“I live in Denver and my mother is in Minneapolis. Cornelius called me from her kitchen during the walk-through, and the report came to both of us. It was the first time I knew what to ask.”
Charisse B.Daughter, out of state
Aging-in-place remodeling
Help your parent stay in the home they know.
Evenfloor is a Minneapolis remodeling firm led by a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist. We walk the whole house with your parent, write down what we see, and give you a plan you can read, forward and decide on together.
Where are you starting?
I'm helping a parent
- A written report after every walk-through
- Licensed Minnesota residential remodeler
A letter for you
To the one making the phone calls
You probably did not plan on this. A call after a fall, a stair your father has started to avoid, a shower you cannot stop picturing. Now you are reading remodeling websites late at night, trying to work out what is urgent and what can wait.
We have sat at a lot of kitchen tables with people in your position. Here is how we try to make it easier.
Your parent decides
It is their house and their bathroom. We talk to them first, in their own kitchen, and we ask what they find hard instead of telling them what is wrong. You are welcome at the table, in person or on the phone.
We write it down
After the walk-through you get a plain report: what we saw, what we would do first, what can wait and what is not ours to fix. You can forward it to a brother, a therapist or a doctor.
We do not rush the big choices
Most houses need two or three things now and a longer list later. We will tell you which is which. The estimate says what is included and what is not before you sign anything.
We plan around the person living there
A bathroom is out of use for days. We plan the week with your parent: when the water is off, where they will wash, who will be in the house.
Your parent's house should keep working for them. We would like to help it.
The walk-through checklist
Walk the house before you call anyone
Take a pencil and walk it with your parent, not for them. Ask what is hard. This is the short version; the full list has a page of its own.
At the door
Is there a rail on each side of the steps?
Can your parent turn the lock and key without pain?
Is the path to the car even and clear of ice?
Can they carry groceries in without setting them down?
In the bathroom
How high is the edge of the tub or shower to step over?
Is there something solid to hold by the toilet and the shower?
Is the floor slick when wet?
Is the room lit from the bedroom door at night?
Bedroom and hall
Is the way from bed to bathroom clear and lit?
Are there rugs or cords to catch a foot?
Can they stand up from the bed without pushing off a nightstand?
Is each doorway wide enough for a walker, in case one is coming?
Kitchen and stairs
Can they reach everyday dishes without a step stool?
Is there a rail on both sides of every stair?
Can they see where each stair edge is?
Is there a light switch at the top and the bottom?
Three ways to a safer shower
Which change fits the bathroom you have
Not every bathroom needs the biggest change. This is how the three common ones compare, side by side.
| Low-step shower | Curbless shower | Grab bars and a seat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What changes | Low-step showerThe tub comes out and a shower base with a low edge goes in | Curbless showerThe floor is rebuilt so the shower floor meets the bathroom floor | Grab bars and a seatBars and a seat go into the tub or shower you have |
| The step to get in | Low-step showerA few inches | Curbless showerNone | Grab bars and a seatStill there, but with something solid to hold |
| Floor and plumbing work | Low-step showerSome, at the tub drain | Curbless showerThe most: the floor framing and the drain can change | Grab bars and a seatAlmost none |
| Time the bathroom is out of use | Low-step showerDays | Curbless showerWeeks | Grab bars and a seatA day or less |
| Good fit when | Low-step showerThe step over a tub is the problem and the budget is modest | Curbless showerA walker or wheelchair may come, or stepping up is already hard | Grab bars and a seatYour parent can still step over the edge and wants more support |
The first visit
What a walk-through is
A scheduled visit to the whole house, led by your parent. It is not a sales call, and nobody leaves with a contract.
We come with a tape, a level, a camera and a notebook. We go room by room, ask what is hard and look at the places a fall is most likely: the bathroom, the entry, the stairs and the path to the bed at night.
Two of us come, and your parent walks us through
You can join by phone from anywhere
A written report follows, in plain words
The visit has a fee, quoted when you book
What we build
Changes that make the house easier to live in
Most of our work is the bathroom and the way in. Each page says what changes, what drives the cost and how it goes.
