Kevin: Today on "This Old House," I'm touring an accessibility showroom to find out how to make each room more functional for anybody facing mobility challenges.

Tom: When you're digging for a foundation, the frost line in New England has to be 48 inches from finished grade down.

If you look right here, there's not enough.

Kevin: Multiple additions in an odd flow.

We'll show you the architect's smart solutions.

♪♪ Man: Ahh.

That's it.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Kevin: Hey, there.

I'm Kevin O'Connor, and welcome back to "This Old House" and to a new project we're working on here in historic Lexington, Massachusetts.

We have got ourselves a mid-century modern home.

Now, there are several reasons to do some updates to this house but none more important than the fact that the family would like to make it accessible for their son, Caffrey.

He's mobile now, but, sadly, will soon be needing to use a wheelchair.

So, some work has started here in the front yard, mostly just to move a gas line.

But if you look back here, well, that is the original house, as I said, built in 1960, in the mid-century modern style.

And you can pretty much tell that, with the facade and the massing and the roofline.

But over the years, probably starting in the 2000s or so, there were several additions.

Used to be a gas meter right here.

That's being moved, hence the work in the front.

But the additions start here and work the way over this way.

And as they were added on to the house, well, it lost some of its original mid-century feel and its charm.

So this is going to eventually change, but, right now, it's pretty much the way we found it.

But that is not the case with what's going on inside.

Well, as I said, a lot of changes on the inside.

Look at this place.

So, just to remind you of the basic geography -- garage here, and above it was the primary suite, the bedroom/bathroom.

Also, an office up there.

And as you come through the front door, a meandering trail, there was a couch right there for no particular reason.

But as you can see, this is a back-to-the-studs demolition, which is pretty aggressive.

So, this was the daughter's bedroom here.

There was another bedroom beyond it.

And taking it back to the studs means that all of the drywall comes off, even the floors came up, insulation was pulled down to the rafters there in the ceiling.

We also took out the rough plumbing, the rough electric back here.

This is all bedrooms and bathrooms, so sort of a private part of the house, and as you came this way, more of a public part of the house.

And, Charlie, what have you done?

It was a nice house.

You took it down to the studs.

Charlie: It was.

I know it seems excessive, but believe it or not, all of this floor plan's changing.

This entire job starts with accessibility.

Kevin: Mm-hmm.

Charlie: And to get that done right, we really had to change this floor plan.

Kevin: So when you say all of it, these partition walls, every single one of them is gone or moving?

Charlie: Gone.

So all new wiring, new plumbing, drain work, et cetera -- even lighting, taking down the ceiling.

And remember, this is the galley kitchen before.

Kevin: Oh, yeah.

Charlie: We had less than 5 feet to walk through.

New kitchen is going to really open up into this entire space.

Kevin: Okay.

Well, as you say, accessibility is sort of top of the list here.

How did the demo go?

This is a lot of work.

Charlie: It didn't go too bad, and I had some good help.

The family started in.

Kevin: Oh, no kidding.

Charlie: Yeah, they took to it real well.

Kevin: The kids, too.

Charlie: They did.

Kevin: Ah.

I'm almost jealous I wasn't part of it.

Charlie: One little change downstairs I want to show you, though.

Kevin: Uh-oh.

Courtney: Well, you know, this is all about accessibility, but the other big problem, Mom and Dad's primary is way up above there.

Caffrey's bedroom's on this far corner.

They are way too far apart.

So the idea of this addition is to bring them much closer together.

Kevin: So put Mom and Dad next to Caffrey.

They can help them out.

Charlie: That's right.

So the new addition's going to come about 16 feet off the house, hitting this corner here, goes back 10 feet past the corner of the foundation, and out 14 feet there.

Kevin: Yeah.

Charlie: And all the way down to the other side, you see the orange stake, and that's where the other far corner will be.

Kevin: So we get in this new addition, a new primary suite next to Caffrey's bedroom?

Charlie: Right.

