Grab bars and handrails
Solid bars fixed into the wall by the tub, the toilet and the stairs, so there is always something firm to hold.
Often the first step for anyone who feels a little unsteady. It is the smallest change on this page.
New Jersey home accessibility
Home accessibility services in NJ: five changes that keep you independent
Home accessibility services in NJ come down to five jobs: grab bars, bathrooms, stairlifts, ramps and doorways. Choose the one that fits, then send a request or call for a quote. Your first project comes with $100 off, whichever of the five you start with.
Where do you need help?
Pick the problem that sounds most like your home. Each one leads to the job that usually solves it.
Questions about choosing a job
Which change should we do first?
Start with whatever worries you most today. If it is a slip in the bathroom, grab bars are the quickest and smallest job. If the front steps are the barrier, begin with a ramp. The contractor can help you put the rest in order.
Can I do more than one job?
Yes. Many households do two or three over a few years. Ask the contractor to look at the whole house on the first visit, so the jobs fit together.
Does the $100 apply to each job?
No. It is one credit per household, applied to the first project you book. The offer terms have the full wording.
Who gives the price?
The local contractor does, in writing, after seeing your home. We plan the job and make the introduction. We do not quote it or do the work ourselves.
What if I am planning for a parent?
That is very common. You can send the request on their behalf, and the visit can be set for a time when you or your parent can be home. Photos of the space help the contractor prepare.
Do I need to be sure before I ask?
No. Choose Not sure yet on the form and describe what is hard. We will point you toward a sensible place to start.
The five jobs we plan
Each one is planned with you, then priced and done by a local contractor.
Accessible bathrooms and walk-in showers
A low-entry shower in place of the tub, or a whole bathroom rebuilt around a seat, a wide door and room to turn.
Good fit when the edge of the tub has become the hardest part of the day.
Stairlifts and home lifts
A seat on a rail that carries you up the staircase, or a lift that links floors or reaches the porch.
Good fit when the bedroom or the laundry is upstairs and the climb is wearing you out.
Wheelchair ramps
A gentle slope up to the door, built in aluminum, wood or concrete, for a wheelchair, walker or scooter.
Often the first step when the front steps are the only way in.
Doorway widening
Door frames opened wider, from offset hinges to a rebuilt opening, so a walker or chair passes through cleanly.
Good fit when a chair or walker catches on the bathroom or bedroom door.
How it works in 3 steps
Tell us what is hard
Use the form or call. Describe the job, or only the problem. A family member can do this for you.
We plan it and introduce a contractor
We help shape the plan, then connect you with a local contractor who visits, measures and writes up the price.
You decide
Read the written quote in your own time. Nothing starts until you say yes, and your $100 comes off the first booked project.
Our 100% Guarantee
- Asking is free. It never commits you to anything.
- We charge you no fee for planning or the introduction.
- You pay only the contractor you choose, at their written price.
- Your $100 credit is honored on your first booked project.
- Not happy with an introduction? Say so, and we will find you another at no charge.
Small print: This guarantee covers our planning and introduction service. The contractor's work is covered by your contract with them. Offer terms. Guarantee terms.
Aging in Place NJ · (315) 640-3590
Every household starts somewhere different
Some start with a bar by the tub, others with a ramp for a scooter. The page for each job explains what it involves and what moves its price, so you can decide where to begin.
Many households need two or three of these over time. Describe what is hard, and we will help you choose a sensible order. You can also read the planning guides for New Jersey homeowners for background.
How to choose among home accessibility services in NJ
Start with the moment that worries you most, not with a product. A product list sends you shopping. A problem sends you to the job that solves it.
- Slipping, or pushing up from the toilet: grab bars and handrails.
- The tub wall is the hardest step of the day: an accessible bathroom remodel.
- Stairs that take real effort: a stairlift or home lift.
- Steps at the door and a walker or chair: a wheelchair ramp.
- A walker catches on the frame: doorway widening.
If two of these apply, ask which one carries the most risk right now. Do that first. Fix the second when the budget and the schedule allow.
What drives the price of each job
Competitor price ranges online are rarely backed by a source, so we do not print dollar figures we cannot support. We can tell you what moves the number, which is more useful when you compare quotes.
Grab bars: how many bars, what the wall is made of and whether solid backing already sits behind it. Bathrooms: whether the old tub footprint can be reused and whether a drain must move. Stairlifts: straight or curved track, and the length of the run.
Ramps: the rise from ground to door, since every inch of rise adds length. Doorways: what is inside the wall, and whether it carries load.
Ask each contractor to list these items separately in the written quote. Then two quotes can be compared line by line.
Ways New Jersey households pay for accessibility work
Think of funding as a ladder, and check each rung. Original Medicare lists grab bars, stairway elevators and bathtub seats as denied items, so do not plan around it.
- NJ Medicaid managed care: residential modifications such as ramps, grab bars and widened doorways can be covered when the plan of care requires them, up to $15,000 over a lifetime.
- JACC: a state program for residents 60 and older who meet nursing home level of care and are not on Medicaid. Home modifications can be one of its services.
- VA: the HISA benefit has a $6,800 lifetime limit for listed categories, and larger housing grants exist for some disabled Veterans.
- Taxes: ramps, widened doorways, railings and grab bars can count as medical expenses, deductible only above a set share of your income.
Sources: NJ Medicaid, VA HISA benefit
Our overview of paying for home modifications in NJ walks through who qualifies and how to apply.
Permits at a glance
Rules differ by job, and your town's construction office has the last word. In short: bathroom accessories such as grab bars and a like-for-like fixture swap are ordinary maintenance. Moving a drain is not. A new ramp should be confirmed with the town before work starts. A stairlift or platform lift falls under the state elevator rules.
Source: NJ Administrative Code
The permit guide for common home modifications sets this out job by job.
Before you hire anyone
Whoever you choose, ask for the same four things. Their Division of Consumer Affairs registration number. A written contract that names the total price. Permits pulled before work starts, with inspection papers in your hands before the last payment. And a clear start and finish plan.
Sources: NJ Consumer Affairs, NJ Legislature
State rules back each of these, and you can cancel for three business days after you receive your copy. We introduce contractors and are not one, so these questions belong at the first visit. Then call or send the short form, and your $100 comes off the first project.
Ready to plan it?
$100 off your first project. Call or send a request.