By Chase
How are your projects at work and home progressing with the arrival of warmer weather? After experiencing a week in May that felt more like the middle of summer, we have settled into a cooler spell of the high teens. Fingers crossed for a great summer!
It has been three weeks since the ramp and new porch project wrapped up at my place and my daughter Aubrey has enjoyed using it for when we head out on trips. I am in the final phases of landscaping the project myself now with five yards of dirt added my front yard last week and over the next few weeks I will complete planting a mix of evergreens and perennials flowers.
Next up will be sealing/staining the porch and ramp when we have a week of drive weather towards the end of June and the start of July. Once Aubrey starts school in September, I will look to complete the skirting of the deck with cedar boards from reclaimed timber at a local mill.
Future accessibility projects in my home will be updating the current jet tub to a barrier free walk-in shower for my daughter and reconfiguring the toilet’s placement for easy access. While she is still small, our existing set up has been pretty easy, but definitely something that needs to be updated before she gets too heavy to assist.
My wife is working on paperwork for a few local agencies that offer financial support for the upgrades and suggestions on other ways to make the home easier for our daughter to navigate. The goal is to have the bathroom updated by Fall 2025.
When designing and planning your projects, how much of a focus are you putting into accessibility? Have things changed in the past year on how much attention is given to make your buildings/projects barrier free?
Since my daughter has been using a wheelchair, I have been amazed by the barriers that are in place for her to get around easily. Things such as accessible doors not turned on or even working. Elevators that are available but only after you track down someone from facility management. One of the biggest challenges is very limited accessible seating at venues.
Share how your are making your projects more accessible and I will gladly provide free coverage in the magazine and daily newspaper. Send me an email to discuss your experiences and observations at chase@ontarioconstructionreport.com.
Chase is the director of marketing and client relations for the Construction News and Report Group as well as the associate publisher for the Ontario Construction Report, the daily digital newspaper Ontario Construction News, and several US magazines. These publications reach tens of thousands of readers across Canada and the United States. He can be reached at (905) 341-8686.