So, if you really look at the floor above is Caffrey's now, and if you look at this picture extending that out, that's what Caffrey will be, and mom and dad will be right over there.

Kevin: Nice.

Good improvement.

Charlie: But during excavation, we found this.

Our existing grade is here.

Our concrete foundation only came to about here.

We really should be at least 4 feet below grade, preferably with a footing.

We don't have either one.

Kevin: Uh-oh.

Charlie: So, our new concrete floor, which they want 18 inches lower than the existing basement floor... Kevin: Yeah.

Charlie: ...would leave all this dirt exposed on both sides.

Kevin: How do you handle that?

Charlie: Let's take this entire concrete wall out, and that will let us have accessibility anywhere we want.

Kevin: Okay.

Charlie: But we weren't so lucky inside.

Kevin: Uh-oh.

Hey, Tommy.

Tom: Hey.

How are you?

Charlie: So when we decided to take out the concrete floor, we didn't want to bring jackhammers in here, causing all kinds of vibrations.

So we took a concrete saw and really diced it up into sections.

We were able to bring a skid-steer in and really just take it out.

Kevin: And why all the demo?

Charlie: Well, we have a proposed elevator going right over here, bring us down to the same elevation as the new recreation room -- accessibility.

Kevin: So Caffrey can use this space now.

Okay.

Charlie: And over here, you can see the problem.

Kevin: So this is the same problem we had outside, right?

You guys dug down and you found out no footing, not deep enough?

Tom: Right.

So what we're going to do is we're going to actually make a mat system.

Here's a cross-section of what the form's going to look like.

Kevin: The white represents new concrete?

Tom: New concrete, and the footing right here.

So think of this as a leg.

All right?

Would be the concrete that goes around the rebar, and my foot is the footing.

It's a wider stance.

It's going to work in two directions.

In this case, it's going to hold the weight back at the toe of my foot so that it has to be nice and thick and nice and wide.

Once we get the steel in the wall here, we'll take some steel this way, and we'll run it horizontally, two pieces here, and then we'll have more steel going across in the footing.

We'll put two more pieces here.

Kevin: Wow.

Okay.

Tom: And that will all get tied together with another piece of rebar that's bent that will go into the footing here, tie it together here and here.

Kevin: You Silvas don't mess around.

All right.

So are we drilling holes at this point?

Tom: Yeah, we're drilling holes right now, deep enough to get the -- the rebar into the wall, and then we'll also put epoxy in there to hold them really straight.

Charlie: Let's drill, baby.

Tom: Yeah.

♪♪ ♪♪ Kevin: Hey, Sandra.

Sandra: Hi.

Kevin: What do you think of our house?

Sandra: I think it's a real gem, but I think there's a few things that could be improved.

Kevin: An architect's way of saying that there's things you don't like.

Sandra: Yeah.

The more recent additions, they don't exactly do us any favors, architecturally.

Kevin: Well, let's get closer and dig in.

Sandra: Yeah.

So, the solution to this really oversize garage volume is to amend the front roofline.

So we're talking about removing the sloped roof and bringing it down so that the garage bays have a single-story roofline.

The existing entry arrives at a really awkward place within the floorplan, so our idea is to re-center the entry and pull it forward about 6 feet.

This also helps to eclipse the oversized garage.

Kevin: So we need a ramp, obviously, for the house.

Sandra: Yes, we do.

And when we were designing it, we didn't really want it to feel like something that was added onto the home.

Kevin: Which they often do.

Sandra: Absolutely.

So, the ramp starts at the driveway level, and it arrives at the front door to be aligned with the first-floor level, and it's positioned under the roofline to provide cover in all weather.

It's also integrated with the landscape.

Kevin: So you've got pretty much a clean slate to work with in here, thanks to Charlie and the guys.

Sandra: We do.

Kevin: So what's the plan as we put it back together?

Sandra: We preserve a family-room space, and then we create a kitchen and breakfast area in the heart of the home here.

And then we create a slightly more formal living area.

If you notice, Caffrey in a wheelchair will never find himself in a corner where it's difficult to navigate.

