A customer in a wheelchair told me my cable run across their doorway was a trip hazard, so now I always ask about mobility needs before I start.

I used to just go for the shortest path, but after they pointed it out, I rerouted everything along the baseboard and it only added about 15 minutes to the job, so what other accessibility stuff should I be looking out for in older homes?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.linda7h ago

That's a really good start. One thing I always check is the height of wall outlets and light switches in older places. A lot of pre-80s homes have them way too low for someone in a seated position. The standard now is 15 inches from the floor for outlets and 48 inches for switches. I've seen them as low as 6 inches off the ground in some old houses, which is basically useless.

susan4245h ago

Six inches off the ground? That's practically a floor outlet! You'd have to get on your hands and knees to plug anything in. No wonder people complain about older homes being hard to live in. It makes you wonder what they were thinking when they built them that way.