BEFORE

Extensive renovations including adding new space were made to the home. The scope of work on the first floor included: relocating the kitchen, remodeling the bathroom, adding a laundry room which was previously in the basement, adding a side entry mudroom, building a covered entry, and in the new space adding a living room and screened in porch.

FLOOR and ELEVATION PLANS

Second floor renovations included: a new master suite, converting an existing hall bath into a jack and jill bath for the kids, and adding a new HVAC unit.

AFTER

The biggest challenge of the project was figuring out the kitchen space. The homeowners wanted a larger kitchen but doing that in its original space would have created a very narrow room. The idea to move it to the other side of the house allowed for the perfect space for an expanded kitchen with an ideal layout.

The homeowner could not have been more thrilled with the end result. The renovations turned out exactly as they wanted them. They loved working with their designer because he listened to what they wanted, and didn’t just try to pressure them into taking only his ideas. The front cedar porch is warm and inviting and has amazing curb appeal. The family love that they now have seating at the bar in the kitchen for quick meals and couldn’t be happier with all of their new bathrooms. The additional space allowed for all of the changes they wanted to make their home work perfectly for them now and down the road.

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Unusual Challenges
The biggest challenge on this job was the fact that we had one month to complete the project and being on the 18th floor of the condominium building presented challenges in terms of ease of getting in and out of the building. Working in condos regularly; our team knew the ins and outs of being as efficient as possible when dealing with parking, elevator and other building issues. Working with limited design options, we had to choose materials that we knew would look great and be available to fit our timeframe for completion. Knowing which products are easier to get than others, we were able to select materials that would meet our time constraints while at the same time look great. And knowing that we had limited design options being a condo bathroom, we were able to come up with a plan that suited the space perfectly while accommodating the clients’ needs.

Before

Before and After Floor Plans

The Result

The result of this project was a re-designed condominium bathroom that looked beautiful and provided the functionality that the homeowner desired. An accessible shower, a toilet and sink along with grab bars transformed the room perfectly. The homeowner’s didn’t see the project until it was complete and were truly shocked by the transformation. They didn’t realize an accessible bathroom could look so beautiful at the same time. They couldn’t wait to show off the new space to their friends. View Project

“We could not have been more pleased! I can’t even describe the look on Curtis’ (my husband’s) face–the smile was enormous and so wonderfully genuine. You guys did an amazing job.” – C. B.

~ Janice Shack-Marquez via LinkedIn regarding Blog on SVA Construction Corp Design Build becoming a valuable member of The National Aging in Place Council – May 2014.

The first task was to lower the floor to the loft of the garage about two feet. This move left a comfortable eight feet of vertical space in the garage, but yielded more than enough headroom for a new 270 square-foot master bathroom above.

Next, the SVA Construction Corp team knocked out the wall separating an unused bedroom and a small study. A step-down entrance now created a master bedroom/bathroom suite exceeding 614 square-feet.
Stepping down into the bath from a beveled glass door, the room reveals a mosaic of French Beaumanire soapstone and marble trim tiles, cherry wood vanities, antique verde marble countertops, and a custom glass-and-gold shower for two. Finally, recessed and brass lighting echo the room’s brass fixtures, completing the look.

By incorporating a little creativity, the SVA Construction Corp team fulfilled the homeowners desires of creating their dream master suite, utilizing existing unused space in their home, saving both time and money.

~ SVA Construction Corp Design Build Newsletter, May 2014 Homes for Life

Retrofitting homes to provide ease and comfort for the disabled takes more than simply meeting accessibility standards. “You have to listen to your clients,” says Robin Burrill, a co-owner of Curb Appeal Renovations in Fort Worth, Texas.

Curb Appeal recently renovated a home for a wheelchair-bound man who was 6’7″ tall and his wife, who also was 6 feet tall. He uses a higher wheelchair and requires other adjustments to standards for typical disabled people. “You should follow the guidelines, but you have to meet their needs,” Burrill says.

Current standards, for instance, require 36-inch-wide doors, but remodelers consider those to be “knucklebusters,” to use the term favored by Bill Mavrakis at T&L Design-Build in Canton, Ohio. He tries to create 42-inch-wide doorways to aid wheelchair users who have to pilot themselves.

Exterior home entrances pose the first challenge for designers. Most stay away from the home’s front, putting ramps at the rear or in the garage. But the required 1:12 slope ratio “can take up an entire garage stall,” Mavrakis says. He often uses reconditioned or used lifts, building a 4.5-foot-square platform for maneuvering. Dennis Gehman, president of Gehman Custom Builder Inc. in Harleysville, Pa., typically creates L-shaped ramps to compress the needed space. “Each one is really custom,” he says. Landscaping often helps the ramps blend with the home’s exterior.

Bathrooms create the largest challenge, as they typically are small spaces that lack maneuvering room. “We try to expand the bathroom into an adjacent room or create a new bath from a spare room,” Gehman says. “Curbless” showers that allow wheelchairs to roll right into them are popular for these spaces. Dave Cerami, president of Home Tech Renovations in Philadelphia, sometimes notches the existing floor joists to slope the shower correctly.

In kitchens, removing floor cabinets around sinks and installing plumbing pipes tight against the back wall can allow wheelchair users to roll up to the sink. Setting sinks and other countertops at 30 inches rather than 36 also aids disabled cooks.

The key challenge for remodelers is that homeowners want a look that is functional but also aesthetically pleasing. “When they have to sell their home,” explains Burrill, “they don’t want to sell it as having a handicapped bathroom but as having a very nice, high-end, larger bath.” That can be achieved by placing half-walls rather than bars around the toilet and installing thin but sturdy rails that resemble towel racks. Mavrakis often uses the curbless shower base but installs it with cultured marble or ceramic tile walls “so it doesn’t look like a barrier-free shower.”

Designers expect that this type of work will grow and product lines are expanding to accommodate that growth. The need will become particularly great as aging baby boomers look to remain in their homes or see their own parents move in with them. “Some are finding that it’s cheaper to remodel the home to fit their needs than to move into a nursing home,” Mavrakis says.

For more tips and requirements for designing for disabled homeowners, visit the Americans with Disabilities Act website.

By Craig A. Shutt

Original Article: http://www.hgtvremodels.com/interiors/creating-accessible-homes/index.html