Remodle house for disability access?

Question

My disabled uncle lives with me. I want to remodle my bathroom so that he can use it. He has trouble walking and standing and is going through chemo. I want to remove my standard shower/tub and install a walk-in shower with rails and a seat so he can use it independently. Are there any grants or disability moneys available for this in Massachusetts? I'm his legal caretaker and guardian. All of his SSI $$ comes through me but the remodle would take more than what he gets. Any help would be great!

Answer 1

The remodel may be more extensive than you realize if you want to be fully ADA compliant.  Besides the walk-in shower, you'll need an elevated toilet with a grab bar behind and on one side.  You'll also need a wall-mounted lavatory.  On top of this, you'll need a 5 foot diameter free area on the floor for turning a wheelchair as well as a wider door.  These requirements and more may be found at:

http://www.ada.gov/adastd94.pdf

I recently completed just such a remodel as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, California.  Fortunately, the house we were modifying had a raised floor, giving us access to the drain plumbing and making it easier to enlarge the bathroom for ADA compliance.  Nonetheless, the job proved to be more involved and took longer than anticipated.  You can view our project at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/geezergang/...

I'm sorry that I can't help you find funding.  We had to find donors before starting our project.  I don't believe that any government funds were involved.