let me know. Thanks!
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Home Adaptation Ideas For C6 Quad
Started by
SuzinNYC
, Jan 11 2010 06:22 AM
8 replies to this topic
Top#2
tmcph
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Posted 11 January 2010 - 07:51 PM
for contractors you just need to find local contactors that you are comfortable with, i just purchased a new house & am in the middle of a couple renovations there.
i don't have any stairs to deal w/ so i don't have any help there, but did find a couple links to products:
mckinleyelevator
source lift
the bathroom depends on budget, i tore the shower out & am making it a full roll-in shower, but this takes a lot of work in most bathrooms so it just depends on your setup, meeting w/ contractors & discussing different options works best here
here on some different lift companies:
surehands
bhm-medical
google also works great for finding products & pictures
goodluck
i don't have any stairs to deal w/ so i don't have any help there, but did find a couple links to products:
mckinleyelevator
source lift
the bathroom depends on budget, i tore the shower out & am making it a full roll-in shower, but this takes a lot of work in most bathrooms so it just depends on your setup, meeting w/ contractors & discussing different options works best here
here on some different lift companies:
surehands
bhm-medical
google also works great for finding products & pictures
goodluck
#3
SuzinNYC
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Posted 12 January 2010 - 04:00 AM
Thank you so much!!!
tmcph, on Jan 11 2010, 07:51 PM, said:
for contractors you just need to find local contactors that you are comfortable with, i just purchased a new house & am in the middle of a couple renovations there.
i don't have any stairs to deal w/ so i don't have any help there, but did find a couple links to products:
mckinleyelevator
source lift
the bathroom depends on budget, i tore the shower out & am making it a full roll-in shower, but this takes a lot of work in most bathrooms so it just depends on your setup, meeting w/ contractors & discussing different options works best here
here on some different lift companies:
surehands
bhm-medical
google also works great for finding products & pictures
goodluck
i don't have any stairs to deal w/ so i don't have any help there, but did find a couple links to products:
mckinleyelevator
source lift
the bathroom depends on budget, i tore the shower out & am making it a full roll-in shower, but this takes a lot of work in most bathrooms so it just depends on your setup, meeting w/ contractors & discussing different options works best here
here on some different lift companies:
surehands
bhm-medical
google also works great for finding products & pictures
goodluck
#4
amyW
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Posted 11 February 2010 - 12:33 PM
Find a contractor who has done accessible renovations before! Talk to newly built nursing homes in your area and find out who they used and if they were happy with the work. We purchased almost all the "parts" ourselves and had our contractor do the install. Nobody will be as thorough as you are in choosing just the right things for your particular situation.
As far as a lift for the toilet, we use the same hoyer used for getting into and out of bed. With all hard surface floors, it rolls easily from the bedside to the toilet. It's not a do-it-yourself solution (ie you need someone else to push the hoyer) but it works for us.
What we did in our bathroom re-do:
Took everything down to the studs and put in extra support in places where we were putting grab bars, so they'd be nice and secure.
Roll-in shower where the tub used to be. Hand-held shower heads on vertical sliding bars, so the height is adjustable. They're available in Lowes and Home Depot..nothing special-ordered. We actually have two installed. The one on the longer wall of the shower is lower down to make it easy to reach from a wheelchair. Before you install the shower head and controls SIT IN A WHEELCHAIR IN THE SHOWER AREA and actually see where he can comfortably reach! One regret is that due to the layout of our bathroom, we couldn't make the shower area any wider. Another 6" would have made it easier to get the shower wheelchair in the right spot.
When you're designing your shower, make sure to consider where to keep soap and shampoo in easy reach. If you're doing tile walls, you can put in an alcove between studs.
Splurged on a Toto toilet with a raised seat and a "tush washer" (can't remember what they actually call it). It's remote controlled and does a great job of washing - and drying. Great for someone who can't do it themselves.
Grab bars on both sides of the toilet...we got the ones that fold up against the wall when not needed, but extend out about 4 feet when down.
Created a roll-under sink by getting a pre-made vanity top (Lowes or Home Depot), and having the contractor mount it on wooden brackets that he made just for the job. There's nothing at all under the sink. The top of the bracket is as deep as the vanity ...but curves and becomes very narrow near the bottom, so there's room to turn without smashing knees or toes.
Large mirror that goes all the way from the ceiling to the top of the vanity. Usable for people of all heights.
Good luck with your bathroom re-do!
