Ben Chilson had lived in his Portland home since he was 4 years old, but his worsening disabilities (caused by injuries from a car accident) were making it difficult for him and his wife to stay.  Structural barriers in the home’s single bathroom were becoming tougher and tougher to overcome.

So ReFIT, the non-profit volunteer organization that provides home modification services for physically and financially challenged homeowners who wish to remain living independently in their homes, stepped in.  They asked Hammer & Hand to do a pro bono retrofit of the Chilsons’ house.

Since 1997, ReFIT volunteers have built wheelchair ramps, widened doorways, added grab bars and handrails, and remodeled for barrier-free bathrooms throughout the Portland region.  It’s an inspiring organization, so when we were approached to help, we were eager to help.

“We have a lot of respect for ReFIT Portland,” said Aaron Stevens, Hammer & Hand’s Operations Manager. “And any opportunity to align ourselves with them and their goals – we want to do that.”

So, in coordination with ReFIT, we got to work.  Aaron oversaw the project and quickly set to work recruiting a team of subcontractors to donate their services and materials to the cause.

“The thing that pleasantly surprised me was that when I sent out an email to subcontractors and vendors to ask them to join our work with ReFIT,” said Aaron, “everybody wanted to participate.”

“Aaron really knew what the clients needed to have in their home and how to rally together a pro bono team to make it happen,” said ReFIT’s Ross Arnold.  “He demonstrated, through his dedication and promotion of the project, how serious Hammer & Hand was about making a meaningful contribution to the community.  And the employees and subcontractors that worked with Aaron clearly understood.  It was nice to have that understanding.”

Lead Carpenter Daren Claymon managed the job and built it with help from John Bair.  He fully-gutted the existing bathroom, troubleshot electrical and plumbing problems, expanded the size of the bathroom room by about 25 SF, and made the space ADA compliant.

And because the Chilsons had to move out during the remodel work, time was of the essence.

“Daren went above and beyond in this project,” said Ross of ReFIT.  “He worked 8 days straight to finish the work quickly for the clients, squeezing the most out of every day and working up right to the finish line.  And when Ben Chilson walked down the hall to access the new bathroom for the first time, I could see that it really hit home for Daren.  This was the real deal.  He emotionally understood the magnitude of his contribution to the clients’ lives.”

It was an honor for us to be part of this effort and to collaborate with ReFIT.

– Zack

P.S. We’d like to thank all the folks that helped make this project happen:

DEBS Construction
Chown Hardware
Parr Lumber
Petra Heating
D&F Plumbing
Keystone Tile
Debbie Anderson, CFM
John Lobo Painting
Bear Electric
Westside Drywall

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Lots of human energy is being poured into retrofitting our homes to be more energy efficient – and for good reason.  It’s a key part of making our built environment more sustainable.  Hammer & Hand has an entire team of the company devoted to increasing building performance to make homes more comfortable, safe, less costly to heat and cool, and easier on the planet.

But if a sustainable community is one that embraces diversity – diverse transportation modes, housing types, land uses, income levels, cultural backgrounds, ages and ability levels – then we also need to retrofit our existing housing stock to accommodate “aging in place”, inter-generational living and ADA-compliant spaces.

That’s what the lower unit of our Upcycled Duplex (aka Woodhole Duplex, on Saturday’s Build It Green! Home Tour) is about for us.   As we worked with Scott Edwards Architecture in redesigning the duplex, we considered all of the standard aspects of “sustainability”: low ongoing energy use; sustainable material use; site context within a walk-able, bike-able neighborhood; low impact construction techniques; durable craftsmanship; on-site stormwater management.

But also central was the notion that the lower unit of the duplex should be a sustainable place for aging or disabled residents, that it should accommodate the evolving needs and changing mobility of its inhabitants.

To that end, we designed and retrofitted the lower unit to be ADA and aging-in-place compliant, with wheelchair ramp, barrier-free shower, extra wide doors and roll-under sink and appliances.  Straightforward stuff, but game-changing for future residents.

– Zack

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Everyone knows how quickly and easily a fall can happen at home.  According to the Home Safety Council, nearly 5.1 million people in America are injured by falls in and around the home annually.

And it was sobering for me to read recently that one in every three adults aged 65 and older will suffer a fall this year.  That has pretty big public health ramifications.

