5 Ideas for Increasing Home Accessibility in Dallas, TX Homes

Every home in Greater Dallas and all nearby areas should be comfortable for their residents — and they should stay comfortable forever. There are lots of home improvement projects that property owners consider when they look around their homes, but there's one factor that's extremely important for keeping homes comfortable — and safe.

Accessibility is a central pillar of designing the homes of seniors, injured individuals, and others with increased daily challenges. When it comes to home renovations, few projects have more powerful effects on daily living than the improvements that come from increased home accessibility in Dallas — and there are several simple changes that produce those amazing results!

Your local Dallas handyman is a home improvement professional who is here to help homeowners that need accessibility modifications. Mr. Handyman of Dallas doesn't just provide exceptional home maintenance services like gutter cleaning or pressure washing. Every professional handyman on our team has a wide range of skills; we can do it all with just one call!

Our team is here to help with a wide range of professional handyman services, including Dallas home accessibility services to improve comfort and quality of life. That service starts with giving you inspiration for your different potential projects, so you can find great solutions to meet your needs, the needs of your Dallas home, and the needs of everyone living in it.

1. Integrated Guardrails and Grab Bars

According to current ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards for accessible design, guardrails are required to assist people with limited mobility. Newer homes Dallas are normally built with those guidelines in mind, but you may be missing essential support if you own an older home.

Bathroom grab bars are also an ADA accessibility requirement, but few homeowners in Dallas have them. Some homeowners in Greater Dallas resist getting grab bars — even when they know they'll improve their quality of life — because of the obtrusive, clinical appearance of certain models.

You don't have to sacrifice style or beauty for improved ease of access. By choosing multifunctional models that blend into your existing home designs, you'll improve accessibility while adding pleasing features — and increasing utility!

Some companies make rails that are both safe and stylish. Beautiful, multifunctional models that serve as towel bars, shower racks, and other storage solutions will maintain the integrated, unique appearance of your bathroom. Our Dallas home accessibility service professionals will make sure of that.

2. Change Your Flooring

Changing the surface you travel across is one of the most basic accessibility home improvements, and it has amazing benefits for those struggling with their current flooring. Swapping out carpet for hardwood to improve home accessibility in Dallas is a superb option for reducing challenges with mobility devices like walkers and wheelchairs. Alternatively, choosing a less slippery surface will reduce fall risks. You can even add slip-resistant materials to bathroom floors!

Flooring Options Include:

• Ceramic and Porcelain Tile: Smaller, textured tiles have improved traction and durability, but beware of slippery finishes and tiles with larger grout lines.
• Vinyl and Laminate: Vinyl and laminate are affordable options that increase ease of movement for mobility devices, but you'll need a stronger, commercial-grade option with a thick wear layer if you want to avoid scuffs and scratches.
• Rubber: Not many people think of rubber when they consider flooring options, but it's perfect for those with mobility issues. Rubber is slip-resistant — even when it's wet — which makes it a great option for improving both indoor and outdoor accessibility for people; it's durable enough to resist wear; and it also provides impact absorption in the case of accidents, which helps prevent serious injuries.
• Low-Pile Carpet: Carpet is the most slip-resistant option for indoor home accessibility in Dallas, but be sure you choose a thin, low-pile material with short, compact fibers. Thicker carpets are easily damaged by wheels — and they present serious impediments to those with mobility devices.

3. Create Accommodating Doorways

Doors are something that most people in Dallas don't think about actively unless they're trying to figure out effective door repair methods. Yet, doors are often one of the biggest culprits of poor indoor and outdoor accessibility. Not all doorways are built with mobility considerations in mind, especially if they were built before ADA-compliant construction was a consideration, but our Dallas home accessibility service team will know what to do.

Dallas Home Accessibility Ideas For Improved Indoor and Outdoor Entries:

• Widen Doorways: Wider frames around your inner and outer doors in Dallas will give you more space to move around. Creating more maneuvering space is a key principle of accessible design, and adding wider doorways greatly improves ease of access — even if you just want more space to bring in groceries!
• Replace Your Hinges: Specialty door hinges, like adjustable offset hinges, are designed to create more clearance in your existing doorways. There are multiple types, such as fold-back and swing-clear, which add more space to entryways.
• Replace Interior Doors: Completely removing interior doors is an option for any single-person household where privacy isn't an issue. In multi-person households, a better option might be replacing doors with other barriers that are easier to manipulate. Curtains, sliding doors, and other options are all potential home accessibility improvements.
• Replace Round Knobs: Smooth, rounded door knobs are sometimes challenging for those that struggle with fine motor skills. As such, lever handles are a much better option for interior and exterior doors. Replacing your existing door knobs with handles is a small, relatively quick project that provides a big boost to the quality of life in your Dallas property.
• Install Transition Features: Installation of access ramps and floor transitions is a common method for improving ease of access, both indoors and outdoors. A larger doorway wheelchair ramp is a great option for replacing outdoor stairs that lead up to porches, patios, and decks; threshold ramps are an easy addition for exterior doorways; lastly, smooth ADA-compliant floor transitions are fantastic for improving interior mobility.

4. Add Accessible Shower Features

Taking a shower or bath is something that all people do. For most of us, it's an essential part of daily grooming, so it shouldn't also be a source of stressful challenges. Unfortunately, standard tubs and showers aren't designed with accessibility in mind.

With our Dallas home accessibility services, we can replace your existing shower with a step-in shower — or one with a completely smooth entry for those reliant on mobility assistance. You could also replace your shower heads with models that include removable heads, added grip, and additional features.

Additional Bathroom Ideas

• While you're replacing your shower head, you can also lower it — along with the other fixtures in your bathroom — so that they're easier to access.
• Raising toilets and installing risers is an easy way to add support for those experiencing challenges as they sit and stand.
• Wall-mounted, roll-under sinks are an excellent option for creating a better accessibility experience in bathrooms.
• Adding shower seats and benches is a great way to improve anybody's shower experience, but they're especially helpful for those worried about slipping in the shower — and those who just want a rest.
• Non-slip mats are another option for making bathrooms safer and more comfortable. They can be added inside tubs and showers, as well as around other areas of the bathroom floor.

5. Enhance Your Lighting

Optimizing home lighting for accessibility is another factor that some homeowners in Dallas overlook. Countless residents are simply satisfied with rooms that are well-lit, but there are several lighting challenges that specifically affect people with disabilities. Most of those challenges have solutions that dramatically improve home accessibility in Dallas — and quality of life.

Better Lighting Options Include:

• Repositioning lights to avoid glare for those at lower vantage points
• Improving visibility in hallways, doorways, and outdoor pathways with track lighting
• Installing motion sensors for automatic lighting
• Moving light switches so that they're easier to use

Are You Interested in Expert Dallas Home Accessibility Services?

Need a stair lift installation or a vertical platform lift? The team of home improvement professionals at Mr. Handyman of Dallas can help you with any remodeling needs! Whether you're worried about aging in place or just need accessibility solutions and improvements to overcome frustrating daily challenges, our Dallas handyman is here to support you.

As your locally owned, full-service handyman company, we can also take care of many other issues around your home. Each Dallas handyman on our team of experts is a local courteous, home improvement professional. They're all skilled with accessibility improvements, routine maintenance, and everything in between!

For more information and senior resources in the DFW Area or a convenient appointment, simply call our friendly customer service representatives for additional assistance or schedule an in-house appointment with our committed team.