Aging in Place Remodeling in Cayuga County, NY
Farmhouses with steep stairs, village homes with tall porches, manufactured homes with narrow halls. We make them safer to live in, across northern Cayuga County.
Where homes get harder
About 23 percent of Cayuga County residents are 65 or older, per the state health department. Most want to stay put.
A high porch and no rail
Older village houses in Port Byron and Weedsport sit up off the street. Steps without a solid rail are a daily risk.
Narrow manufactured home halls
Tight halls and small bath doors do not work with a walker. We widen what we can and rework the bath.
Snow at the door
The northern edge of the county gets the most snow. A covered entry and a level landing matter more here.
Tub over the stairs
In many farmhouses the only tub is up a narrow staircase. A first-floor walk-in shower changes the routine.
Houses built for a different time
Cayuga County’s housing is among the oldest in the state, with a median home built in the late 1950s and more than a third built before 1940. Those houses were not built with walkers, wheelchairs or bad knees in mind.
We keep the house you love and change the parts that fight you: the tub, the steps, the doorways, the light switches at the top of the stairs.
- Curbless and low-curb showers
- Comfort-height toilets
- Railings on both sides of the stairs
How to plan it
Track the hard spots
Where do you hold the wall? Where do you hesitate? Write it down.
Ask about programs
Cayuga County lists home repair help through Homsite Development Corporation, and the Office for the Aging serves people 60 and older. We can give you the written scope programs ask for.
Bring the OT’s notes
If an occupational therapist has visited, we build to their recommendations.
Confirm the permit
Ramps and bath rebuilds usually need one. Sterling’s code office on State Route 104A covers Martville; the villages have their own.
How the work gets done
Bathrooms first
We tear out the tub and build a walk-in shower with real waterproofing, a bench, a hand shower and a low or no curb. Walk-in tubs are an option. We do not do liners or overlay systems.
Entries and ramps
Ramps at the right slope, railings that you can grip, and landings big enough to open the door. Up near the lake, we plan for snow and ice at the entry.
Living on one floor
A first-floor den can become a bedroom and a back room or laundry can become a bath. We work inside the house you have.
The small stuff
Lever handles, rocker switches, better stair lighting and grab bars at the door. Cheap, and they help every day.
Town pages
Accessibility work in Fair Haven, Sterling, Martville, Cato, Conquest, Weedsport and Port Byron.
Other work we do
Common questions
Is there help paying for this in Cayuga County?
Cayuga County points residents to Homsite Development Corporation for home repair programs, and the Office for the Aging can tell you what fits. We do not promise funding, but we give you the written scope they will want.
Can you make our manufactured home bath accessible?
Often, yes. We check the floor, widen the door if we can and replace the tub with a shower that fits.
Can you build a curbless shower in an old farmhouse?
Sometimes. It depends on the floor framing. We look before we promise.
Do ramps need a permit?
Usually, yes. In Fair Haven it is the village code officer; in the towns, the town office. We handle it.
Do you cover Auburn?
No. We work northern Cayuga County only.
Plan to stay home
More in Cayuga County
Stay in your Cayuga County home
We work northern Cayuga County only: Sterling, Victory, Ira, Conquest, Cato, Brutus, Mentz, Throop and Montezuma, plus all of Wayne County and western Oswego County. See our service area.