Kevin: That's a good point.

And we've got new space going off the back.

Sandra: Yeah.

By opening this up, we're displacing some of the bedroom space, but we're also trying to provide accessible bathrooms and other amenities, and in doing so, we had to add some square-footage to the rear.

Kevin: Awesome.

Well, we look forward to seeing it all come together.

Thank you for all the hard work, Sandra.

Sandra: Yeah, yeah.

Kevin: Appreciate it.

Sandra: Thank you.

♪♪ ♪♪ Charlie: Go ahead.

Go ahead.

Kevin: With all the demo going on at the house, I decided to visit a showroom in New England that specializes in mobility and accessibility ideas for the home.

Whether you plan to stay in your house as you get older, or if you've got a loved one with a disability, coming to a showroom like this can be a great place to visit, where you can touch and feel and try out ideas to help you with bathrooms and kitchens and stairs and help you meet your needs now and in the future.

Linda, nice to meet you.

Linda: Likewise.

Thank you.

Welcome.

Kevin: Thank you very much for inviting us to the showroom, which looks terrific.

You got the facade of a house out front here.

Linda: Because we want clients, when they come in, to just imagine their own home.

What is needed to get into that home?

Is it a ramp?

Is it a vertical platform lift?

It could be a threshold to get into the front door.

So there's many options, depending on what that client's needs are.

Kevin: Sure.

I came down a ramp.

We're putting one on the outside of our house, but I think we've got needs for one inside, as well -- the garage.

I presume something like this could serve both needs?

Linda: Absolutely.

All aluminum.

It can go outside with the mesh so that the rain and the snow can just go right through and it can go inside.

Depending on the risers that are there in the garage, would also depend on the actual length of the ramp.

Kevin: Gotcha.

And this, to me, is a little less typical.

A lift.

I don't see them a lot.

Linda: So, these are vertical platform lifts, and come on in.

So, then, again, another option that a client could use to get into the home.

So if it's a small front yard, there's not enough room to put a ramp.

So they could use a vertical platform lift.

This is all aluminum.

it can go in a garage or also outside.

Kevin: Looks like you're protecting us from rolling off or falling off as this comes up.

Linda: That is correct.

Kevin: All right.

And how much elevation can this cover?

Linda: Normal vertical platform lifts can go up to 14 feet.

Kevin: Oh, wow.

So quite a bit, huh?

Linda: Yes.

Kevin: Very nice.

So, obviously rated for outdoors.

Where do these go?

Linda: Those would go next to the lift, in the vicinity of the lift.

Could be next to the deck.

It could be next to the side of the house, depending on what's there, and it would be covered in the aluminum.

Kevin: Gotcha.

Okay.

So a couple options for in and out of the house.

More to show me?

Linda: Absolutely.

Come on down.

Welcome to the heart of our showroom.

I'd like to start first by showing you the bedroom.

What we see here are ceiling lifts.

This is also an adjustable bed.

So, with the ceiling lift, you could have the freestanding posts, as we show here, or you can actually have those tracks installed in the ceiling.

You can put them throughout the entire home if need be.

Kevin: Oh, really?

Linda: You can use them with turntables so they can go around corners.

Kevin: And so is it designed to be operated by the person with the disability, by a caregiver, by both?

Linda: It would be mainly used by the caregiver, maneuvering that individual either to the left or to the right to maneuver that individual over into a wheelchair.

Kevin: I gotcha.

Okay.

And the bed's going up and down sort of as the remote calls for it, as well.

Linda: Yes.

Kevin: Is it just for the bedroom?

You said you could put it anywhere in the house.

So also into a bathroom?

Linda: You can put this into a bathroom.

You can put this into a living room.

It really just depends on the mobility of that individual and what the use of it is for.

Kevin: I've never seen it before.

Intuitive.

Okay.

Linda: So, I'd like to show you the bathroom next.

As you can see here, it's designed for all accessibility and mobility.

One of the first things I'd like to show you is the toilet lift.

Please grab the remote.

