Not by any design or plan, our business clientele are mostly seniors and, by and large, they are the best customers any business owner could wish for.

Santa Barbara is blessed with a vibrant community of seasoned seniors, of whom most all seem to be happy with their station in life, are very pleasant to work for, appreciate quality work, and have very flexible schedules if kept updated when we are running early or late.

I thought that for this column I would share my observations of home maintenance work that seems to be typical for seniors, and offer a few suggestions.

Grab Bars

A properly installed grab bar in the shower or bathtub can mean the difference between a slight misstep and a debilitating fall.

Grab bars can be purchased at most hardware stores, some drug stores, and are typically available off the shelf in white and stainless steel, while colors like nickel or oiled bronze can be special ordered at a plumbing store.

A typical installation usually has a 36-inch wide bar along the long side of the tub, a 12-inch bar along the short side and often an additional 12-inch bar installed vertically right outside the tub or shower.

Grab bars can be easily mounted on ceramic tile or natural stone, but usually not onto an acrylic or fiberglass tub or shower unit.

An experienced installer will know how to use the right tools, and will avoid any cracks or chips to your tiles.

Handrails

Handrails for outside steps or walkways can be an attractive accent to your yard while providing a safe handhold when going out for exercise or making a trip to the mailbox.

A new handrail can be fastened to walls, bolted to concrete steps with expanding concrete anchor bolts, or supported by posts in the ground set in cement.

Simple and affordable handrails are often fabricated from ornamental iron or wood, and many homes have custom wrought iron work, which is beautiful but usually pricey.

With a little design and installation knowledge, an attractive and safe handrail can be installed at just about any location around the house.

Access Ramps

Even the smallest step or incline can be a challenging barrier for someone relying on a walker or wheelchair for mobility, and a well thought-out ramp can be the answer.

For safe access, the slope of a ramp should not exceed 1 inch of rise per foot of length, needs to be a minimum of 36 inches wide, and ramps spanning more than a step or two should have a sturdy handrail.

At a safe slope of 1 inch per foot, it can often be surprising how long the ramp needs to be to go up over just a few steps, but often a landing and a midway change of direction can be the solution.

There are many smaller ramps for doorways that can be purchased online.

Motion Sensor Lights

Most houses have a porch light at the front door or wall-mounted light for the driveway area to provide illumination for those approaching the home at night.

A motion sensor light fixture can be installed at these spots that turn on automatically when a visitor approaches or a car pulls into the driveway.

They come with easy adjustments for sensitivity to turn on for a person and not for every raccoon or possum that forages by, and for the length of time the light stays on, allowing for enough time to get from the car to the front door.

Basic fixtures can be bought at the hardware store, but more decorative fixtures that match the style of your home can be found online.

No Ladders

The top of a ladder is no place for anyone receiving Social Security, no matter how rugged they were in the day; the falling part really isn’t that bad, but the landing part is never good.

We continually take calls from ladies calling to get our help with a project before their senior husbands dust off the ladders and take on the job themselves.

Setting up a ladder and working on it for even a smaller job takes a certain level of core body strength and balance that most people just don’t have after they qualify for Medicare, and it really is best just to hire someone or put it off until you can get the help of a younger person.

Hire Local

Santa Barbara has a thriving community of tradespeople and almost every type of contractor you will ever need for work on your home. Ask friends and neighbors for referrals of contractors they have used.

Resolving a problem with a local contractor can be much easier than trying to work things out with a smooth talker from out of town.

License and Insurance

Unless he is a friend, relative or neighbor, it’s just not a good idea to have anyone working on your property who doesn’t have a contractor’s license and insurance.

Things do go wrong sometimes, workers do get hurt, pipes do get broken accidentally, and trucks do get backed into walls and gates.

Any tradesperson who is serious about his or her business will have a license and insurance, and will provide proof of both on request without any fuss.

A contractor who shows any reluctance to provide proof of license or insurance is best avoided. No license = No insurance.

Payment

It’s my observation that most contractors will not ask for a deposit for a job of less than $5,000 or so unless there are custom-ordered materials involved. California state law limits any deposit to 10% or $1,000, whichever is less.

I ask our clients to “pay upon completion and satisfaction of owner,” and I would be wary of a contractor who insists on a deposit for smaller jobs.

For larger jobs, it is best to pay on a percentage of completion basis, but the final payment should be held on any job until the homeowner has a chance to make sure all the loose ends are tied up, no construction debris has been left onsite, everything is working as it should, and you are completely happy with the work.