Aging in Place Remodeling in Palmyra, NY
Tall 1800s village houses with steep stairs, brick homes off Main Street, farmhouses and ranches out in the town. We make Palmyra homes safer to live in as you age.
What gets harder in an old house
Palmyra has some of the oldest housing in Wayne County. These are the spots that cause trouble.
A steep, narrow front stair
Many village houses have tight, winding stairs. A second rail and better lighting help. Moving the bedroom down helps more.
Claw-foot tub, no shower
Some older baths still have a tub you have to climb into. We replace it with a walk-in shower or a walk-in tub.
High porch, no rail
Big front porches sit well above the sidewalk. Rails, lighting or a ramp at the back door make coming home easier.
Rooms broken up by small doors
Old houses have narrow doors and raised thresholds between rooms. We widen key doorways and level thresholds.
Canal-era homes and steep stairs
Palmyra was laid out in 1789, decades before the Erie Canal came through. Close to half the homes in the village were built in 1939 or earlier. Many of those houses have the only full bath upstairs, tall steps and narrow halls.
That does not mean you have to move. A back parlor can become a bedroom, a pantry can become a bath, and the stairs can be made safer. We open walls carefully in these older houses and add the blocking and plumbing needed.
- First-floor bedroom and bath plans
- Second stair rails, lighting at every step
- Low-threshold showers with a bench
Planning it out
List what is hard now
And what might be hard later. Plan for both.
Use your therapist’s notes
If an OT has made recommendations, bring them. We build to them.
Walkthrough
We check the stairs, bath, doorways and entries and talk through options.
Right permit office
In the village, the Village of Palmyra code officer on East Main Street. In the town, the code office at Town Hall on Canandaigua Road (NY 21). We pull it.
Scope on paper
A written scope ready for family or any program that asks for one.
Aging in place in Palmyra
Showers built from the studs
We take out the old tub or shower completely and build new: low or no curb, bench, handheld sprayer, slip-resistant tile and blocking for grab bars. Walk-in tubs too. We do not do liners or overlays.
Moving life to the first floor
In a two-story village house, a first-floor bedroom and full bath is often the biggest change. It needs drain and supply lines, sometimes a beam, and a permit. We handle all of it.
Winter entries
Snow and ice on high porch steps cause falls. Rails on both sides, a covered landing and exterior lights at the steps are a good start.
The little things
Lever handles, comfort-height toilets, rocker switches and night lighting. Our handyman services in Palmyra handle many of them.
Around Palmyra
We also work in Macedon, Newark, Marion and Walworth.
People in Palmyra ask
Can I get a first-floor bath in my old village house?
Often. We look at where plumbing can run and which room can give up space, then permit it through the village or town code office.
Can you replace a claw-foot tub with a walk-in shower?
Yes. We remove the tub, rebuild the floor and walls and build a shower with a bench and a handheld sprayer.
My stairs are steep and winding. What can be done?
Rails on both sides, lighting at each step and non-slip treads. For many people, moving the bedroom down is the real fix.
Do you work from an occupational therapist’s recommendations?
Yes. We build the scope around them.
Do you install walk-in tubs?
Yes. The old tub comes out completely and the walk-in tub goes in on a level, solid floor.
Do you install bath liners?
No. We do full replacements only.
Tell us about your Palmyra house
Stay put in Palmyra
Working in the Village and Town of Palmyra, nearby Macedon and Newark, and all of Wayne County, northern Cayuga County and western Oswego County. See our service area.