Client with cancer
Mrs B was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and was given less than a year to live. She urgently needed help in finding and adapting a new property as her current property was completely unsuitable for her – it was very small, spread over three levels and had no parking. We spoke at length to her about her requirements and within two weeks we had visited several potential rental properties with her son and daughter. We helped them choose a property that could be suitably adapted to meet Mrs B’s needs – one with a new wet room, new front and rear access, and a new driveway.
We had worked with a trusted and reputable building company in her area, competent in working on projects for people with a disability. After explaining the situation to them, they were able to fit her building work in at short notice.
Mrs B wanted her new bathroom furniture, doors, and driveway to look contemporary and stylish – she did not want them to have the medicalised, disability-aid look, that appeals to no one. This was also very important for the landlord, as he would not agree to adaptation work that would render his house ‘unrentable’ to an able-bodied person. In the end the landlord was delighted with the finished product, as he felt the house was now more appealing to a wide range of people and indeed the fact that it had disabled access was a unique selling point.
Client with mesothelioma
Mr W had recently retired and planned to sell his house, buy a caravan and travel around the country with his wife. However, his plans were cut short after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma and given only 9 months to live. Mr W’s solicitor asked us to see if his house could be adapted to provide a ground floor bedroom and bathroom, as he was struggling to negotiate the stairs and a stair lift could not be fitted.
Mr W and his wife lived in an end of terrace house with two upstairs bedrooms, and a living room and a kitchen on the ground floor. After visiting we realised that the space on the ground floor was not sufficient to accommodate a bathroom and bedroom. We recommended attaching a modular pod to the side of the house to provide the required facilities. After liaising with the structural engineer, we agreed that the garage on the side of the house should be knocked down and the space used for the prefabricated pod. We designed the internal layout of the pod to include a level access shower, toilet, hand basin and a bedroom with two single beds. Whilst the pod was being made, the company prepared the ground and created the necessary footings. The pod was delivered 3 weeks later and attached to the main house by creating a new doorway between the two buildings. When Mr W passed away 6 months later, the pod company bought the pod back from Mrs W and collected it from the site.
In summary
Our years of experience working with people with a disability, plus up-to-the-minute knowledge of products, design and accessibility requirements, meant that we could achieve exactly what our clients – and also other interested parties – needed and wanted.