If you're looking for disability upgrades for your home, there are so many to choose from. A professional will be able to liaise with the customer, family, friends and carers to find the best options that will suit their requirements. Any room can be modified; on this page, you will find a variety of options to give you some ideas.
Bob Trimble is a chartered architect registered with RIBA with 30 years experience in the industry. Trimble Architects work throughout Hounslow, Twickenham, Richmond, Kingston Upon Thames, Teddington and the surrounding areas of London.
How Do I Make My House Accessible?
There are many ways to make your home more accessible. These modifications must be done by a professional, who will work alongside family, friends and carers to ensure all requirements are met. It is so important to make these modifications, to improve quality of life and independence further.
| Eliminate or Modify Steps Near the Entry | Eliminating or modifying steps near the entry of your home may make a huge improvement for you. For example, this process will make entering and leaving your home easier, and will also reduce health and safety hazards and risks. Eliminating steps means to reduce the amount, or you can even get rid of them altogether, and use a ramp instead. |
| Make Sure you Have Access to a First-Floor Bathroom and Bedroom | If getting up the stairs is a struggle for you, then it might be an idea to have your bedroom and bathroom on the first floor. This may mean adding extensions to your home or changing some rooms around to ensure you have everything you need. Doing this may also improve your independence and further improving your quality of life. |
| Create Wider Doorways and Hallways | Creating wider doorways and hallways will make getting around the house so much easier for you. Doing this will get rid of an extra struggle and may improve your independence, also. This is really useful if you use a wheelchair, so you don't have to create obstacles getting into different rooms, further reducing health and safety hazards. |
| Retrofit the Bathroom | There is so much that you can install in your home bathroom to make it more accessible. This includes grab bars to hold onto to sit down and get off the toilet, or to help you into and out of the bath or shower. You may also wish to have a roll-in shower which is much more accessible and are less dangerous due to having a lower lip. |
| Ensure Adequate Lighting | It is so important to ensure the lighting is good, as low lighting can cause hazards. It is important to have easy and accessible light switches, and also to ensure the lighting is strong. You can even have voice command light switches that turn on using your voice. |
| Take into account all the Obstacles | In your home, there may be many obstacles that affect your day-to-day life. This can ruin your quality of life, and make moving around the house difficult. It is important that you work out all the factors around the house that pose a struggle, and talk to a professional. They will help you find solutions for each of them. |
Here is a list of the bathroom modifications that architects can do to lessen the dangers, and also make going to the bathroom easier. If you would like to find out more about the bathroom modifications, please get in touch today. We will liaise with your carers and family to ensure the modifications meet your requirements.
| Walk-in Showers | Walk-in showers mean you can just walk straight in, rather than having to step up and down out of the shower. This will lower the risk of falling, and also make you feel safer and more independent using the shower. |
| Grab Bars | Grab bars can be put anywhere in your bathroom; for example above your bath to give you more support, next to the toilet to make it easier to stand up and sit down, and also in the shower to help you get in and out. Grab bars are there to give you more support and furthermore, independence. |
| Lowered Sinks & Countertops | Lowering your sinks and countertops will make them more accessible, as they will be easier to reach. This is especially helpful if you use a wheelchair, as they can be lowered enough to be within reach, again giving you more independence as you won't have to worry about getting out of your wheelchair. |
| Widening Doorways & Floor Space | Widening the doorways and floor space in your bathroom will make it easier to access, and also move around. This is really useful if you use a wheelchair or a different mobility device as it will make it easy to enter and leave the room. To find out more, please get in touch with a professional. |
Getting your kitchen modified is so helpful, as the modifications can give you so many benefits due to the wide variety. Here are a few of the modifications that can be done to make it more accessible. If you would like to find out more modifications to help with your specific requirements, please get in touch today.
| Lowered Countertops & Cabinets | Having your countertops and cabinets lowered will make it easier to reach them, and make them more accessible; furthermore, giving you more independence. The height can be customised for each customer to suit their specific needs and requirements, but the average height around is around 30 inches tall. |
| Touch-sensitive Faucets | For people who have limited use of their arms or hands, touch-sensitive faucets are a great idea. They work using a motion sensor, so as soon as motion is detected, the tap will come on. They will then switch themselves off automatically when no motion is detected. |
If getting up and down the stairs is a struggle, then it may be an idea to get the entrance to your home modified, and also your staircase. This may be as simple as eliminating the number of steps or installing a chair lift. Here are some of the modifications that we can do:
| Wheelchair Ramp | Installing a ramp means you don't have to struggle up the stairs with or without your wheelchair. It is a simple modification, but it can make such a difference. This will give you more independence and also eliminate the risks of falling. |
| Chair Lift/Elevator | You can also get a chair lift or an elevator installed if you aren't able to walk up and down the stairs. With the elevator, you can go in with your wheelchair or mobility device, and it will take you to the second floor, and the chair lift is installed on your staircase and takes you upstairs electrically. |
| Mobility Modifications for Front/Back Yards | There are so many modifications you can do to your front and back yard to give you more space and to help you more with your daily life. This includes installing ramps, grab bars, levelling out the ground and widening doorways. |
| Hiring an Expert for Remodeling Services | It is so important to hire an expert with years of knowledge and experience to remodel your home and garden. An expert architect with talk to your carers, family and friends to come up with the best solutions to meet your needs and requirements. |
We hope this article has helped you understand more about common disability upgrades to the home. As you can see any room can be modified to make your home more accessible.
MAKING BUILDINGS MORE ACCESSIBLE
If you are looking for adding disability adaptations to your home in the Twickenham or London areas, contact our specialist architect today.
Architects Near Me
Are you looking for architects near me? If you are looking for RIBA local architect services in Twickenham and the surrounding areas. Trimble Architects works with clients throughout London and the surrounding areas including:
Bob Trimble is a chartered architect registered with RIBA. Bob Trimble has 30 years of experience working with residential and commercial property projects. For 4 years, Bob Trimble has worked from his housing association and private architectural practice for clients throughout Hounslow, Twickenham, Richmond, Kingston Upon Thames, Teddington and the surrounding areas of London.