A few steps at the front door don’t seem like much until someone has to climb them with a walker. A narrow doorway stops a wheelchair between rooms. A tub with high sides turns a daily bath into a risk.
Ecobuild Plus, a remodeling company in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, announced on August 28 that it is offering aging-in-place remodeling across the Chicago area. The idea is to alter the house so the person living in it doesn’t have to keep adjusting to it.
What the work involves
The work starts with finding where the home’s design clashes with how someone needs to use it. From there the company builds ramps, widens doorways and installs walk-in tubs, with the aim of letting people stay in their homes safely as their mobility changes.
None of it is simple carpentry. A walk-in tub relies on plumbing and waterproofing hidden behind the finished surface. A ramp needs the right slope and a stable base. Widening a doorway can run into framing inside the wall. Ecobuild Plus says it plans for those conditions during installation.
Paying for it
Budget shapes what gets done. The company points homeowners to aging-in-place funding in Illinois as a place to start looking for grants and other help with eligible renovation costs. A family choosing between a ramp and bathroom changes, or trying to do several things at once, may find that help decides how much of the work goes ahead.
“Aging in place is not a standard remodeling checklist because every household encounters the home differently,” a company spokesperson said. “One person may struggle most with the front steps, while another may find the bathroom has become the bigger obstacle. The right project starts with where daily life is getting harder and changes the home around that reality.”
The company says planning does not have to wait for a mobility problem to appear. Homeowners can begin before one develops, and fold future needs into other remodeling already on the list. A consultation includes a review of the home and a conversation about current and expected accessibility needs. Ecobuild Plus describes itself as a licensed general contractor and takes bookings online or at (847) 851-4959.
Sources
- Ecobuild Plus Launches Aging-in-Place Remodeling Service to Make Chicagoland Homes More Accessible
- Ecobuild Plus Launches Aging-in-Place Remodeling Service to Make Chicagoland Homes More Accessible
