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Home Renovation for People with a Handicap and/or Disability
A person with a physical handicap or disability has many options to
make his/her home more accessible, livable and enjoyable.
The first step is to find a general contractor with experience and
skills in renovating a home for someone who is physically handicapped
or disabled.
Finding a general contractor familiar with accessibility construction
and design can be a real challenge.
However, there is one general contractor in Atlanta, Georgia that
provides disability access services in Atlanta, the Atlanta Metro Area,
and throughout the Southeast.
This general contractor is Mike Rogers, founder of Distinctive
Renovations by Design - www.DistinctiveRenovations.com.
Distinctive Renovations by Design uses adaptive equipment and
accessibility products and specialize in wheelchair access renovations
projects, roll-in showers, door enlargement, computer aided designs
(CAD) and products information.
Mike Rogers is the founder of Distinctive Renovations by Design, and
has experience and solutions to the obstacles that seniors and the
physically challenged face.
"We can renovate a home specifically for the needs of a handicapped or
disabled client," says Rogers. "In fact, a handicapped or
disabled person has many options to make his/her home more
accessible. From a total home renovation or home remodeling
to just a few adjustments to entrances and exits, there are many
options."
According to Distinctive Renovations by Design's Rogers, there are 9
areas to consider when renovating a home for handicap access and
disability access.
In this article, we will take a look at the first 4 of the 9 areas.
The first area is Audio/Visual. For someone in a wheel chair
or bed, Audio/Video monitors and controls need to be more easily
accessible
than in most homes. Distinctive Renovations by Design
provides installation and service for TV monitors, home entertainment
systems, interior and exterior sound systems, surveillance CCTV
systems, and intercom call systems. All of the Audio/Visual
components are installed for handicap accessibility as well as
disability accessibility.
A second area is bathrooms. Home bathroom renovation and
redesign centers around the installation of wheel chair accessible
showers, walk in showers, roll-under vanities, specially-designed and
custom bathtubs, Jacuzzis, and flooring using non-porous (to protect
flooring from water damage) material such as non-slip tile or vinyl.
Next is doorways. Distinctive Renovations by Design can
expand and remodel doorways to provide for a greater ease of movement
from one area to another. In addition, they install automated doors
which can be controlled from any remote location. For example, an
exterior door can be set to automatically open as a handicapped or
disabled client’s vehicle approaches, as well as
automatically close once the vehicle starts to leave. An interior door
can be automated as well so that access through doorways inside the
house is made easier. Automated doors are low-voltage, require very
little maintenance, and can be custom designed to suit the needs and
living patterns of any client.
Electrical outlets that drive electrical appliances are also something
to consider when renovating or remodeling a home for handicap and
disability access. Rogers of Distinctive Renovations by
Design mentions, "We routinely
adjust the location and height of electrical outlets in order to suit
our clients with reach and/or movement limitations."
In conclusion, Rogers points out that "Before you start on a total home
renovation or home remodeling job that is focused on a person with a
handicap or disability, make sure the general contractor you use can
offer a
total consultation which includes designs created by CAD, or Computer
Aided Design."
"We use Computer Aided Design (CAD) to complete a 3-dimensional drawing
of the existing home layout and incorporate all of the required items
into a new design. Included is a summary of changes and a
cost breakdown so the client can closely examine the investment
required to renovate his/her home. This cost breakdown is also
invaluable information when it comes to working with insurance
companies."
We hope this article helps you with your total home renovation or home
remodeling for your handicap access and/or disability access needs.
Please stay tuned for our next article that will cover elevators and
lifts, flooring, kitchens, ramps and walkways, and walls...all of which
are focused on giving handicapped or disabled person options
to make his/her home more accessible, livable and enjoyable. |