As far as a lift for the toilet, we use the same hoyer used for getting into and out of bed. With all hard surface floors, it rolls easily from the bedside to the toilet. It's not a do-it-yourself solution (ie you need someone else to push the hoyer) but it works for us.
What we did in our bathroom re-do:
Took everything down to the studs and put in extra support in places where we were putting grab bars, so they'd be nice and secure.
Roll-in shower where the tub used to be. Hand-held shower heads on vertical sliding bars, so the height is adjustable. They're available in Lowes and Home Depot..nothing special-ordered. We actually have two installed. The one on the longer wall of the shower is lower down to make it easy to reach from a wheelchair. Before you install the shower head and controls SIT IN A WHEELCHAIR IN THE SHOWER AREA and actually see where he can comfortably reach! One regret is that due to the layout of our bathroom, we couldn't make the shower area any wider. Another 6" would have made it easier to get the shower wheelchair in the right spot.
When you're designing your shower, make sure to consider where to keep soap and shampoo in easy reach. If you're doing tile walls, you can put in an alcove between studs.
Splurged on a Toto toilet with a raised seat and a "tush washer" (can't remember what they actually call it). It's remote controlled and does a great job of washing - and drying. Great for someone who can't do it themselves.
Grab bars on both sides of the toilet...we got the ones that fold up against the wall when not needed, but extend out about 4 feet when down.
Created a roll-under sink by getting a pre-made vanity top (Lowes or Home Depot), and having the contractor mount it on wooden brackets that he made just for the job. There's nothing at all under the sink. The top of the bracket is as deep as the vanity ...but curves and becomes very narrow near the bottom, so there's room to turn without smashing knees or toes.
Large mirror that goes all the way from the ceiling to the top of the vanity. Usable for people of all heights.
Good luck with your bathroom re-do!
#5
Hapahowlee
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Posted 13 February 2010 - 03:32 AM
My hubby and I are not big fans of anything mechanical that is supposed to help him with everyday tasks. The reason why . . . they give out and what a pain in the ass it is when you are a quad and stuck on the piece of equipment and no one around to help.
My husband was injured when we lived in the Midwest. When he got divorced from his first wife he kept the house, which was a one story with a basement. There were 3 concrete steps to get into the front door. Some friends built a ramp, but it was too steep to be used independently. The state paid for a deck to be built and an electric lift attached so it would lift him up to the deck and he could get into the front door.
I remember the lift giving out many times. Once my husband was out in the rain, the electricity had gone out and he had to just go back to his van and try to get the attention of the neighbors to help. This is before cell phones were popular. I remember another time on Christmas, we had just come home from my sisters. It was about midnight, snowing and the temps were in the single digits. Anytime the temps got this low the lift would freeze up. I had to knock on the door of our new neighbor who we had not yet met and he helped me bump my hubby up the steps of the deck.
When we decided to move to Arizona, we had our home newly built. We found a plan that is pretty open and we didn’t have to ask the builder to do much in order to make everything accessible. We just had all doors (except for rooms with double doors) expanded to 2’8”, all lowboy thresholds (no steps anywhere), all tallboy commodes and a fold down shower bench. The shower is a little larger than what is normally put into the model home we bought, so we had to have a custom bottom as well as custom glass doors that slide instead of the door that snaps shut. We have a hand-hel shower massage that I just leave down all the time. As for the bathroom sink, all we had to do is tell the builder to leave out the cabinet on the male’s side, which is taller by original design.
The only thing we have that’s mechanical is our portable pool lift and the battery actually got fried from the intense Arizona heat and we had to buy a new one that costs us $100. Now we keep the battery inside the house unless we are using it.
My husband has a van that is equipped with a lift and we’ve had issues with that. Fortunately, I was with him and I raised it up manually. It takes a lot of muscle and about 15 minutes to raise this lift with the stupid tool that comes with it. Most mechanical items you would need will have a way to operate manually, but it’s a pain. Also, these things are expensive to have repaired when they go out.
Are you set on having this house for a long time? It might be worth buying a home that doesn’t require a lot of modification or reliance on machinery. If you decide to get everything modified and purchase all the equipment your BF would need to be independent, you may want to figure out a backup plan in case he gets stuck. Good luck!
My husband was injured when we lived in the Midwest. When he got divorced from his first wife he kept the house, which was a one story with a basement. There were 3 concrete steps to get into the front door. Some friends built a ramp, but it was too steep to be used independently. The state paid for a deck to be built and an electric lift attached so it would lift him up to the deck and he could get into the front door.
