Questions families ask

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.

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.

Yes, and we like to. If a therapist has made recommendations, send them before the walk-through or bring them to it. We build to what the therapist wrote, and we say plainly if something in the house makes part of it hard.

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.

Usually, with a plan. Before we book, we agree on when the water is off, where your parent will wash and what to do about the toilet. If the only bathroom is being rebuilt, we talk about a portable option or a short stay elsewhere, and we say so up front.

A bathroom is weeks, not days, and the estimate gives you a timeline for your house. A rail or a ramp is often a matter of days. We tell you what the permit queue adds, since we do not control it.

Often, yes. Moving plumbing or walls, adding a ramp or changing an entry usually needs one. We tell you which permits apply at your address and who pulls each, and the permit fees are shown separately in the estimate.

We stop, show you photos and write a change order with its price before we go on. Nothing is billed that you have not seen and agreed to in writing.

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.

It depends on the size of the room, whether the floor has to change, the materials and the permits. We do not print a price here because two bathrooms are never alike. The pricing page shows how the number is built, and the estimate puts it in writing.

No. We build the changes to the house: showers, floors, walls, rails and ramps. For a stair lift, a hospital bed or a lift chair, we point you to an occupational therapist or a medical-equipment supplier, and we make sure the house is ready for it.

Many of our clients do. We call you from your parent's kitchen during the walk-through if you want, send the report to you both and answer your questions by phone or text. Photos of the work go to you during the project.

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.