by Paula SpanPHOTO – Joyce Hesselberth | The New York Times

“‘All the carpets are coming up, so they won’t be a trip hazard,’ said Ernie MacNeill, walking through the split-level house in Fair Lawn, N.J., that he is remodeling for a client who struggles to walk.

“Mr. MacNeill also plans to widen a bathroom door to provide better access for a wheelchair or walker.

“‘We’ll knock this closet back,’ he added. The home’s owner, Elliot Goldberg, 71, currently has to transfer from one stair lift to another to reach his third-level bedroom and bath. Moving the second-floor closet will make space for a new lift that can turn the corner and proceed upstairs, a far safer configuration.

“Mr. Goldberg, a Vietnam veteran with multiple health problems, has lived on this quiet suburban street for 30 years. His wife died four years ago, but he shares the house with their daughter and grandson.”

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