Meeting with Architect
By Kevin
The ALS Association is really an invaluable resource. When we realized that we would eventually need to address the issue of my being wheelchair bound and unable to do stairs, we started wondering whether we would have to move or try to remodel our current home. We reached out to Pinky at the ALS Association and she immediately responded with a curated list of contractors that have worked with other ALS families. At the top of the list was Jeff DeVol - https://devoldbr.com/about/. After reaching out to a few folks on the list, Jeff (personally), was not only the first to respond, but was available to meet right away. This alone was impressive since we had reached out over the holiday week.
Jeff was great. He came over to meet us initially to get our idea of converting our music room, half bath, and laundry room (all situated in a block in the center of the house) on the first floor, into a small bedroom and full accessible bathroom. We showed him the space and he thought it doable. He even had ideas and suggestions that we hadn't thought of since he specializes in these remodels for folks with varying degree of disability (including veterans, ALS families, and those aging in place). So he had the dimensions in his head already for exactly what we would need to accommodate manual or electric wheelchairs, and even a lift device for transferring me in and out of bed. The lift didn't even occur to me, but yeah... I weigh a little more than the dog, and Jane has more important things to do than sculpt the guns required to carry me about the house (even with the dog's help). The next step was to get his architect involved to draw up some plans to scale so that some accurate estimates could be worked up by Jeff.
So we met with Jeff and Brian (the architect) on Wednesday (1/15/20). Jef filled him in on what we wanted to do and they took measurements. We didn't need to get in the way. Jeff knew what we wanted and relayed details and space requirements to Brian. After the space was measured, Brian sketched a scale set of plans of the existing space, with room dimensions, doorways, etc... With that, Jane and I sat down with them to talk about the new space. Brian pulled out a roll of onion paper and sketched out (in real time) a rough-in of a new bathroom over the existing space. (Onion paper is easy to see through, so layering one piece on top of another, he could trace existing features and change new ones.) We worked out, to scale, the features we would need/want and what we could keep or have to relocate. In less than an hour, we had a plan that worked for us. We would need to relocate a coat closet, food pantry, and the laundry as well as move the entry to the garage, but it was all drawn out right in front of us. Included was a ramp in the garage so I could to/from the car without being in the weather. Also, the ramp is easily removed for when it's not needed any more (another feature that hadn't occurred to us, nor its construction to be temporary). "I could build on that right now..." -- Jeff. What I liked about these guys is that they didn't waste time. Brian charges by the hour and Jeff had estimated at least a 2 hour meeting to measure and draw up the plans. We were done in about 1.75h. "We were very efficient with our time..." -- Brian. After they left, Brian had the plans scanned in and emailed to us within the next few hours. We were very pleased with the meeting and the plans.
At this point we're just waiting to get some estimates from Jeff. We still would have to work out details like kinds of doors and colors and style of things. While our preference is to stay in this house, we are also talking to another friend who is a realtor, about ideas for moving to a house with existing first floor master suite (preferably with handicap accessible spaces) and/or the impact to our existing home's resale value given the proposed new "mother-in-law" suite on the first floor.
So far so good. We'll keep you posted!
The ALS Association is really an invaluable resource. When we realized that we would eventually need to address the issue of my being wheelchair bound and unable to do stairs, we started wondering whether we would have to move or try to remodel our current home. We reached out to Pinky at the ALS Association and she immediately responded with a curated list of contractors that have worked with other ALS families. At the top of the list was Jeff DeVol - https://devoldbr.com/about/. After reaching out to a few folks on the list, Jeff (personally), was not only the first to respond, but was available to meet right away. This alone was impressive since we had reached out over the holiday week.
Jeff was great. He came over to meet us initially to get our idea of converting our music room, half bath, and laundry room (all situated in a block in the center of the house) on the first floor, into a small bedroom and full accessible bathroom. We showed him the space and he thought it doable. He even had ideas and suggestions that we hadn't thought of since he specializes in these remodels for folks with varying degree of disability (including veterans, ALS families, and those aging in place). So he had the dimensions in his head already for exactly what we would need to accommodate manual or electric wheelchairs, and even a lift device for transferring me in and out of bed. The lift didn't even occur to me, but yeah... I weigh a little more than the dog, and Jane has more important things to do than sculpt the guns required to carry me about the house (even with the dog's help). The next step was to get his architect involved to draw up some plans to scale so that some accurate estimates could be worked up by Jeff.
So we met with Jeff and Brian (the architect) on Wednesday (1/15/20). Jef filled him in on what we wanted to do and they took measurements. We didn't need to get in the way. Jeff knew what we wanted and relayed details and space requirements to Brian. After the space was measured, Brian sketched a scale set of plans of the existing space, with room dimensions, doorways, etc... With that, Jane and I sat down with them to talk about the new space. Brian pulled out a roll of onion paper and sketched out (in real time) a rough-in of a new bathroom over the existing space. (Onion paper is easy to see through, so layering one piece on top of another, he could trace existing features and change new ones.) We worked out, to scale, the features we would need/want and what we could keep or have to relocate. In less than an hour, we had a plan that worked for us. We would need to relocate a coat closet, food pantry, and the laundry as well as move the entry to the garage, but it was all drawn out right in front of us. Included was a ramp in the garage so I could to/from the car without being in the weather. Also, the ramp is easily removed for when it's not needed any more (another feature that hadn't occurred to us, nor its construction to be temporary). "I could build on that right now..." -- Jeff. What I liked about these guys is that they didn't waste time. Brian charges by the hour and Jeff had estimated at least a 2 hour meeting to measure and draw up the plans. We were done in about 1.75h. "We were very efficient with our time..." -- Brian. After they left, Brian had the plans scanned in and emailed to us within the next few hours. We were very pleased with the meeting and the plans.
At this point we're just waiting to get some estimates from Jeff. We still would have to work out details like kinds of doors and colors and style of things. While our preference is to stay in this house, we are also talking to another friend who is a realtor, about ideas for moving to a house with existing first floor master suite (preferably with handicap accessible spaces) and/or the impact to our existing home's resale value given the proposed new "mother-in-law" suite on the first floor.
So far so good. We'll keep you posted!
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