Five Features in Specially Adapted Houses

Specially adapted housing builders in Pennsylvania create accessible homes. Whether you suffered an injury in the line of duty or live with a permanent condition that compromises your mobility, we can add retrofits that make your home more accessible. This will help you thrive and live a more independent life. Here are five features we provide in our adapted homes:

• Wide doorways: Some doorways are not designed to accommodate people using mobility devices. Whether you use a wheelchair or walker, doorway width and the lip at the bottom of a doorway often prove to be a hindrance. We can widen the doorway and improve the entrance so it is not a big production for you to leave or enter your house. Besides front doors, we may be able to widen doorways throughout your home.
• Accessible kitchens and bathrooms: The two most essential areas of your home are often crowded spaces once your mobility is impaired. Bathrooms become danger centers where it is easy to fall and sustain additional injuries. Kitchen counters are often too high, and refrigerators and stoves become impossible to use from a wheelchair. Both areas can be designed with lower counters, rails and bars for stability, and shelves can be moved so reaching items is no longer an issue. Additionally, we can make these spaces modern and beautiful, not just purely functional.
• First-floor suites: If the main bedroom or bathroom is on a second floor, that becomes impossible to manage when stairs become a dangerous challenge. One option is to create a first-floor suite that is more accessible for you or your disabled family member. If this seems to be an impossible solution, our designers can evaluate your home and see where they can create this space. Sometimes, our clients are surprised by the flexibility offered in their current floorplans.
• Stair lifts: Older homes or those with open floor plans may not offer any options for a first-floor suite. In these cases, your best option is to install a stair lift. These come in many varieties, including one that can fit the curved staircases in historic homes. When your home cannot be radically altered to place all needed spaces on the first floor, a stair lift can increase your mobility and keep you safe from falls.
• Ramps: Sometimes, not all encumbrances can be remodeled away, so we focus on improving your landscape. Ramps are available in packages you or a family member can install at your home, although these are often unstable and unattractive. Whether you want a ramp to your front door or a better way to move from your porch to the garden, a custom ramp built by an experienced construction company is the best way to go. You know it will serve its purpose and remain sturdy. It is difficult to enjoy that level of assurance with a portable aluminum ramp.

WSL Incorporated proudly counts itself among the premier specially adapted housing builders in Pennsylvania. Serving Cumberland County, PA and the surrounding areas, we can either build you a new home or retrofit your current one to meet your needs. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and estimate.