If you’ve read this blog in recent months you know how attuned and supportive we are both to intergenerational living (ADUs provide an excellent opportunity for it) and to making existing homes serve people better.  Home safety is therefore forefront on our minds, particularly as our population grows older.  That’s why we’ve launched a new Home Safety Assessment as part of our Universal Design Services.

Through the assessment, a Certified Aging in-Place Specialist (that’s me!) comes out to the home to:

1. discuss changes that may help you or your loved ones live in the house longer,
2. walk through and evaluate the residence,
3. present a list of suggested modifications, repairs and preventative safety measures, and
4. consult with you to plan and prioritize retrofit options.

Our experienced project managers and career carpenters can then carry out the retrofit measures with their trademark craftsmanship and aplomb.  These measures might include:

• securing railings that lead up and down staircases,
• fixing uneven steps,
• installing grab bars in the bathroom,
• reorganizing cabinets to avoid unnecessary reaching and bending,
• rerouting electrical cords,
• removing area rugs and frayed carpeting,
• reducing clutter from walkways,
• and lots more.

It’s easy to overlook the importance of safety in our homes, but by making fairly straightforward improvements we can protect against falls and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.  And this isn’t just for the aging amongst us, either.  Many home safety retrofit measures protect wobbling toddlers from dangerous falls as well.

Please see our Universal Design Services page for more info and to schedule your home safety assessment today!

– Stacey Foisy, Certified Aging In Place Specialist (CAPS) for Hammer & Hand

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Stacey Foisy, our certified Aging-In-Place specialist (CAPS) participated in the recent “Staying at Home: Housing Options for an Aging Oregon” summit sponsored by AARP Oregon, Rogue Valley Council of Governments and Oregon DHS Seniors and People with Disabilities.

“Jerry Cohen, AARP Oregon’s director, presented research conclusions by the AARP Public Policy Institute that resonated deeply with Hammer & Hand’s work,” Stacey told me.  “In fact, the three solutions he outlined read as if cribbed from our playbook: universal design modifications, home performance retrofits, accessory dwelling units.”

Here’s what Cohen’s “Strategies to Meet the Housing Needs of Older Adults” specifically recommended:

1. Modifying homes to accommodate changing needs.

“The most straight-forward way for older adults to improve physical accessibility in their home is through home modification.   Home modifications may include the adoption of universal design or ‘visitability’ features that improve a home’s safety and ease of use for all family members and make the home accessible to visitors of all abilities.  Home modifications can range from a simple addition of lever door handles to more complex widening of doorways.”

Hammer & Hand’s Universal Design Services address this need.

2. Weatherizing homes to reduce energy costs and improve health outcomes.

“Weatherizing a home can make the prospect of aging in place much more appealing.  Weatherization includes improving insulation, replacing drafty windows, and install weather stripping, and energy-efficient windows.

“Modest home improvements to increase energy efficiency have been shown to reduce utility costs by 21 percent, which can translate into significant savings.

“Bearing lower energy costs burdens, owners and renters in weatherized homes can also afford to maintain appropriate home temperatures, preventing health risks associated with extreme weather conditions our unhealthy, unsafe methods of climate control.”

The home performance work that we do, much of it through the Clean Energy Works Oregon program, meets this need in a comprehensive way, informed by advanced building science.

3. Providing housing types in transit-oriented developments.

“Improved coordination of housing, land-use, and transportation policy to ensure that older adults have the option of living in housing they can afford that is located within walking distance of current or planned public transit stops.  Also, revisions to zoning policies to allow for a variety of housing types to meet the needs of older adults (e.g., high-density rental and owner-occupied housing, accessory dwelling units)”

Accessory Dwelling Units, often called ‘Granny Flats’, are a perfect example of this kind of housing diversity.  (By the way, please join us at our ADU Cider Mixer & Open House this Wednesday, November 16.)

Our purpose in pointing out these parallels is not to crow about how enlightened we are as builders (though I suppose we’re implying it!), but to emphasize that the leaders of policy research and advocacy for the aging are generating the same ideas for housing solutions as builders in the progressive building community.

Namely? We need to create diverse housing options for the aging, make sure that housing is safe and supportive of a wide range of abilities, and make sure it’s comfortable and healthy.

– Zack

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Our Tiny Bathroom Remodel has captured the imagination of Houzz visitors, Fine Homebuilding editors, and many other design aficionados, generating lots of curiosity and questions. Here are answers to the most frequently-asked:

Q: What kind of toilet is that and where can I get one?