I remember the lift giving out many times. Once my husband was out in the rain, the electricity had gone out and he had to just go back to his van and try to get the attention of the neighbors to help. This is before cell phones were popular. I remember another time on Christmas, we had just come home from my sisters. It was about midnight, snowing and the temps were in the single digits. Anytime the temps got this low the lift would freeze up. I had to knock on the door of our new neighbor who we had not yet met and he helped me bump my hubby up the steps of the deck.
When we decided to move to Arizona, we had our home newly built. We found a plan that is pretty open and we didn’t have to ask the builder to do much in order to make everything accessible. We just had all doors (except for rooms with double doors) expanded to 2’8”, all lowboy thresholds (no steps anywhere), all tallboy commodes and a fold down shower bench. The shower is a little larger than what is normally put into the model home we bought, so we had to have a custom bottom as well as custom glass doors that slide instead of the door that snaps shut. We have a hand-hel shower massage that I just leave down all the time. As for the bathroom sink, all we had to do is tell the builder to leave out the cabinet on the male’s side, which is taller by original design.
The only thing we have that’s mechanical is our portable pool lift and the battery actually got fried from the intense Arizona heat and we had to buy a new one that costs us $100. Now we keep the battery inside the house unless we are using it.
My husband has a van that is equipped with a lift and we’ve had issues with that. Fortunately, I was with him and I raised it up manually. It takes a lot of muscle and about 15 minutes to raise this lift with the stupid tool that comes with it. Most mechanical items you would need will have a way to operate manually, but it’s a pain. Also, these things are expensive to have repaired when they go out.
Are you set on having this house for a long time? It might be worth buying a home that doesn’t require a lot of modification or reliance on machinery. If you decide to get everything modified and purchase all the equipment your BF would need to be independent, you may want to figure out a backup plan in case he gets stuck. Good luck!
#6
Maywest
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Posted 14 February 2010 - 09:52 PM
SuzinNYC, on Jan 11 2010, 12:22 AM, said:
How do I locate equipment and contractors to adapt my home before my BF moves in. I need to have a stairwell lift that he can roll his chair into, and adapt the master bath as well and don't know where to begin. The house he lives in now doesn't afford him access to the bathroom and I want him to live as independently as he can here, he really wants a lift for the toilet as well.....we'll be living in Michigan and need to get this started soon - so if anyone has suggestions on where to look or to see adaptive houses online so I can get ideas - please let me know. Thanks!
I would start with local support groups in the city you will be living in. Most likely someone has had some of the same type of work done. Here is a web site that has some of the adaptive things you are looking for. They are in Texas but may be able to help you. http://www.adaptiveaccess.com/ let me say I have not personally done business with them.
#7
SuzinNYC
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Posted 26 February 2010 - 09:33 AM
amyW, on Feb 11 2010, 12:33 PM, said:
Find a contractor who has done accessible renovations before! Talk to newly built nursing homes in your area and find out who they used and if they were happy with the work. We purchased almost all the "parts" ourselves and had our contractor do the install. Nobody will be as thorough as you are in choosing just the right things for your particular situation.
As far as a lift for the toilet, we use the same hoyer used for getting into and out of bed. With all hard surface floors, it rolls easily from the bedside to the toilet. It's not a do-it-yourself solution (ie you need someone else to push the hoyer) but it works for us.
What we did in our bathroom re-do:
Took everything down to the studs and put in extra support in places where we were putting grab bars, so they'd be nice and secure.
Roll-in shower where the tub used to be. Hand-held shower heads on vertical sliding bars, so the height is adjustable. They're available in Lowes and Home Depot..nothing special-ordered. We actually have two installed. The one on the longer wall of the shower is lower down to make it easy to reach from a wheelchair. Before you install the shower head and controls SIT IN A WHEELCHAIR IN THE SHOWER AREA and actually see where he can comfortably reach! One regret is that due to the layout of our bathroom, we couldn't make the shower area any wider. Another 6" would have made it easier to get the shower wheelchair in the right spot.
When you're designing your shower, make sure to consider where to keep soap and shampoo in easy reach. If you're doing tile walls, you can put in an alcove between studs.
Splurged on a Toto toilet with a raised seat and a "tush washer" (can't remember what they actually call it). It's remote controlled and does a great job of washing - and drying. Great for someone who can't do it themselves.
