Apr

20

Aging In Place: Take a Ride on the Stair Chair

Filed Under Aging In Place / Aging At Home, Home Safety Tips | Leave a Comment

When my client first called and asked for one of these, a Stair Chair, I gave her a ballpark price on a new one. It’s a good thing I was talking with the Executor and not the heart patient we  are working for! She couldn’t believe that the simplest, well made stair chair would cost a minimum of  $3-5K, and that was just for the chair lift and installation. Modifications that had to be made to the stairway, including installing a new power source for the chair battery, would be extra. If we needed the chair to take  a curve of any sort coming down, the cost could have doubled. AND, we are talking about a reconditioned stair lift! It’s not even new to you. Those prices are $10-15k!

Our other challenge in this home was to be able to get in and out of the garage. With the chair at the bottom of the stairs, that wouldn’t work. So, we built a bigger landing for turning around, and the client uses the remote to send the chair up the stairs and out of the way of the garage door! We also had to remove half the grab bars and handrails we had just installed 3 months ago once the chair took over the space. Plus rewire some very challenging electrical work. We selected a Stannah stair chair, as their reputation seemed quite good overall. There are many other companies that sell chairlifts, but the best thing is to find the company in your area that sells, reconditions, installs and warrantees the work. And DO get the insurance and annual maintenance. It is worth it for this type of investment.

But the reward is the freedom it give our lovely lady so she can finally do her own laundry, carrying it on her lap as she glides downstairs to her lower level, which houses the laundry room. That step forward is huge, as it means another step toward independence, and a move toward freedom from having a 24 hour caregiver living with her. 

We have done a lot of small jobs here, we’ll be putting up some hooks and working on getting the client to put in a better bathroom. We have also seen progress with the client, as she becomes more active and social. You have to really believe in what you do if you work in the field of Aging. Seniors, or people with mobility issues. It did take two visits and standing over the installer asking a lot of questions to get things perfect!

Mar

2

Home Maintenance Tip: Check Your Deck!

Filed Under Contractor's Corner, Home Safety Tips | Leave a Comment

One great advantage of living in the Bay Area is our climate, another is that almost anywhere you live, you can find a view – of the hills, the Bay, the Ocean. That makes one of the most popular home additions a beautiful Deck. Those of you with decks more than 10 years old probably have them built from redwood and untreated doug fir. Beautiful to look at, but time consuming to maintain.

The plague of redwood decks is dry rot. Wood that experiences warm summer days and soggy wet winters is put in an ideal condition for dry rot to develop. It is important to learn ways to prevent dry rot from developing because not only will it save your deck, it will also save you time and money.

Dry rot is decay from fungi that causes wood to become brittle and crumble to powder. It develops from a mixture of wetness, heat and air. Dry rot can develop within four to six months and it’s not so easy to detect. Once infected, the wood and deck lose structural integrity. Left undetected it will spread and cause more damage. Detecting and replacing damaged wood is critical as soon as you find it – if you don’t it will eventually eat away at the entire deck, and even attract bugs, like termites, making the problem worse. P2201183

Fast detection is the key. Here is how you can check your own deck for dry rot.

1.  Look for wood discoloration.

2. Insert a screwdriver, awl or icepick and punch into the wood to see if it is still solid.

3. If the wood is soft and spongy, you can also check to feel if there is any dampness.

4. If there is any dampness, you probably have a problem to be fixed.

5. Check for termites. The dry rot begins first in damp parts of the house, and keeps on going once it starts to the other parts of the house.2WijelathDeck+Firewall

Prevent Dry Rot On Your Deck

  • Identify the real source of the problem before replacing anything.
  • Check garden sprinklers, planters, and hoses to ensure they aren’t causing a pervasive drip or wet area on the deck.
  • Check for any areas where the wood is touching the ground. This is a great place for termite infestation to begin.
  • If you suspect dry rot, call HB Building + Design to repair or rebuild your deck! We have years of experience in correcting dry rot problems from the bottom up, saving you time, money and more problems later on!  Decks, decking and deck repair is one of our specialties. Just look at the Before and After of Desmond and Marina!

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