September 1, 1999

Do-It-For-Me Safety

Monica Toriello
National Home Center News

My Own Shower is simple to use and easy to install. But not all safety products are, and that's what one company in Nashville, Tenn., is counting on its business. Life@Home, a company started by three remodeling contractors, touts itself as a "one-stop provider of home modification products and services." Its goal is to provide "a healthier living environment" for its clients. Life@Home not only sells safety products - its online store, www.lifehome.com, sells more than 100 items including 10 kinds of grab bars - but also installs them for customers in the Nashville area.

Mark Fry, who is one of the Life@Home founders, said that his remodeling firm was getting so much safety-related business that it made sense to start a completely separate operation. Life@Home's contractors walk through a client's house to spot potentially dangerous areas, and then provide and install safety products. The company usually ends up charging between $200 and $400, which covers consultation, materials and installation.

Life@Home currently visits approximately 25 homes each month, stated spokesperson Jenny Simmons. Projects range from installing a grab bar (a recent job cost $84) to constructing an aluminum ramp for a wheelchair-bound homeowner ($630). For now, Life@Home takes jobs located within 20 miles of its office. It charges a travel fee for locations that are further away. The company opened a second office in Knoxville two months ago, and hopes to have franchises across the country in five to seven years.

©1999 National Home Center News