by Terry Moakley
It was a bit more than a year and a half ago that I retu rned home from work on a fine summer evening to find flooding in a good portion of my basement. My ancient hot water heater had sprung a leak, and in succumbing to its own demise, took out a couple of closets full of stored winter clothing, carpeting, and ceiling tiles. What a mess!
Through family members, I was aware of a local contractor named Ron Vaillancourt, who had carried out some construction projects on their homes. I obtained Ron’s phone number from my sister-in-law, and within several hours he was at my home assessing the damage. By the end of the following day, Ron had arranged for a licensed plumber to install a new hot water heater, while one of his work crews ripped up the ruined carpet, installed new ceiling tiles, and disposed of the damaged clothes.
All of this was accomplished at what I considered to be quite a reasonable price.
Since that time, I have become more than one of Ron’s customers; we have become very good friends. At the same time, Ron and his work crews have fixed and/or refurbished about 70% of my home.
Now Ron is launching a second company in Westchester and Rockland counties in New York—Homes to Suit Your Health—and, in my opinion, he is uniquely qualified to become quite successful in this new venture.
For 17 years prior to starting his own construction business, Ron’s Handywork, Inc., he earned a living as a registered nurse (RN). His medical background is extremely valuable in crafting design and equipment solutions in the home. He takes the time and he has the patience to understand your health situation before suggesting a change.
One of the solutions Ron implemented for me was a rehab of the bathroom, which contains my roll-in shower. He searched on the Internet and located several different makers of prefab roll-in showers and took the time to show me his search results, including prices. I made my selections and, within a few short weeks, the prefab shower pieces arrived and were installed.
I also wanted to replace a corner sink which, though accessible, gave me virtually no countertop space. Ron took lots of measurements, both of the bathroom area and my wheelchair, and then installed a real nice sink with a marble countertop. Right off, he told me, “Try it at the 36-inch height and if it’s too high for you, we’ll lower it.” It was too high—33 inches from the finished floor was perfect for me, and that’s where Ron secured the sink and countertop the very next day.
There was no extra charge for this change, either. In fact, with a new water closet and ceiling and wall painting, I ended up with a totally brand new bathroom, and at about a third of the cost estimate for the same job given to me by a larger, local plumbing contractor several years earlier.
Another aspect of Ron’s business approach is that the size of the job does not matter. He has carried out both big and small jobs for me. Recently, when Ron was at my home to watch a football game, I mentioned that one of two floodlights which illuminate the back of my home had blown out. He simply responded, “I’ll take care of it this week.”
That he did. But he also replaced the corroding light fixtures with inexpensive motion-detecting types, which not only gave me my light back, but also greatly increased my safety in my own home. No job is too small for Homes to Suit Your Health, and you will have a caring, thinking individual developing the best solution for you.
So, if you have a disability or a chronic health care condition, and you have the desire to live more independently and safely in your home environment, you may want to choose Ron Vaillancourt’s Homes To Suit Your Health. You will receive Ron’s 17 years of experience as an RN; his experience founding and operating his initial successful business, Ron’s Handywork; but, most importantly, you will begin to know and to appreciate a contractor who puts you and your health needs first and foremost.
Ron is licensed to carry out renovations in Westchester and Rockland counties in New York. Homes To Suit Your Health may be reached at 914-714-3467. You will not be sorry, because you will be in touch with a person with much integrity, reasonable prices, and a genuine desire to make persons with disabilities more functional in their homes.
Terry Moakley is associate executive director of Communications and Public Affairs at United Spinal.
