Schafer Brothers Remodeling Inc

Dec 2013

When Helen returned to her home of many years after a recent hospital stay, she found that the house she loved could not accommodate the wheelchair she now required. The carpeting made movement difficult. The narrow hall and doorway prevented an easy turn into her bedroom. The placement of the door to her bathroom made the fixtures inaccessible. Even small issues were bothersome such as the television now being too low for her to watch comfortably. The first step in the project was to determine the specific problems that needed to be corrected to allow easier living in a wheelchair. Carpeting needed to be replaced with hardwood flooring. The hall and doorway to her bedroom needed to be modified as did access to her bathroom. A detailed plan was developed with Helen to make sure her needs were thoroughly understood and considered. After reviewing their findings and corrective plans with Helen and her family, we had our checklist of improvements. The challenge was how to make the needed changes without making Helen move elsewhere during the process. An analysis of the individual aspects of the project showed that no single correction would require more than a few hours, and with proper coordination and a large team to take on the individual components, the entire project could be completed in a single 12-hour work day. At 7 a.m. on Saturday, December 7, 2013, a team of 13 of our remodeling experts descended on Helen's home as her family drove off with her for the day. Her furniture was moved out and demolition began immediately with the removal of the carpet, followed by installation of hardwood flooring, then resetting of her furniture. The trim to the doorway to her bedroom was removed and the space widened by a few inches on each side. An angle was added to the right side, gaining more turning capability for her wheelchair. The bathroom door and wall were removed and replaced with privacy curtaining enabling easy access to all the fixtures. Drywall was repaired and painted. New light fixtures providing better lighting were installed. A new cabinet was built for her television adding pivots to raise it enough to make viewing from her wheelchair more comfortable and flexible to adjust when she had visitors. The entire job was completed in just 12 hours. The end result of our 12-hour remodel was an even warmer, more inviting home environment where Helen is comfortable and independent; where her family and friends feel comfortable visiting and have peace of mind knowing that she is able to live independently. The fact that we could make the needed changes in a single day without further disrupting her life enhances the satisfaction we feel as CAPS certified remodelers; that we are able to help our clients tackle the challenges faced due to aging with greater comfort and grace.

Crystal Lake, IL