It is a Caroma cistern toilet with an integrated hand basin. They were purchased from Caroma here.

Q: Can you share more details about the water proofing process and how to keep water from spilling outside the bathroom door into the hallway?

The Schluter Kerdi system is a preferred method for waterproofing, especially in a curbless installation. The Schluter-KERDI System is designed to work seamlessly with thinset and tile installations and has its own integrated drain systems. The waterproof membrane (shower pan) is typically run a minimum of 12″ past the opening of the shower or room. In this particular project, 18″ of the oak wood flooring at the door to the adjoining room was removed, the membrane added and the floor replaced with a wood textured tile that mimics the look of oak. The minimum required drainage for a shower floor to drain correctly is 1/4″ per ft.

This shower room is pitched immediately from the opening at a little more aggressive pitch of almost 1/2″ and a little more before the trench drain at the far wall. The toilet was set level in the room by building up a platform for it to sit on.

An integrated door sweep seals the door-to-floor gap to allow the no-lip entry to the wet room and the door itself was painted with a marine-grade paint.

Q: How do you protect the window (it looks like wood) if it’s in a shower?

We always prefer to install vinyl or fiberglass windows in showers, due to moisture concerns.

However, this project was somewhat unique, in that the homeowner wanted to keep the original wood window in place, and opted to have the window painted with several coats of oil based paint at finish.
The window trim was removed, and the tile setter installed the waterproof membrane (Kerdi system) up to the window jamb and the window trim was reinstalled using only silcone/glue, in order not to pierce the membrane with nails.

The owner is aware that maintenance is required to ensure that the unit is sealed and caulking etc. kept intact.

Q: How do we calculate the pitch of the floor to properly drain the space without overflowing into the hallway? Or maybe it is “eye-balled” since you are using a sweep under the door? But then is there an issue if a care giver is helping during bathing?

A minimum of 1/4″ drop per foot is required for drainage, but in this case we had to be a little more aggressive at 1/2″ and a little more before the trench drain at the far wall. In this project we modified the floor framing to drop that enough to accommodate the required pitch. The sweep helps, but is not a fail safe – attention is needed to not have water directed at the opening for long periods of time (the wood texture tile outside the door is key). In other words don’t spray water at the opening and you won’t have to worry about it.  The only issue with including a caregiver in the space is the size – this example is really only suited to one person at a a time.

Q: How much movement (deformation) can your seals cope with? Would you build on top of the current wooden floor or strip down to the joists and rebuild?

The Schluter Kerdi system is the preferred method for waterproofing, especially in a curbless installation. The membrane is designed to work in conjunction with the drain itself so that water, which will run beneath the surface is removed as part of the system design. All caulking at corners or perpendicular surfaces will require maintenance, either due to shrinkage (drying out) or settling of the structure. This should be a yearly or as noticed effort. Sealing of grout should be reapplied every 2-3 years depending on the product used.

Q: Can you tell me how you handled heating this room? Would it be practical to put radiant floor heat under the tiles? Or what would your recommend for heating?

This room being so small and well insulated, along with being directly next to a well-heated and insulated space was not a concern. A Panasonic FV-08VKM3 – WhisperGreen 80 CFM Ventilation Fan also draws warm air into the space.

If we were to add radiant heat, a heated floor mat by  Nuheat: The leading radiant electric floor heating system would be our preference and could be easily controlled with a thermostat for the space. If you wanted to utilize the existing radiator baseboard heater you could run Wirsbo piping while update the valves for that (checking with a plumber for actual needs is best).

Q: Is the ceiling tiled?

The ceiling is not tiled, it’s painted with mold-resistant primer (Zinsser Bullseye) and finished with an eggshell finish paint from Benjamin Moore.

Q: Where do you put the toilet paper and how do you keep it dry?

The toilet paper is kept on the windowsill, within reach of the toilet and out of reach of the spray from the shower head. The vent fan is on a timer that runs for a minimum of 30 minutes after a shower which also helps keep the humidity down and the paper dry.

Q: How much did this project cost?

The cost of this sort of project really depends on the specific context of your home, location of plumbing, choice of tile and fixtures, etc. But for a ballpark, the cost of a tiny bathroom like this would be similar to that of a substantial shower project, plus the sink/toilet combo and some extra time for logistics.

Read more about this bathroom remodel and check out the full portfolio of photos.

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