Grab bars on both sides of the toilet...we got the ones that fold up against the wall when not needed, but extend out about 4 feet when down.
Created a roll-under sink by getting a pre-made vanity top (Lowes or Home Depot), and having the contractor mount it on wooden brackets that he made just for the job. There's nothing at all under the sink. The top of the bracket is as deep as the vanity ...but curves and becomes very narrow near the bottom, so there's room to turn without smashing knees or toes.
Large mirror that goes all the way from the ceiling to the top of the vanity. Usable for people of all heights.
Good luck with your bathroom re-do!
As far as a lift for the toilet, we use the same hoyer used for getting into and out of bed. With all hard surface floors, it rolls easily from the bedside to the toilet. It's not a do-it-yourself solution (ie you need someone else to push the hoyer) but it works for us.
What we did in our bathroom re-do:
Took everything down to the studs and put in extra support in places where we were putting grab bars, so they'd be nice and secure.
Roll-in shower where the tub used to be. Hand-held shower heads on vertical sliding bars, so the height is adjustable. They're available in Lowes and Home Depot..nothing special-ordered. We actually have two installed. The one on the longer wall of the shower is lower down to make it easy to reach from a wheelchair. Before you install the shower head and controls SIT IN A WHEELCHAIR IN THE SHOWER AREA and actually see where he can comfortably reach! One regret is that due to the layout of our bathroom, we couldn't make the shower area any wider. Another 6" would have made it easier to get the shower wheelchair in the right spot.
When you're designing your shower, make sure to consider where to keep soap and shampoo in easy reach. If you're doing tile walls, you can put in an alcove between studs.
Splurged on a Toto toilet with a raised seat and a "tush washer" (can't remember what they actually call it). It's remote controlled and does a great job of washing - and drying. Great for someone who can't do it themselves.
Grab bars on both sides of the toilet...we got the ones that fold up against the wall when not needed, but extend out about 4 feet when down.
Created a roll-under sink by getting a pre-made vanity top (Lowes or Home Depot), and having the contractor mount it on wooden brackets that he made just for the job. There's nothing at all under the sink. The top of the bracket is as deep as the vanity ...but curves and becomes very narrow near the bottom, so there's room to turn without smashing knees or toes.
Large mirror that goes all the way from the ceiling to the top of the vanity. Usable for people of all heights.
Good luck with your bathroom re-do!
Thank you so much for all the detail and great ideas!. I have begun rolling around the house in a manual back up chair so that we can make everything accessible for him.....that was really helpful. I found that things I thought would work when I was standing wouldn't work when I was seated. Just ordered the Hoyer....Roger has a fixed lift for over the bed. Never thought of a toilet/bidet being a great problem solver for toileting and cleaning....so I am checking into that as well. Actually this project has been a great distraction for him, since he is currently stuck in bed with an ischial pressure sore that has caused chronic osteomeylitis. I keep him busy focusing on this project, and you have given me some awesome ideas!
Thank you! Thank you!
#8
Sky54
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Posted 26 February 2010 - 12:55 PM
We live in southeast Michigan and had our house modified so my husband, a c6/c7 could get around. I had obtained names of contractors from the hospital where he was treating before discharge. I also found a great guy who did much of the work for a very reasonable price. Depending on where in Michigan you plan to live I could forward you the info I collected from last year. Also, our real estate agent has a severely disabled brother and she was helpful in locating properties for us to consider. Decided not to move cuz our neighbors are great and we wanted to stay put for the time being.
Get alot of quotes. The prices were all over the place.
Get alot of quotes. The prices were all over the place.
#9
SuzinNYC
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Posted 01 March 2010 - 01:36 AM
Sky54, on Feb 26 2010, 01:55 PM, said:
We live in southeast Michigan and had our house modified so my husband, a c6/c7 could get around. I had obtained names of contractors from the hospital where he was treating before discharge. I also found a great guy who did much of the work for a very reasonable price. Depending on where in Michigan you plan to live I could forward you the info I collected from last year. Also, our real estate agent has a severely disabled brother and she was helpful in locating properties for us to consider. Decided not to move cuz our neighbors are great and we wanted to stay put for the time being.
Get alot of quotes. The prices were all over the place.
Get alot of quotes. The prices were all over the place.
Hi, we live in Metro Detroit, so if you don't mind forwarding me the info on your contractor when you get a chance, I would really appreciate it.
Thank you again for offering to help with the info!
Susan
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