Day: June 2, 2011 - page 3

People throughout our society are depending upon wheelchairs and electric scooters to get around more than ever before. Most likely this comes from the fact that people are living longer. Another reason is that people with debilitating diseases are living longer thanks to medical miracles. All of these reasons have made it necessary for society to adjust building access for wheelchairs and motorized handicap vehicles. The American with Disabilities Act governs that public, commercial, state and local government facilities must accommodate for the use of wheelchairs and other mobility devices.

Think about the last time you traveled with young stroller bound children. Do you remember how difficult it was to maneuver? Think about going through life facing these challenges when trying to get in and out of facilities. What about your own home. Wheelchair ramps are what make access available to homes and public facilities.

Laws protecting the disabled are set in place to ensure equality. There are many things besides the law that need to be also taken into consideration when building or attaching a ramp for handicap use. When looking into a home wheelchair verse public access the things to consider are purpose, dimensions and style.

Purpose – It is pretty straight forward that the purpose of a handicap ramp at your home is to ease mobility in and out. Handicap ramps are used for many different purposes. Walkers, wheelchairs, electric scooters and disabilities are the number one reasons people look to install a handicap ramps. It is important to note that any building that has stairs as a main access should also have an assisted access.

Dimensions – The dimensions that are used to build ramps vary. Although standards exist and the guidelines of the ADA should be followed the size of the ramp should take into consideration the people who will be using it and the mode by which they might be entering and exiting. It is suggested that for every foot of ramp one inch of incline for entering buildings and for homes that every foot of ramp two inches of incline. You want to make the access as easy as possible. Think about climbing Mount Everest each and every time you leave a building. This is not ideal for anyone using a wheel chair or motorized device.

Style – There are many different styles of handicapped ramps to look at. Determine if you need something permanent or temporary. For instance are you taking in an elderly parent, this case might call for a temporary ramp. Metal ramps can often be rented or grants provided to purchase them. Wood ramps are often meant for more permanent situations such as elderly parents aging in place. Also, make sure you look into your community guidelines.

It is important to look into the rights of those who are disabled or elderly. Making sure that they are not restricted helps improve the quality of life they lead. The ADA guidelines help make this possible with laws such as the one enacted for the use of wheelchairs. It is also important for society to remember that independence is something we all wish for. If it eases life for a senior citizen in your life and they stay in their home a little longer than a handicap ramp is such a huge deal. Local, licensed contractors are available who have been trained to properly install handicap ramps to homes and businesses. When hiring an individual to install a ramp make sure the specifications they are using match your expectations and the laws governing wheelchair ramps.

Maintenance is good for everything we all know that. We are told to maintain a healthy weight, to keep red meat to a minimum to maintain our heart health, to change our oil every 3,000 miles to maintain the engine, it is everywhere. Maintenance keeps things running at their best. The same goes for our homes. Handyman services are used to prevent major issues with your home and will help avoid an outlandish amount of maintenance to tackle later on. It is super easy to hand this over to a handyman that offers handyman services but if you insist I will give you a schedule to follow.

Let us start in the spring since that is the season we are enjoying in Michigan right now. The spring season should bring an inspection of your roof. It is important to look for any signs of wear and tear that comes with changing climates. Broken, torn, missing and bowed shingles should be replaced or repaired. It is also important to inspect gutters, downspouts, flashing around chimneys and vents. Make sure they are in good condition.

Another spring maintenance tip is to repair torn screens. It is super easy and inexpensive fix. Screens on sliding glass doors are often damaged and need replacing. Basically you purchase new screen cut the size you need and install it with a special tool that helps put the screen and rubber molding back in place. Most handymen will offer to provide this service if you are leery of trying it on your own.

It is also important to do some maintenance on your deck. Handyman services often include anything from power washing and staining to minor clean up and touch ups. Mildew will need to be treated properly to bring a deck back to life. It is also important to remove loose nails and screws and replace them with new ones. Sometimes it might even be necessary to replace a rotted board.

Summer maintenance starts with the outside of your home. Take a good look at the siding. Thoroughly clean the siding and remove any mildew that has built up in the shady spots of your home. It is also important to remove and repair any vinyl that has been damaged by the weather conditions. If you have a home what has brick, wood or stone simply look over the exterior and replace any areas that look like they are starting to fail. Catching a problem before it becomes urgent will help prevent bigger problems down the road.

Summer is also the time to fix fences and gates. Each year my spouse, who supplies our handyman services, has to replace parts to our split rail fence. They wear out and become moss covered leaving a much desired look to the fence. Each summer we review the fence pieces and replace any that look have issues. This is the best way for us to keep up with the fence so that we don’t end up with a multi-thousand dollar project on our hands. The same goes for aluminum, plastic and metal fencing.

The winter/fall season is the time in which the handyman services reach the inside of homes. This is when we repair grout and caulk. We also look at all of our heating and cooling systems and have them tuned up for optimal use. In the fall my spouse always has a painting project for me to do to keep the colors of the house fresh and modern. I would rather maintain by painting one room each year verse a whole house anytime. It is also the time when I have the service men out to clean out the washer and dryer to prevent any disasters that are created by built up lint or lost toys that have worked their way into the components of the machine. This has happened believe it or not. We do run chemicals in the sinks and toilets to loosen any clogs that may be starting in the fall also.

As you can see there is a lot that goes into maintaining a home. This is why so many people prefer to hire a handyman service company that schedules regular visits to your home to take care of these issues. Many companies offer quarterly rates for these services. It is something worth investing in because as I see it regular maintenance costs less than one major disaster.