Aging in Place
Aging in place renovations
in Ottawa.
For seniors who want to stay in the home they know, and for the sons and daughters helping them do it. We plan home modifications around the person who lives there: grab bars, a walk-in shower, an easier entrance, railings and lighting on the stairs, a bedroom on the main floor. It starts with a free Home Safety Assessment and continues as one managed project, with one point of contact and guidance on the grants you may qualify for.
Curious first? Take the Home Safety Score online, in your own time.
What aging in place means
The home you know, with the everyday made easier.
Aging in place is not about turning a home into something it is not. It is about staying where you belong, among your own things, your neighbours and your routines, with a few changes that make daily life easier on every level: the front steps, the bathroom, the stairs, the lighting, the doorways, the kitchen, and sometimes a bedroom brought down to the main floor.
Often the conversation starts with a son or daughter who lives across town, or across the country, and wants a parent to keep living the way they choose. We talk with both of you. The person who lives in the home decides what changes, and the family gets a clear plan, a written price and one person to call.
Common home modifications
Home modifications for seniors, room by room.
Most homes need only a few of these, and the right ones depend on how you live in the house. These are the changes families ask us about most.
Grab bars
The simplest change, and often the first. Two stainless steel bars, supplied and installed in one visit, starting at $329 plus HST, placed with you where your hand naturally goes: by the toilet, at the tub or shower, inside a door.
Grab bar installationBathrooms and walk-in showers
A tub converted to a curbless walk-in shower, a comfort-height toilet and vanity, non-slip flooring and better lighting. The bathroom is where most families start, because it is used every day.
Bathrooms and walk-in showersEntrances and ramps
Getting in and out easily in every season: a ramp with a gentle slope and handrails, a level entry, railings inside and out, and wider exterior doors.
Ramps, entrances and railingsHandrails
Custom handrails for front steps, basement stairs and hallways: measured and drawn to your stairs, checked against the handrail requirements of the Ontario Building Code, Part 9, then installed.
Handrails, installedStairs and lighting
A second railing, brighter stairs and night paths, or a stair lift, which we can arrange, when the stairs have become the hard part of the day. Every floor of the home stays within reach.
Stairs and stair liftsDoorways and the kitchen
Doorways widened for a walker or wheelchair, lever handles and switches that are easier to reach, and a kitchen adapted for working sitting or standing.
Door wideningMain-floor living
A bedroom and a full bathroom on the main floor, so daily life no longer depends on the stairs. For larger changes, one plan covers the whole home: design, permits and every trade.
Whole-home renovationsFrom our work
An Ottawa split-level, rethought from the inside out for easier living on every level: open main-floor living with wide openings between rooms and a curbless walk-in shower. We designed it in 3D, handled the permits and managed every trade. It is a finalist in the 2026 GOHBA Housing Design Awards.
See the split-level, reimaginedBathroom safety
Bathroom Conversion Package
From a tub to a walk-in shower, as fast as three days.
Starting at $9,800, fixed in writing after the site visit. One point of contact for design, permits and trades.
- Tub out, curbless or low-threshold shower in
- Grab bars, folding seat, hand-held shower
- Non-slip floor and lever controls
- Drawn and priced before work starts
- Licensed plumber and electrician as needed
How we work
An assessment, a plan, and one project we manage for you.
1
A free Home Safety Assessment
A professional home assessor visits and walks through the home with you, room by room, asking how you use each space and what feels harder than it used to. Within 5 business days you receive a written list of what would help, in priority order, with estimated costs and the grants and tax credits you may qualify for. There is no obligation.
2
A plan you choose from
You decide what to do and when. Some families start with grab bars and better lighting; others plan a bathroom or a main-floor bedroom. Renovation work is quoted in writing first, and work begins only once you accept the quote.
3
One managed project
We handle the permits, guide you on the grant applications, and manage every trade from the first day to the last. You and your family have one point of contact for the whole project, and anything found along the way is quoted first, never added silently.
Our assessors are trained in aging-in-place best practices. The Home Safety Assessment looks at the home, not at the person: it is a practical home review, not a clinical or occupational therapy assessment. We work alongside occupational therapists and healthcare professionals who refer clients to us, and where a therapist's assessment would help, we suggest a referral and plan the work around their recommendations. Healthcare professionals can refer a client here. For background, read what the research says about home modifications.
Now or later
Planning ahead, or ready for a change now.
Planning ahead
Many people plan these changes years before they need them, often alongside work they were doing anyway. If the bathroom is due for an update, it can become a walk-in shower with room for a grab bar. A new entrance can be built level. Done on your own schedule, a renovation is simply a renovation, and you choose every finish.
A change needed now
Sometimes something has changed: a return home from hospital, stairs that have become tiring, a tub that is harder to step into. Start with what makes today easier. Grab bars are one visit, and we prioritize those requests. The free assessment then sets out the rest in priority order, so the larger work can follow at a pace that suits you.
Paying for it
Grants and tax credits can cover part of the cost.
Home modifications for seniors qualify for more support than many families realize. Each program has its own rules, and our guides explain them in full. The assessment report lists the ones you may qualify for.
- Home Accessibility Tax Credit. A federal credit for homeowners 65 or older, or eligible for the Disability Tax Credit, or an eligible family member who lives with them. It can reduce federal tax by up to $2,800 (2026). Read our HATC guide
- Ontario Renovates, City of Ottawa. Up to $20,000 for income-eligible Ottawa homeowners who are 65 or older, have a disability, or live with someone who does: a forgivable loan of up to $15,000 plus an accessibility grant of up to $5,000. The City must approve the work in writing before it starts. Read our Ontario Renovates guide
- Home and Vehicle Modification Program. Run by March of Dimes Canada: up to $15,000 lifetime for home modifications, for Ontario residents with a permanent disability that affects mobility, within its income limits. It needs an occupational therapist's assessment and written approval before any work. Read our HVMP guide
Some programs can be used together. Our guide to how the programs combine walks through it. If you plan to use Ontario Renovates or HVMP, call us before any work is booked, so the approval is in place first.
What clients say on Google
Read all reviews on GoogleWhy Still at Home
Not a contractor to manage. A service that manages it for you.
Still at Home is a managed service. We assess the home, plan the changes with you, guide the grant applications and manage every trade, so your family is not left coordinating trades, permits and paperwork. We hold the CHBA Qualified Adaptiv Home Specialist credential, our accessible split-level renovation is a 2026 GOHBA Housing Design Awards finalist, and we are members of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association and the Canadian Home Builders' Association.
Where we work: Ottawa, including Kanata, Manotick, Orléans, Carp, Barrhaven, Nepean, Stittsville, Gloucester, and nearby Perth, Arnprior, Carleton Place, Clarence-Rockland, Kemptville.
Frequently asked questions
What is aging in place?+
What home modifications help seniors stay at home?+
Where do we start?+
How much do aging in place renovations cost?+
Are there grants for home modifications for seniors in Ontario?+
Can you work with an occupational therapist?+
Which areas do you serve?+
Start with a free Home Safety Assessment.
Most homes have a few things worth fixing. You do not know which ones until someone looks. We visit the home, listen to how you live in it, and send a written list of what would help, in priority order, with estimated costs and the grants you may qualify for.