Aging in Place,

Designing a Handicapped Residence:

As homeowners are increasingly taking care of aging parents and looking to increase the comfort and safety of their homes for their own use, they want to include handicap design into their homes. This includes residential elevators, chair lifts for existing stairways, wheelchair ramps, wheelchair accessible kitchens and handicapped restrooms. 

As we all are get older we realize that in time we are not going to be able to negotiate the stairways, bathrooms and hallways in our homes.  Many people are worried about slipping and falling in their bathrooms.  A fall like that can leave one badly injured or even crippled for life, when something as simple as installing a grab bar besides the shower or tub could have prevented this.

At Greg Mix & Associates we have the experience to design these amenities into your new or existing home and help you find the right contractor to install them.

We have worked with clients who have been involved in accidents to convert their homes into a more handicapped and wheelchair  friendly environment.  This involved widening halls and doorways, enlarging master bath rooms, changing kitchen cabinetry and installing wheel chair ramps.

One of our clients was a  wonderful women taking care of her paraplegic brother, who was confined to a gurney full time.  She also was caring for her eighty-eight year old mother. We designed her home to accommodate the special  needs of her family which included many handicapped and safety features. Among the special features were the doorways.  We made all the doorways thirty-six inches wide except for her brothers which was a forty-eight inch double door.  He also had a pair of French doors that led directly out to the driveway via a ramp so that is doctor visits could be made more easily.

In 1989, when we included our first elevator in a home, there only two companies manufacturing residential elevators and the big commercial manufactures were reluctant to get into the market.  Today there are well over a dozen such companies. 

Reasons For Installing A Residential Elevator In Your Home:

• Aging of the Population: More and more people are staying with their existing home and aging in place. 

• Land Yield: As the cost of land has increased and lot sizes have diminished, the demand for two and three story homes has increased.

• Architectural Trends: Consumer demand for multi-level homes with higher ceilings has gone up.

• Safety: Concern for the physically challenged such as reducing the danger of  falling on stairs.  Safety is also the prime reason for adding Grab-Bars and non-slip surfaces in your bathrooms.

• Re-Sale: Families see an elevator as an investment in re-sale.  Realtors are reporting that homes with elevators are selling faster.

• Convenience: People appreciate the convenience an elevator offers to move household articles and people effortlessly and safely.

• Wheelchair & Walker Users: These homeowners want the ability to access their entire home with ease.

• Health Issues:  People with health issues who are limited in mobility due to stroke, hip or knee replacement and other issues.

What Does It Cost?

          Residential elevators can now be install from $15,000.00 to $20,000 depending on features and finishes.

Links:

• Otis Elevators: Otis At Home

• Residential Elevators, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.

• ThyssenKrupp Access