Here’s how Kaye Construction can remodel your home to make it safer and more convenient in your golden years
By Laura Briedis
Helping homeowners age in place, Kaye Construction is taking down walls, widening door entries and building first-floor additions.
“Though assisted living facilities may be modern and luxurious, they are not home,” says Joe Kaye, who along with his brother Josh and father Ron, owns Kaye Construction. “We give seniors the opportunity to stay in the place they love by renovating their home and making it more functional.”
For one Lakewood couple, that meant building a bathroom addition on the back of the house, along with a deck and wheelchair ramp, so they could remain in their home located on a beautiful tree-lined street near the lake.
“Most Lakewood homes have small lots, so we had to find space where there was none,” notes Joe. “We built a small addition on the back corner of the home’s first floor and added a wheelchair-accessible bathroom with a door that leads to a deck and ramp.”
The contractors designed the ramp with a smaller pitch to conform to safety standards, and used composite decking material that requires no maintenance.
“The couple wanted to plan ahead for the future to create a functional design so they can stay in their home as long as possible,” says Joe. “For us, remodeling is more than just sprucing up a home by adding new flooring and cabinets; we’re always thinking how we can make it more functional. Sometimes that means removing walls to open up the floor plan, moving the sink and stove to different areas of the kitchen, or adding square footage to the footprint of the home.”
In the remodeling business for 25-plus years, the company has a portfolio of clients who have undergone multiple renovations over decades.
In fact, they helped their very first customer age in place.
“The homeowners originally hired us to remodel the kitchen and bathroom in their Berea home,” says Ron. “Several years ago when the couple started to look into assisted living facilities, they concluded that for the same price of what it would cost for just one year in an assisted living facility, they could build an addition that would allow them to stay put in their multi-level home.”
Once again, the couple turned to Kaye Construction, since they have entrusted the locally owned company with all of their home improvement projects over the decades.
Just as he did a quarter of a century ago, Ron picked up a hammer and paintbrush and had a hand in building the new 21-by-20-foot room addition, along with a deck leading to the backyard and new vinyl siding.
“With the new addition, they don’t have to worry about going up stairs because everything is on the first floor,” explains Ron. “The room functions as a bedroom and also has a small TV sitting area, plus we added a new bathroom equipped with a handicap shower. And the existing dining room and kitchen are just steps away.”
As part of the project, they installed new vinyl siding on the addition that looked like wood shake, so it would match the existing house. After it was sided, the homeowners loved the look so much, and the fact that vinyl is more maintenance free than wood siding, that they had the entire house re-sided.
“My goal with each job is to make the space as functional as possible,” says Ron. “We make remodeling affordable so homeowners can stay in the house and neighborhood they love.”
To schedule a free estimate, call Kaye Construction at 440-297-2232. Visit KayeHomePros.com for more information and check out its Facebook page to see current jobs under construction.