DC houses are built upward, and that is fixable
Most of Washington lives in houses stacked on narrow lots. Rowhouses climb from a stoop to a parlor floor to the bedrooms, and even the detached houses here keep the bedrooms upstairs.
So the danger in a DC house runs up and down more than room to room. Every step of it has a fix, and the fixes cost far less than leaving.
Genworth and CareScout put the median cost of assisted living in DC at about $92,220 a year in 2024. A single modification project usually costs a small part of that.
How it works in Washington, DC
- Tell us the ward and the house. Rowhouse, semi detached or detached, and which floor the bedroom and bathroom are on.
- We walk it and rank it. Stoop, stairs, bath and basement, in one written report you can share with family anywhere.
- DOB permits go in the scope. Any DC permit or historic review is named before you sign, with one fixed price.
Every service we offer in Washington, DC
- Assessments in Washington, DC
- Bathroom Safety in Washington, DC
- Ramps and Access in Washington, DC
- Stair Lifts in Washington, DC
- First-Floor Living in Washington, DC
- Kitchen in Washington, DC
- Flooring in Washington, DC
- Lighting in Washington, DC
- Smart Home Safety in Washington, DC
- Maintenance Plans in Washington, DC
- Hospital Discharge in Washington, DC
- Veterans and Disability in Washington, DC
Places we serve in Washington, DC
- Capitol Hill, DC 0.5 mi east, high Victorian stoops and steep narrow stairs
- Anacostia, DC 2.3 mi southeast, hillside houses with steep front steps
- Brookland, DC 3.3 mi northeast, older detached houses with porch steps and upstairs baths
- Congress Heights, DC 3.3 mi south, rented apartments and semi-detached brick houses
- Petworth, DC 4 mi north, porch rowhouses with two flights of front steps
- Deanwood, DC 4.2 mi east, older frame houses with wooden porches
- Upper Northwest, DC 5.6 mi northwest, hillside houses where the garage stair is the daily way in
- Chevy Chase, DC 6.1 mi northwest, large houses with every bedroom upstairs
- Takoma, DC 6.2 mi north, porch houses on a street shared with Maryland
- Shepherd Park, DC 6.5 mi north, side doors and back steps used every day
Services in Washington, DC
Permits and programs in Washington, DC
In every ward, permits for ramps, bathrooms, new steps and room conversions come from the DC Department of Buildings (DOB), and historic districts add preservation review for changes seen from the street.
DC Safe at Home, run by the DC Department of Aging and Community Living, makes safety changes for older residents within its income limits. Check the program's current terms before you plan the work around it.
Public help in Washington, DC
- DC Department of Aging and Community Living is the District agency for residents 60 and over, in all eight wards.
- Safe at Home pays for some grab bars, rails and stair lifts for eligible older DC residents. Check current terms.
- Aging and Disability Resource Center answers questions about benefits and long-term care in one place.
Public agencies, not partners of ours. Aging in place resources by county
Where we work in the District
The map marks the eight neighborhoods with their own pages, from Takoma and Chevy Chase at the Maryland line to Congress Heights in the far southeast. Rock Creek Park splits the west side, the Anacostia River splits the east, and I 295, US 50, Georgia Avenue Northwest and Connecticut Avenue Northwest tie them together.
The whole District sits well inside the 30 mile ring drawn around the US Capitol.
Washington, DC questions
Do you work in every DC ward?
Yes. Our area covers all eight wards, and the neighborhood pages show what tends to go wrong in the houses of each.
Who handles the DC permits?
The written scope lists each DC Department of Buildings permit the job needs before anything starts, so a permit never turns up as a surprise halfway through.
Do you give medical advice or care?
No. We work on the house. If an occupational therapist has written a home evaluation for your parent, the plan builds on it.