So, designed for, like, a lift chair.

This can come up or down.

It also has the existing grab bars on either side.

You can use this on any existing toilet.

Kevin: So this is a retrofit.

Linda: This is a retrofit.

So it's an easy, affordable modification that can be done.

Kevin: Comes up awfully high.

Linda: It does come up high.

So from that -- Kevin: By design.

Linda: By design.

And you've got the grab bars there to hold it.

And then if someone were in a wheelchair, as an example, they could easily transfer into the wheelchair.

Kevin: So it could take you to the standing position.

Linda: It could.

It could.

Kevin: Gotcha.

And then I presume this is adjustable next door.

Linda: Yeah.

This is what they call a P.T.

rail.

And again, just another form of a grab bar.

This is the roll-in shower.

Kevin: Okay.

So, one chair so that you can have this in the shower.

Curbless, or mostly curbless.

This is a retrofit?

Linda: That is correct.

Kevin: But designed so that you can roll over it, in and out.

Linda: So, you can use either this type of chair or you can use a shower bench that is attached to the wall.

Kevin: So this one stays in the shower.

Linda: That's correct.

Kevin: It goes away very nicely right there.

Linda: So, let me take you to the kitchen next.

Let's start with the appliances.

As you can see here, there's the oven at the top.

It's got the right open because it is easier to open from the side than it is to pull down if you're in a walker or a wheelchair.

Kevin: Didn't know that.

Linda: The microwave at the bottom is just push-button, so, again, it's for ease of use for someone that is in a wheelchair.

Kevin: Right.

So, in this case, it's about the position of the appliances.

Linda: Correct.

Kevin: Gotcha.

Linda: As you come down into the stove, you see the grab bars here.

Kevin: Oh, I thought they were drawer pulls.

So you fooled me.

Well done.

But they are nice and sturdy.

Linda: And then you have the pantry.

So this is just a drop-arm here.

And you could just put your critical items here.

You don't have to do it in every cabinet.

And, Kevin, lastly, I'd like to show you some of the options that we do provide for individuals that have trouble getting up and down the stairs.

Kevin: Okay.

Linda: This is Bill, my husband.

This is his area of expertise, so I'm going to let him take it from here.

Kevin: Thank you, Linda.

You were terrific.

Linda: Pleasure.

Kevin: Tough act to follow, Bill.

Bill: Hey, I'm going to try my best.

Kevin: All right.

Please do.

Bill: This is our standard stair lift.

Kevin: Okay.

Bill: It runs off of remote control that are located at the top and bottom of the stairway.

Kevin: Very nice.

Bill: It also has an up-and-down button on the -- Kevin: On here.

Bill: On the chair itself, yes.

Kevin: Okay.

This is what we call the flip rail, and this is designed to eliminate an obstruction at the bottom of the stairway, whether it be a door or a passageway to a room.

Kevin: So you can just walk right through here once that's up.

Bill: That's correct.

Kevin: Gotcha.

Okay.

Bill: That's correct.

Yep.

Kevin: I notice that there is a seatbelt.

Other safety features?

Bill: The foot-rest safety pan.

Kevin: So it's like a little bump feature.

If it hits something, it's going to stop the chair.

Bill: That's correct.

Kevin: Gotcha.

All right.

And in terms of compactness... Bill: When it's not in use, you can fold these foot rests up.

The seat will fold up.

The arms fold up, as well.

Kevin: Look at that.

Okay.

Bill: It only takes up 14 inches of the stairway.

Kevin: Which means you still have plenty of room to come up and down.

A typical staircase right there.

Nice.

So kind of a critical feature if you have mobility issues or bad knees because stairs can be treacherous.

Not the only option for getting up and down.

Bill: No.

We have the elevator.

Kevin: Nice to have a model that you can show off.

And this one's glass doors.

Bill: This is a great option.

Allows the customers to see what's on the inside.

Kevin: Yep.

So, may I get in?

Bill: Please.

Kevin: I presume you can really customize it to your preferences?