Curbless showers
A shower with no step to climb over, a floor that slopes to the drain and walls ready for a bench or bar.
How it is built
Tub-to-shower
Take out the tub and put in a low-step shower that is simpler to get into and easier to clean.
Compare the options
Grab bars and toilets
Solid bars where a hand lands, set into the wall, and a toilet at a height your parent can use.
Where bars go
Entries, ramps and rails
Steps with rails on both sides, a ramp with a slope that works, and a threshold you do not trip on.
Ramps and rails
How it goes
From a phone call to the last day
- 01
Step 1: You call or text
We ask a few questions about the house and your parent, and we set the walk-through for a time that suits them.
- 02
Step 2: We walk the house
Two of us, with your parent leading. You can join by phone.
- 03
Step 3: You get the report
In writing, in plain words: what to do first, what can wait, what to leave alone.
- 04
Step 4: You choose, then we plan
An estimate with its inclusions and exclusions, a schedule and the permits. Nothing starts until you have signed.
- 05
Step 5: We do the work
The same lead on site. Floors are covered, the water plan is agreed, and your parent has a number to call.
What we hold
The paper behind the work
Check any of it before you sign. The full list, with how to look each one up, is on its own page.
License
- Residential Remodeler, MN License no. 000000 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
Training
- Aging-in-place specialist (CAPS)
- Lead-safe renovation firm (RRP)
Insurance
- Liability and workers' compensation
From families
What families say about the work
“My father said he did not want the bathroom to look like a clinic. The bars are in the wall where he reaches, and they match the tile. The shower has no step now.”
Jarrett M.Son
“They told us the ramp could wait and the bathroom could not. I appreciated being told what not to spend money on.”
Sudha P.Homeowner
Sample reviews.
Our reach
Minneapolis and the suburbs around it
We keep to a drive that lets us be on site early and answer the phone from the job.
Minneapolis neighborhoods
- Lowry Hill
- Whittier
- Tangletown
- Fulton
- Prospect Park
- Camden
Hennepin County
- Excelsior
- Shorewood
- Orono
Dakota County
- Burnsville
- Eagan
- Apple Valley
- South St. Paul
- Inver Grove Heights
Washington and Ramsey counties
- Woodbury
- Oakdale
- White Bear Lake
- North St. Paul
We do not work outside the Twin Cities area, in St. Cloud, Rochester or Duluth, or across the Wisconsin line. We do not build new houses.
Questions
What families ask first
Who decides what gets done, my parent or me?
Your parent, unless they have asked someone else to decide for them. We talk to the homeowner first and take their lead on what is hard in the house. You are welcome at the walk-through in person or on the phone, and the written report goes to both of you if your parent agrees.
What happens at a walk-through?
Two of us come: the lead who holds the aging-in-place certification and a carpenter. We walk the whole house with your parent, not only the bathroom. We measure, take photos and ask where it is hard to get around. A written report follows with what we saw, what to do first and what can wait.
Does Medicare pay for home changes like this?
Original Medicare does not usually pay for home modifications. Some programs may help, depending on income, health and where you live. Your county's aging services office or the state's senior helpline can tell you what applies. We provide a written scope you can send to any program that asks.
My parent's house was built before 1978. Does that change the work?
It can. Paint from before 1978 may contain lead, and the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule says a firm that disturbs it in a home has to follow lead-safe work practices: containment, wet methods, cleanup you can check. We test or assume, tell you which, and set up the work to match. The firm's certification is on the credentials page.
My parent says they are fine. Should we wait?
That is your parent's call, and it is a fair one. Many people have the walk-through before anything has gone wrong, so they know what they would do and in what order. You can have the report and decide later, or never.
Book a walk-through
Tell us about the house
Write or call as the son or daughter, or as the homeowner. We will call back to set a time that suits your parent, and we will ask what to have ready.
Phone(612) 555-0104
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed