Hours vary Ham Lake (763) 331-2247
Powerbuilt Construction Inc.
ADA Accessibility Upgrades for Existing HomesPowerbuilt Construction

Family-owned · Ham Lake Local

ADA Accessibility Upgrades for Existing Homes

Aging-in-place and accessibility retrofits across the North Metro Twin Cities, broken down by area so you can start with what matters most.

Call now(763) 331-2247
Call (763) 331-2247Request an estimate

Free estimate

Tell us what you need

Three fields. It reaches a person here, not a call centre.

No obligation · Responds within 1 business day

By submitting this form you agree that we may contact you about your request and share your details with partner companies for marketing purposes.

Accessibility Upgrades That Fit the Home You Already Own

If a step-up entry, a narrow doorway, or a tight bathroom is starting to make your own house hard to live in, ADA accessibility upgrades to your existing home fix that without forcing a move. Powerbuilt Construction retrofits the home you already own: curbless showers, no-step entries, wider doorways, and the grab bars and rails that actually carry weight, all built into the structure so they look like they belong there instead of like hospital add-ons. Bob Powers has been on the tools since 1985 and has held a Minnesota general contractor license since 1995 (License #BC533891). Call Bob directly at (763) 331-2247 and we will walk the house before we quote anything.

Accessibility work covers a wide range, and the right scope depends on who is using the space and how the house is laid out. A single grab bar and a comfort-height toilet is a different job than converting a split-entry rambler to no-step main-floor living with a widened bath. A lot of North Metro homes went up as 1970s and 1980s split-levels and two-story colonials that put the only full bath and every bedroom up a flight of stairs, so the real fix is often a main-floor bathroom or bedroom conversion rather than a stairlift. We break each project down by area so you can start with what matters most and phase the rest as your budget and needs change. Every home is different, contact Powerbuilt Construction for an accurate estimate.

Broken Down By Area

Accessibility Upgrades, Category by Category

Six areas of the home, each with its own scope. Take them one at a time or plan the whole retrofit at once.

01

Bathrooms

The bathroom is where most accessibility projects start. Curbless roll-in showers, comfort-height toilets, blocking set behind the tile for grab bars that hold real weight, roll-under vanities, and lever faucets. We waterproof the pan correctly so a zero-threshold shower drains where it should and not into the subfloor.

02

Entries and Ramps

A single step at the front or garage door is enough to end independent living. We build no-step entries, regrade thresholds, and frame code-compliant ramps at the ADA 1:12 slope with proper landings. Exterior ramp and porch footings go below Minnesota's 42-inch frost line so nothing heaves out of level after the first hard winter.

03

Doorways and Hallways

Standard interior doors leave about 23 inches of clear passage, which a walker or wheelchair cannot use. We widen openings to a 32 to 36 inch clear width, add swing-clear hinges to reclaim the last two inches, swap knobs for lever hardware, and open up pinch-point hallways where the framing allows it.

04

Kitchens

A kitchen that works seated is a real remodel, not an accessory. Lowered counter sections, a roll-under sink and cooktop, pull-out and pull-down shelving, front-mounted controls, and switches and outlets moved into reach. We coordinate the plumbing and electrical so the accessible zones actually function.

05

Stairs and Mobility

When the bedrooms and bath sit upstairs, we lay out the options honestly: continuous handrails on both sides of the stair, a stairlift the framing and wiring are prepped for, or converting a main-floor room and bath into full one-level living. For a lot of North Metro two-story homes, main-floor living is the fix that lasts.

06

Aging-in-Place Safety

The details that prevent the next fall. Flush transitions between flooring types, slip-resistant surfaces, brighter and better-placed lighting on stairs and in baths, rounded and reachable hardware, and reinforced blocking wherever a future grab bar or rail might go. Safety work that reads as finish carpentry, not a retrofit.

Entries and Ramps

A No-Step Entry Built for a Minnesota Winter

No-step accessibility ramp with black aluminum railings and composite decking, built by Powerbuilt Construction at a North Metro home
A code-compliant no-step ramp and landing, built by Powerbuilt Construction.
Here is a recent Powerbuilt build: a no-step approach and a code-compliant ramp that gets someone to the door without a single stair. We ran it at the ADA 1:12 slope with a level landing at the top so a walker or a wheelchair has room to turn before the door swings. The railings are powder-coated aluminum that will not rot or need repainting, and the footings go below Minnesota's 42-inch frost line so nothing heaves out of level after the first hard freeze. The composite decking stays sure-footed when it is wet or iced over, which is the part that matters most from November to April. Call Bob at (763) 331-2247 to walk your own entry and hear what it would take.

How It Works

From Walkthrough to Final Inspection

Every accessibility retrofit we take on follows the same three-phase sequence.