Bill: Crown moldings, chair rails, flooring, different fixture metals.

Kevin: Whatever you want.

Bill: Whatever you want.

Kevin: So, essential to have something like this if you are in a wheelchair.

Right?

This is going to be very helpful for getting between floors.

Although a much bigger price point than the stair lift.

Bill: Much higher, much higher.

Kevin: Yeah.

So are you doing many of them?

Is it popular?

Bill: Right now, we've got about 80 active elevator projects.

Kevin: [ Laughing ] 80?

Bill: Yeah.

Kevin: So they are popular.

Bill: Very much so.

Kevin: Holy mackerel.

Well, you know, if this is the thing that allows you to stay in your house -- I mean, are people putting these in out of necessity or are they sort of future-proofing?

Bill: Future-proofing.

Kevin: Yeah.

So this allows them to sit there and say, "I can stay in the house," and I guess maybe that makes the cost -- Bill: This is the new baby boomer option.

Kevin: Yeah.

Very nice.

Bill: Yeah.

Kevin: Well, terrific showroom.

I appreciate you and your wife showing us around.

Thank you.

Can we take a ride?

Bill: Please.

♪♪ ♪♪ Richard: So, Charlie, we've been living by an energy code forever, it seems.

You know, we analyze the walls, the windows, we put the good equipment in.

But we now have a new energy code here in town, right?

Charlie: We do.

As of January 1st, Massachusetts has a new energy code, and that affects all new construction, full-gut renovations, and, in our case, putting 1,000 square feet on or more affects the rest of the house.

Richard: And this is more than 1,000 square feet.

Charlie: It does.

And I can't even apply for a building permit until I can prove a certain rating.

Richard: And that means calling in a third-party professional.

Charlie: It does.

♪♪ Hey, Richard, say hello to Kevin, our HERS rater.

Richard: Hi, Kevin.

How are you?

Kevin: Good morning.

It's a great day to be a HERS rater.

Richard: Thanks for all your help on this project.

Take us through what is the HERS rating.

Kevin: The HERS rating stands for Home Energy Rating System.

It's a system that uses what's called an energy model that takes into account all of the attributes of the house.

Richard: Okay.

And what are the attributes?

Kevin: The walls, the roof, the R value of the insulation, the efficiency of all your equipment, heating, cooling.

Richard: Everything that would go into the cost of operating that building.

Kevin: Everything goes into the spreadsheet, and the output is the HERS rating.

Richard: Okay.

So, what are we seeing here?

The HERS rating falls on a scale of zero upwards.

A typical house built in the '70s and '80s might have a HERS rating of 140, and a house built according to the 2006 energy code would have a HERS rating of 100.

In Massachusetts, the energy code says you have to get a HERS rating of 52, which means the House uses 52% of the energy of the 2006 house.

Richard: Well, that's half of that.

But what catches my eye is that it's going to be, what, almost 2/3 less than a typical home if we build it to this system.

Kevin: Yes.

Richard: So we got to work hard to get to this point.

Charlie: We do.

I made some models up, and this is a mockup of our existing roof system that we have now, which is 2x8 framing with fiberglass insulation, giving us an R value of 29.

Richard: That's our existing condition.

Charlie: That's right.

Richard: Okay.

Charlie: And normally we would do is just take out the fiberglass insulation and spray in a closed-cell foam, giving us an R value of 49.

Richard: Okay.

So that's pretty good.

You get that almost double there.

Side walls, similar?

Charlie: Same thing.

What we have here is a model of our side-wall conditions -- 2x4 framing with fiberglass insulation, giving us an R value of 13.

And same thing -- we remove all the fiberglass in a renovation and then spray in closed-cell foam, giving us an R value of a 21.

Richard: Would that get us to our 52?

Kevin: In a typical house, it would make 52 within reach.

Richard: Okay.

Kevin: Unfortunately, there are certain pieces of the house... Richard: Okay.

Kevin: ...that weigh the HERS rating down.

Charlie: And one of them is the brick facade that we have.

