Nord Alta Construction

Barrier Free Housing

How do I plan a renovation for my needs?

Firstly it is important to find out where you are with physical limitations and where you will be six months to one year from now. Once you have established what your needs are through the help of your physician and maybe an occupational therapist you will need to assess whether or not your home can meet all of your needs once it’s renovated.

Should I have my friend draw blueprints for me? He does CAD drawings at work.

If your friend is familiar with your specific needs and has done barrier-free designs before, then by all means. Actual planning of a barrier-free design is not all that simple and it takes a lot of forethought and preparation to produce good results.

What things should I think about including in my design that is not so obvious?

We at Nord Alta ask a lot of questions and what ifs, as an example lighting. Is there a need for lights to be switched at remote locations or a need for sensor lighting? Or does the kitchen need to be fully functional from the perspective of accessibility for someone in a wheelchair? Your project should also include some provisions to accommodate future needs as well, perhaps provisions for grab bars. During construction if it’s possible, it makes sense to visit the project just to see how things are laid out and if they truly do fit your needs. If they don’t it’s easier to change things while they are being developed and not when it’s complete.

Will it be worth the expense and will the money ever be recouped on resale?

Only you and your family can answer that. Truth is you're not developing this project for someone else in mind and if it makes life easier for you then it is worth the expense. We at Nord Alta believe that renovating should ultimately benefit the owner and that should be the main focus not resale. If and when the time does come for resale, your home will become very attractive for the aging population as the need for barrier-free access will only grow.