What to Consider When Hiring a Contractor for Disability Home Modifications

Following a catastrophic illness or injury, a disabled individual often finds themselves a stranger in their own home.  Many times, they can no longer access rooms, cupboards, closets and entrances/exits as before the illness/injury.  Access to bathrooms including toilets and showers/tubs may be difficult or impossible.  Occasionally, the home is no longer big enough to accommodate the amount of equipment needed to care for the client any longer.  In an effort to make home, home again, modifications can be an option to restore access to an otherwise inhospitable environment.  Considerations should include the following:

• If the individual is in a wheelchair, can he/she fit down hallways, through doorways, and into the bathroom? Widening of doorways and modification of bathrooms and hallways can give access to an entire household instead of part of it.
• If the individual is in a wheelchair, can they get close enough to the vanity in the bathroom to groom adequately. Ideally, they should be able to wheel under the vanity for optimal access to the mirror.  Do they have optimal access to the sink with the ability to reach the faucet and see in the mirror?
• Can the individual wheel into the shower unencumbered, sit on a shower chair/stool/bench and have access to a handheld shower for optimum bathing?
• Can the individual move around the kitchen freely and cook as they wish? Consideration for modifications should include reaching knobs to the stove (possibly having knobs on the front of the stove), full access to the sink, and access to upper/lower cabinets and cabinet tops.  Roll-out drawers, handled-pulldown shelves, etc. can assist in making the kitchen more accessible.  
• Modifications to a home should also take an accessible laundry room into consideration with front-facing washer/dryer with controls on the front.  The washer/dryer should be placed on pedestals or platform for ease of access.  Laundry baskets on wheels make moving them around the home easier as well.   
• Accessible garage with ramp into the home from the garage. The garage should be large enough to accommodate a disability vehicle and a ramp.

When hiring a General Contractor to modify a home for a disabled individual, one should consider the following:

• Consider having an Occupational Therapist evaluate the individual first and then collaborate with the contractor for the best plan on how to modify the home.
• Ask for referrals and speak to each referral for level of satisfaction with contractor’s work.
• Find out what certifications the Contractor has and whether he/she is certified to do disability modifications in the state.
• Request to see a home the contractor has modified or built if the contractor is building for the individual.
• Ask for a contract in writing indicating costs, time limits and expectations.