And on the outside it shows as well as the inside.

Richard: Yeah.

Charlie: Fortunately, one inch of foam in between them really works in our favor, giving us an R value of 7.

Here's our biggest headache, probably, is we have an existing concrete slab, no insulation under it, R value of zero.

Richard: R zero is pretty low.

Charlie: It's pretty low.

Richard: All right.

So that triggered a whole nother level of insulation, right?

Charlie: It does, and this is a mockup of our new roofing system.

So, same thing -- our 2x8 framing, which would have our closed-cell foam, giving us an R value of 49, but then we took it a step higher and we put two layers of foam insulation.

And the reason I want to do two layers of foam is I want to overlap the seams so nothing can really come through each sheet.

So we're going to have an extra about 12 here, giving us an R value of 60.

Richard: And this is great because, you know, people don't realize that the heat can still transfer right up here, up through the roof.

This will break it.

Charlie: That's right.

And now our new framing addition is going to have a 2x6, fill it with closed-cell foam, but we're also going to add 1 inch of foam on the exterior of this, giving us an R value of 42.

Richard: So, does that satisfy it?

Kevin: It brings us close, but we're not quite there.

Richard: Really?

Charlie: So here's the solution for the slab.

This model here, this represents the foundation.

Richard: Gotcha.

Charlie: And then we have our gravel on the ground.

Richard: Right.

Charlie: So what we're gonna do is take out the concrete slab.

Richard: You take all the slab, which you're not going to hate anyways, because there's all that ductwork under there.

Charlie: Going to run electrical, plumbing, ductwork, everything.

So spray the closed-cell foam right to the gravel.

Richard: Good.

Charlie: About 2 inches or so, giving us an R value of 15.

Richard: Yeah.

Charlie: This represents our concrete pour.

Richard: Yeah.

Charlie: And then we're going to have sleepers 16 inches on center, with 2 inches of rigid foam in between that.

Richard: That's terrific.

Charlie: And then our 3/4 subflooring.

Richard: Like a little cooking recipe, Charlie.

Charlie: It is.

And then our radiant heat.

Richard: Radiant heat in the finished floor.

Charlie: And then it finishes off with the floor.

And that will give us an R value of around 20.

Richard: That's a far cry from the R zero that was here.

Does that get us there?

Kevin: So it brings us very close.

Fortunately, we're doing the windows and the doors, so that puts us over the edge.

Richard: I got to tell you, though, I mean, it is a lot of industry.

By the time you do all this and all that buildout, I mean, what's the premium that's going to be added to this project?

Charlie: I'm guessing 25%, 30%, at least.

Richard: To be energy efficient.

And he can't get around it.

It has to be to get a building permit.

Right?

You had to get it.

Kevin: That's right.

The code compels you to get a 52.

Charlie: And then I have to make one more phone call at the end.

He has to come back in and do one more blower test actually to show that we have the 52.

Richard: So we have to be nice to him right to the end?

Charlie: We do.

♪♪ Kevin: How'd that footing pour go, Charlie?

Charlie: Looks good, doesn't it?

Kevin: It does.

It looks real good.

And it looks real different back here with all this demo.

So, what do we got coming up next time?

Charlie: We're gonna start demoing the concrete slab on the first floor.

Richard: We've got HVAC decisions to make and locations of the equipment.

Tom: And we got to start framing.

Kevin: All right.

Starting to put it back together.

So we're off to the races here.

So until next time, I'm Kevin O'Connor.

Richard: I'm Richard Trethewey.

Tom: I'm Tom Silva.

Charlie: And I'm Charlie Silva.

Kevin: "This Old House" here in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Look at the size of that addition.

Kevin: Next time on "This Old House"... We are going to connect the old to the new as the big dig comes to Lexington in the form of a tunnel.

Richard: And we need to run ductwork in this beautiful space, but there's no room in the ceiling or the wall, so we're going to run it under the slab.

Kevin: I'll see a newly installed residential elevator similar to the one we're planning on putting in Lexington.

♪♪