  1. 01

    Home Walkthrough and Assessment

    We walk the whole house with you, not just the one room, and look at how a person actually moves from the car to the bed to the bathroom. That path is what determines the real scope. We flag the quick wins and the structural changes separately so you can plan around a budget.

  2. 02

    Design to Code and Permitting

    We design each change to ADA and Minnesota State Building Code standards, confirm what your city requires, and pull the permits. Ramp slopes, door clear widths, grab bar blocking, and shower thresholds are dimensions, not guesses. We get them right on paper before anyone swings a hammer.

  3. 03

    Build and Final Walk

    Bob runs the build and the same crew stays on it from demo to final finish. No handing the accessible bathroom to one contractor and the ramp to another. We finish the work so it blends into the house, then walk it with you to confirm every change does what it needs to do.

Why Retrofit Now

The structural changes are the ones you only want to do once.

  1. 01

    Built for the Long Run

    A curbless shower and a comfort-height toilet work for a 40-year-old with a knee surgery and an 80-year-old who never wants to move. Building it in now means you are not remodeling the same bathroom twice.

  2. 02

    Structure First, Fixtures Later

    Blocking behind the tile, a widened doorway, a no-step entry. These are structural changes done once. The grab bars and rails that mount to them can change over time without opening a wall again.

  3. 03

    Finished, Not Institutional

    Done well, none of it looks clinical. The rails read as trim, the shower reads as a custom tile job, the ramp reads as a porch. A home that is easy to live in should still look like a home.

  4. 04

    Value That Holds

    One-level living and a barrier-free bathroom are among the first things a buyer over 55 looks for. The work that keeps you in the house also holds its value when it is time to sell.

Why Homeowners Call Powerbuilt First

Powerbuilt Construction. Licensed in Minnesota since 1995. Answering the phone.

Bob Powers runs the operation directly. You are not working through a sales team or a project coordinator. The person who walks your home is the person who pulls the permit and oversees the build, which matters more on accessibility work than on almost anything else, because the dimensions have to be right for the person who lives there. Powerbuilt holds MN General Contractor License #BC533891, carries a 4.9-star rating across 27 Google reviews, and works throughout Anoka County and the North Metro Twin Cities. Many accessibility projects tie into our bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling, and home renovations work.
MN License #BC533891
Verified general contractor license, not a handyman registration
4.9 stars, 27 Google reviews
Real reviews from North Metro homeowners, verified on Google
Code-compliant on every change
Built to ADA and Minnesota State Building Code, with permits pulled
40+ years, owner on-site
Bob has been on the tools since 1985. He runs your build directly

Common Questions About Home Accessibility Upgrades

Do you handle full ADA remodels or just grab bars?
Both, and everything in between. Some homeowners need a single grab bar set into real blocking and a comfort-height toilet. Others need a curbless shower, a widened doorway, a no-step entry, and a main-floor bedroom conversion. We assess the whole home, then scope the work to what the person living there actually needs. You can phase it over time or do it all at once.
Can you make my existing bathroom accessible without gutting the whole thing?
Often, yes. If the layout works, we can add grab-bar blocking, swap in a comfort-height toilet, replace a tub with a low or curbless shower, and change out hardware without moving walls. When the room is too tight for a walker or a wheelchair turn, that is when we look at borrowing space from an adjacent closet or hallway. We tell you which situation you are in during the walkthrough.
What is involved in adding a ramp or no-step entry in Minnesota?
A code-compliant ramp runs at a 1:12 slope, which means one foot of ramp for every inch of rise, with level landings at the top and any turns. In Minnesota, exterior ramp and landing footings have to go below the 42-inch frost line so the structure does not heave out of level over winter. In a lot of cases we can avoid a ramp entirely by regrading the approach or building a no-step threshold at the garage or a side door. We pull the permit either way.
My bedrooms and bathroom are upstairs. What are my options?
This is common in North Metro split-levels and two-story homes. There are three real paths: continuous handrails on both sides of the stair for someone still steady on their feet, a stairlift with the framing and wiring prepped for it, or converting a main-floor room and adding a full main-floor bathroom for true one-level living. For homeowners planning to stay for the long run, main-floor living is usually the fix that lasts.
Are accessibility upgrades permitted, and do they add value?
The structural changes, widened doorways, new bathrooms, ramps, and entries, are permitted work, and we pull those permits and build to code. On value: one-level living and a barrier-free bathroom are among the first things buyers over 55 look for, so the same work that keeps you in your home tends to hold its value at resale. It is not money spent on a temporary fix.

Ready to Make Your Home Easier to Live In?

Call Bob directly and we will walk your home, look at how you actually move through it, and lay out the options area by area.

Call (763) 331-2247 Call Bob: (763) 331-2247

Related