Barrier Free Renovation

Barrier Free Renovation

A life-changing renovation.

There are many reasons to renovate. For Andrea Roorda, the reason was accessibility. Andrea has lived in her home in Waterloo since 2006. She lives there with her adult son, who is in a wheelchair, and their cat and dog. With the house having been built in the 1950s, there were not many accommodations originally added to make it accessible. Over the years, Andrea has worked with Way-Mar to make the home a place where her son can move around freely. Past renovations include updating the main floor, particularly the kitchen, to improve wheelchair access, and redoing the basement.

The most recent project was completed in 2021 and involved opening the back of the house. Before this renovation, tight door frames and stairs meant Andrea's son had limited access to the backyard. Way-Mar achieved accessibility to the back of the home by raising everything to the same level, including the new deck. To make this change, the garage was shortened, allowing space for a sunroom. With the sunroom now adding extra space between the kitchen and back deck, the doorway from the kitchen could be widened and large patio doors installed. Andrea recognized the difficulty of this project, namely having to align multiple floor and ceiling heights, but said “the end result was perfect."

“Having wheelchair access to the backyard has enhanced my son’s life a lot.”

Andrea had nothing but good things to say about her experience with Way-Mar. “I keep coming back to Way-Mar for several reasons," she said, including the hardworking, pleasant, and respectful workers, as well as Way-Mar's timeliness and ability to create a final plan that is both functional and economical.

Since the completed renovation Andrea stated, “this backroom/back deck renovation has dramatically changed and improved the look and feel of the entire main floor - and having wheelchair access to the backyard has enhanced my son’s life a lot”. Her son is now able to enjoy their gardens and trees, as well as meals and barbeques outside. More than that, the space has also become a motivating destination for him to work on physiotherapy with his walker. During the winter the large patio doors brightened up the entire main floor, and the back room has become Andrea’s quiet space to work and read when her son is busy.

By removing barriers and opening up accessibility to the backyard, this renovation has had an immensely positive impact on the Roorda family. The family will be enjoying the benefits for many years to come.