Projects of all shapes and sizes.

Scroll down to see a few of the projects that we have done in the past four years--selected to give you a taste of the variety of projects we do:

Updated Basement . We like to define aging-in-place focused remodeling as being about a lot of things other than accessibility and adapting for impairments. This client had a beautiful home they had reguarly updated to fit their lifestyle--except for a cold, plain daylight basement.  We repaired the sheetrock, installed a gas fireplace for radiant heat warmth, built a custom mantel with slate accents, installed new flooring, base, window and crown molding, upgraded the lighting, rebuilt a set of stairs and added a sturdy but attractive handrail and modified the layout of the room to add a wine cellar, complete with grape motif glass panel door.  We also upgrading moldings in other parts of the home, built a second custom mantle for an upstairs den, widened and replace the door (shown below) and even reweatherstripped the garage and front door.

 

New home closer to family . This project was done to support a couple who were moving to town from down south in order to be closer to family.  The major renovation was the master bath which needed to be enlarged.  We made the entire bathroom floor a wet area with heated tiles. The owner can roll over the wall mounted toilet and there is a hand shower mounted next to the toilet for ease of toileting. The main shower is behind the wall to the left in the picture below--totally unobstructed access. A trough drain runs the length of the wall for superior drainage. New cork flooring was installed throughout the home for a continuous, easy to navigate surface and exterior surfaces were redesigned to provide easy access to all doors and around the yard. The kitchen sink cabinet was modified to allow roll under access.  We were told the new home made her feel like a person again, not an invalid.  

 

Better homes for smart seniors. We have completed two complete home remodels on properties we purchased in the Summerfield Adult Community in Tigard, Oregon. To read about the original project click here.  The second project home was completed in the summer of 2005. In addition to cosmetic upgrades, we made the home a "No Worries" home by taking care of potential maintenance issues--the electrical panel was upgraded, the roof and gutters were redone, the exterior (and interiors) were painted, irrigation system upgraded, etc.  The home was also stocked with smart features like no-step entrances, lever door handles and faucets, open floor plans, raised planters, kitchen rolling carts and contrasting color schemes. Both projects demonstrated that smart seniors can have better homes without the need to look institutional or lose market appeal--both our project homes sold promptly and for top dollar prices. And we have since done similar projects for two clients.

Pictures of the second project house

Accessible Kitchen. Due to respiratory problems, Mr. A has to use a power chair more and more.  But his kitchen was a bit too small for him navigate easily and to sit by the window.  We pushed out two walls to gain more square footage and redid the floor plan to improve accessibility and functionality. Addition of skylights and upgraded lighting met Mrs A's desire to have a bright, glare free workspace. Cabinets are equipped with a variety of pull-outs to improve ease-of-use.

 

 

 

Accessible Apartment. As her MS worsened, K had a great basement apartment but a horrible bathroom that was too small and not accessible.  We came through, widened doorways and installed pocket doors for accessibility and created a beautiful but fully accessible shower unit--see the before and after below. We also put new laminate flooring throughout the apartment and made additional minor modifications to improve livability--and provided a covered deck area for her to enjoy the outdoors.

 

Before

 

After

 

Safer Porches. When her mobile home had been moved to a new lot, Ms D. said the contractor had "picked up the porch with a bucket loader and dumped it in place." The stair stringers were cracked and the ground below was uneven.  We salvaged a porch that was already on the property and installed it to provide a larger, sturdier exit.  In the same project, we completed an unfinished and wobbly deck railing and a few other small tasks the last contractor had left undone. This is typically of the many small, handyman repair and maintenance projects we do.

 

 

Kitchen repair. A clogged washer drain resulted in damage to Mr. C's kitchen cabinets. Undergoing medical treatments, Mr C needed someone to take full responsibility for the project and said "I can't get anyone to come out and give me a bid."  We provided one that was very cost effective, then we replaced the cabinets, retiled the counters and replaced the wallpaper to match.

 

Non-institutional handrails. After major heart surgery, Mr L. found that the poorly design banisters on his stair and balcony did not provide a stable grip, but he didn't want the home to look "like a hospital." Additionally, the widely spaced balusters made the owners uneasy when grand kids came to visit--they had cut and stained new pickets but after the surgery, Mr. L wasn't ready to climb up a ladder and install them. 

We had fifty feet of an ergonomic rail milled to our specs and custom stained it to match the existing wood.  This was doweled into the top of the existing rails around all stairs and the loft balcony.  We also tightened a wobbly post and completed the installation of the pickets.

 

Accessible bath and dressing area. Confined to a wheelchair, Ms. E had purchased a home to move out of her condo. But the home did not have an accessible bathroom. We removed the old fiberglass tub shower and installed a fully accessible unit. We removed the carpet in the bedroom and installed laminate flooring.  And the vanity was replaced and customized to use a sink designed for accessibility from Kohler®, complete with a motion activated faucet. The shower, bathroom floor and bedroom floor were carefully installed to provide a virtually seamless transition to make Ms. E's bathing and dressing safe and easy.

 

 

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