Two grab rails and better lighting on the stairs
The first jobs on a Staying Home Plan are almost never the expensive ones. Here is what we usually put at the top of the list, and why.
HomeSafe Devon · · 4 minute read
When we finish an assessment, people often expect the plan to open with something big. A stairlift, or a new bathroom. More often than not it opens with two rails and a brighter bulb.
That is not us being cautious. The stairs and the bathroom are where a house quietly gets harder to live in, and both can usually be improved in an afternoon for very little money.
Start with the stairs
A handrail on one side is normal in an older house. A rail on both sides changes how the stairs feel, because there is something to steady yourself on going up and coming down.
Older eyes also need a good deal more light than younger ones. A brighter bulb at the top and the bottom of the stairs does more than most people expect, and it costs almost nothing.
Then the bathroom
Getting in and out of the bath is the job we are asked about most. Sometimes the answer is a level access shower. Often it is a rail in the right place and a different mat, and we will say so rather than sell you a bathroom.
What goes in the plan
- Every job we think is worth doing, priced, whether or not you asked for it
- A suggested order, so you can do the first few and stop there
- Anything we think the council may fund, flagged separately
- Anything we would leave alone, and why
Then nothing happens until you say yes.
Two grab rails and better lighting on the stairs would make the biggest difference first.
Wondering about your own house, or your mum or dad's?
The assessment is free. We will come and look at the whole house, then put a written plan with prices on your portal so you can think it over.
Book a free visit