Then-And-Now: Flat turns functional

To someone in a wheelchair, the little things can loom large in a living space. Cupboards, countertops, sinks and electrical outlets can be perpetually out of reach.

For someone on a fixed, low income, the cost of affording to renovate or buy living quarters that meets their needs is definitely a challenge.

As Toronto Community Housing (TCH) sets out to gradually renovate its low-income apartments in the City of Toronto, handicapped tenants are also being accommodated. Kneider Architects of Toronto, Ont., has taken up the challenge to provide for both the able-bodied and those who would occupy a wheelchair.

George Kneider, principal at Kneider Architects, can only tackle one living unit at a time. “TCH has approximately 25,000 apartments in various states of repair and in need of upgrades,” he says. More than 1000 buildings are over 50 years old, while only 23 buildings were built within the past 10 years.

A unit for a special needs tenant that Kneider took on was converted from a closed-in kitchen with walls and doors to an open plan concept. “We completely retrofitted the kitchen for a tenant that is handicapped and in a wheelchair,” Kneider says.

“The upper cabinets are fitted with pull down shelves that give him complete access to the upper cabinets. The oven has a swing door that allows complete access to cooking and a pull out shelf to transfer food to the oven.”

The counters were lowered and designed for complete wheelchair access, while the cooktop is designed for a handicapped person. “The electrical plugs are side mounted to give him easy access to plugging in the toasters and microwave,” says Kneider.

The existing vinyl tile floors — that never saw any washing or waxing, according to Kneider, were replaced with new luxury vinyl plank flooring. “The floor requires only damp mopping to clean up now.”

The washroom was completely redone with a roll-in shower and total accessibility. “The walls were done with floor to ceiling 4 x 12 polished white tile and the floor was rebuilt with 2 x 2 porcelain non-slip tile with Schluter Ditra underlayment on the floor and Kerdi-Board panels on the walls,” says Kneider.

The architect has completed eight units in apartment complex to date, but more are likely to follow. “I expect over the next year there will be over 100 units in various TCH buildings,” Kneider says.

Kneider is happy to have satisfied the dreams of even just one tenant who needed a special place to live. “When the tenant saw the space for the first time after it was renovated,” Kneider says, “he just sat there and cried as he couldn’t believe the change in the apartment.”