5-Step Process: Professionals

We recommend your client-patient begin by speaking to their personal banker or Financial Planner; the links shown here are simply suggested resources based on years of experience on fund-raising solutions for homeowners.

Self-Financed Solutions & Resources

Re-financing:
Major Banking and Mortgage Brokerages offer a product that some are not aware of; depending on the institution; it could be called a variety of things; BMO first started this program with what they titled a Blend and Extend Mortgage: https://www.ratehub.ca/blended-mortgages

HELOC/Home equity line of credit:
Banks or Mortgage Brokers will provide homeowners a line of credit for interest-only payments that can be used: https://www.bmo.com/main/personal/loans-line-of-credit/line-of-credit/homeowners-line-of-credit/

CHIP Reverse Mortgage:
Home Equity Bank consultations for re-financing current home with a reverse mortgage. There are many unfounded myths surrounding this product; we recommend a consultation with a CHIP Representative for all your questions: https://www.chip.ca/how-reverse-mortgage-works/

Alternative Ideas:
We suggest your client-patient speaks to their financial planner to see if funds can be raised through family or friends, downsizing, relocating etc. The extent of the needed change would depend of course on the extent of disability.

See Funding Link: https://www.mylifetimehome.ca/finance/.

Assistance-based Financing Solutions & Resources:

The retrofits for this category may be more basic depending on available funds, but our goal is to work with you to create retrofits that at minimum retain access to key areas of the home such as entry, kitchen, bath, and bedroom and allow you or your loved one to live with dignity in a safe environment in your own home.

If all above options have been exhausted without any opportunities; we will provide consultation/resource websites etc for set up and management for either a GoFundMe page, or introductions to a philanthropic arm of a particular disability. IE: MS/MD/SCIA/CP/Rotary Clubs/Veterans Affairs etc. See our Budgets & Financing FAQ at: https://www.mylifetimehome.ca/faq/

Again; we suggest your client-patient speaks to their financial planner to see if funds can be raised through family or friends, downsizing, relocating etc. The extent of the needed change would depend of course on the extent of disability.

A few of those are listed on our Funding Link: https://www.mylifetimehome.ca/finance/.

Once you and/or your client-patient feels our team is a fit for the home modifications required; we begin with a design retainer for the complete design work required. This is based on agreed upon scope and acceptance of pre-determined high-level budgets:

Cost for Designs & Selections: $135/hr.

NOTE: Each project is dependent on extent of scope; an architectural plan for a fully accessible custom home or an extensive renovation for example may be better suited to fixed cost vs hourly design format. Design/product selections however would remain at hourly format of $135/hr.

Step 1 / Scope Creation:

We refer to as ‘Design Discovery’ and is the most critical stage where we deal direct with your client-patient or in tandem with their OT to ensure what is being designed meets their needs. The key is that the design needs to ensure not only immediate needs are reflected, but that the changes can be modified either as more funds become available or if a progressive prognosis requires forward-thinking on how the home needs to function specifically for your client-patient.

Step 2 / Accessibility:

Once floor plan designs are approved; Our Designer & Selections Coordinator will meet with your client-patient and O/T as needed to confirm and solidify what accessible specialty products specific to your client-patient are needed.

NOTE: Depending on how proactive or reactive this process is, will depend on how deep we dive into specific modifications; as time will be of essence if this is a reactive/crisis driven modification, vs proactive approach.

Step 3 / Selections:

This stage is also fondly referred to as the ‘Shopping Stage’. Depending on the mobility of your client-patient; we will either bring complete color and design palettes to them or escort them to our design studio as well as to vendors & suppliers. This enjoyable segment of the process covers each item impacted by the renovation or custom build, including color & paint selections, flooring and tile, millwork & custom built-ins, fireplace selections, flooring, plumbing fixtures, cabinetry, countertops, balusters, furnishings, art work etc.

NOTE: The most common push back to making ‘accessible’ home modifications is that 100% of clients we have worked with absolutely do not want their home to look medicinal or clinical. Our focus is to work alongside your client-patient to ensure we design both beautiful and fully accessible residences. Depending on the degree of disability; our goal is for the accessibility modification to be nearly invisible.

The following Accessibility-compliant products are examples of a great look, but not clinical:

• • https://www.deltafaucet.ca/bath/details/rpw336hdf.html
  • https://www.invisiacollection.com/gallery/
  • https://www.pinnaclerenovations.ca/gallery-54
  • https://www.pinnaclerenovations.ca/gallery-42

Step 4 / Critical Path Compliance:

The ‘shopping stage’ is time-sensitive, simply because the project cannot begin without the ‘critical-path’ items chosen on time. For example, our team could not begin Accessible Bath plumbing roughins prior to drywall without design, selections and placement heights completed. For this reason, Our Designers have developed a time-line and product selections document given to your client-patient in order to ensure adherence to the schedule.

As a single point of contact service offering; we begin with a conversation pre-start date to confirm level of service requirements. We can provide complete organization, packing, moving, storage and then unpacking and set up as well as complete staging if desired.
Once level of moving services and/or intent for Homeowner to relocate or remain in the home during renovations; a final pre-walk of the home is done to carefully mark those items homeowner’s want to save, donate or recycle.
Prior to the flurry of activity associated with start date; we set up your client-patient) and if needed their family member/caregiver) on Builder Trend which is our cloud-based Customer Portal. This is where project calendar, all selections, designs and change scopes are stored and confirmed. We also determine preferred points of contact; methods and desired frequency of communication.
As mentioned; a flurry of activity is normally associated with the first day of construction. Complete floor, wall and living space protection measures will commence, including significant dust entrapment procedures. All plumbing and electrical areas of the home impacted by the renovation will be disconnected. This is what you can expect once construction begins:

• • The creation of temporary living/kitchen areas if home is to be occupied during renovations.
  • Complete protection of all surfaces; flooring, furnishings, poly-draping to enclose construction zones etc.
  • Consistent, open and transparent communication is vital to our collective success; Pinnacle’s Site Supervisor will establish your preferred method (by phone, text or email) and your desired consistency (daily, weekly and time of day).
  • Our Site Supervisor will be monitoring activity and quality control daily; certain stages may require more than one visit per day.
  • Only WCB cleared trades and suppliers are allowed on site. In addition, our Site Supervisor will consistently be monitoring and ensuring site safety protocols are being followed.
  • City building code inspections at specific stages of the project will be required which include foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation and final occupancy inspections.
  • Milestone walk through times will be required to ensure all items are as your client-patient envisioned. An example is electrical installation; we always engage in client walk through detail with our electrical team as well as our designer to ensure these details are correctly positioned; specifically for degree of debilitation; proper receptacle and switch heights are critical.

Upon completion of the renovation; our process for many years has been to bring all partners that contributed to the final outcome with what we call a Turnover Celebration. If Homeowner’s are willing; we invite all stake holders in for a celebratory event as your client-patient officially moves into their newly modified home. Our experience is that this is a very emotionally charged time as for some; this is the first time they are moving into a space that actually works wonderfully for them; celebrating along with them is our greatest joy as we welcome them ‘home’!
A final component to this move-in celebration is also to conduct a final walk-through, creating a list of any outstanding items requiring attention. We also review our warranty manual once walk-through is completed.

At the completion of each project, we also like to have our Homeowners give us feedback. We have Client Insight Inc, (a third-party Customer Review Company) hear your perspective via a phone call on your experience with us and how our team performed. The feedback is imperative for our entire team to learn how we can better serve our customers.

For Customer Reviews see: https://www.pinnaclerenovations.ca/about-us/customer-reviews