At Homepro We Make Everyday Living Safer and Easier, Everyday!
Remodeling a home to accommodate people with special needs should
not be undertaken without extensive research and consultation involving
the disabled person, concerned family members, physicians, therapists,
caregivers and support organizations - anyone whose insights and advice
can help lead to the best choices among all of the options.

Some relatively easy modifications that can help make a house more
accessible include installing, replacing or relocating: bathroom grab bars;
door, drawer and cabinet hardware; offset door hinges; and light
switches, so that they are easily reached and operated. An intercom may
provide extra safety and convenience. Slip resistant floors may also be
needed.

More involved renovations might be needed for wheelchair users. These
may include roll-in showers, doorway modifications, and wheelchair ramps
or lifts. When deciding what works best for your home, keep in mind the
following recommendations.

  • Walk through or have the person with special needs go through
    the area several times to ensure that you haven't overlooked
    anything
  • Safely attach equipment, such as grab bars, to the walls. You may
    have to open the wall to install blocking.
  • Pay close attention to color schemes and low maintenance  finishes.
    For example, users with limited vision should avoid low contrast
    colors on wall switches and shower controls, such as white shower
    controls in a white shower.
  • Don't use soft woods on the floor or trim in areas where a
    wheelchair will be used.
Before
After
THE FOLLOW UP STORY TO
"FOLLOWING SAM" FEATURED IN
THE MDA/ALS NATIONAL NEWS
MAGAZINE WITH SPECIFIC
MENTION TO HOMEPRO AND THE
ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM
REMODELING PROJECT THAT WE
DID FOR SAM.
The bathroom featured below was a three week project and it is considered one of the more extensive and higher
end accessible bathroom remodeling jobs that Homepro has done to date. Our customers Sam and Jo-Ann
Goldstein are both remarkable people and I consider it an honor to have met them and to be able to work with
them on their project, and they were a joy to work with.

On August 18th, 2005 Sam was diagnosed with ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclrosis. Sam has been featured on
KSDK-TV with reporter Mike Bush and also featured in the
MDA/ALS News Magazine a publication of the
Muscular Dystrophy Association
. Where Sam and Jo-Ann have courageously agreed to share their experiences of
living with ALS.
To read more about Sam and his journey click on the picture of the MDA/ALS News Magazine to the right.
To visit The Muscular Dystrophy Association web page at www.mda.org please click here.
Following Sam
1st article
March 2006
Sam's Follow
UpStory
June 2006
On this  project the customer selected and purchased all of the fixtures and materials on their own. Homepro provided all of the the hardcore
hardware such as plumbing, wiring, drywall and other necessary hardware. The customer selected top of the line products such as
Legacy brand
cabinets
, Onyx brand shower base, shower walls and sink, Kohler brand sink and shower faucets and shower track accessories and they were
purchased from
Fox Supply in Clayton, Missouri. The extra height toilet had been previously installed and was saved for re-installation. The Moen
brand
grab bars, ceramic floor tiles, heated floor kit and Ralph Lauren paint were purchased by the customer at various local home improvement
centers.
The following photo's show many of the major steps in the process of remodeling a bathroom. However bathrooms are usually small and very difficult to photograph in
addition many of the steps are almost impossible to photograph or the photo's would not make much sense anyway. Which is one reason we have never placed any
photo's of our other jobs to our web site. This bathroom just happened to be slightly larger than most (12' X 7") making it somewhat easier to photograph. Most of the
work not shown is, electrical, plumbing and structural changes, which make up a large portion of a job of this size.
Day #1                                   
The demolition begins
Day #1                                   
Removing all fixtures
Day #1        View from entrance
Nice clean bathroom -
not for long!
Day #1                                   
View from shower
Day #1                                   
Removing tile and drywall
Day #1                                  
Removing tile and drywall
Day #1                                  
All tile and drywall removed
Day #1                                  
Removing tile and drywall
The next 4-5 days were used
upgrading things that couldn't
be photographed very easily
Such as; wiring for the heated
floor and the ceiling mounted
exhaust fan/heater/light/night
light combo, installing the
exhaust duct through the attic
and roof, moving and
upgrading the plumbing for the
new center drain shower,
shower faucet, moving the
drain for the new offset sink
drain so it doesn't interfere
with wheelchair, lowering the
toilet flange since the new floor
was approximately 3/4 of an
inch lower than the old tile floor
and widening the 28" wide door
to a new 31" wide door for
easier walker and wheelchair
passage. And much more!
End of Day #1                         
The old cast iron tub can wait
till the next day to go out!
We were tired!
Shower base was temporally set in place with customers shower chair to
determine proper placement of grab bars, so we could install adequate
bracing for grab bars.
Heated floor kit installed over
new sub-floor, ready for new
ceramic tile to be installed.

New tile installed.
New tile grouted to match color
of sink, shower walls and
shower base.
Preparing to widen doorway for
wheelchair width door
New water resistant drywall, with
opening for recessed medicine
cabinet.
Messiest part of job - taping,
mudding and sanding all
seams in new drywall.
Installation of new shower base.
Installation of water resistant  
drywall.

Painting of walls.

Installing cabinets.

More taping and sanding.

Wheelchair accessible sink.
New cabinetry, sink and
recessed medicine cabinet.
Installation of wheelchair
accessible sink
Installation of wheelchair
accessible sink
New cabinetry, sink and
recessed medicine cabinet.
Install existing extra height
toilet.
Day #15                                 
Finished
Marking cut outs for recessed
shower cubby shelves.
Close up of adjustable shower
track. And Moen grab bars
Left - on-off control and thermostat
for heated floor.
Right - controls for ceiling mounted
exhaust fan/heater/light/night light.

Close up of Kohler sink faucet
Authorized Installer for: MedResources
Recommended Installer of: Delmar Gardens Physical Therapist's
Recommended Installer for: Health Care Mobility,Inc.
Authorized Installer for: The Mobility Store
Authorized Installer for: AMRAMP AMERICA'S LEADING RAMP
Recommended Installer for: HOME MEDICAL SUPPLY
Authorized Contractor for: American Projects & Repairs
Authorized Dealer of: Skylink Group Otodor - Remote Control Automatic Swing Door Openers
Authorized Dealer of: HealthCraft  Innovative Products for Independent Living
Authorized Installer for: Washington University in St. Louis - Program in Occupational Therapy
Authorized Dealer of: A C O R N  S T A I R L I F T S
Proud provider of: HomeCare products by MOEN
Authorized Installation Contractor for: Department of Veterans Affairs
Recommended Installer for: ST. JOHN'S MERCY Rehabilitation Hospital
Recommended Installer for: BJC HealthCare / Barnes-Jewish Extended Care
Recommended Installer for: St. Anthony's Acute Rehab
Wheelchair
Accessible
Bathroom
Remodeling