Most homes were not built for the way their owners end up living in them. A home modification assessment works out what needs to change, what it will take, and produces the report your funder requires.
Minor and major modifications are treated differently by funders. Minor work — grab rails, handrails, a hand-held shower, a step ramp, lever taps — is lower cost, needs less evidence and moves faster. Major work — level-entry showers, structural bathroom changes, widened doorways, permanent ramps, kitchen height changes — needs a detailed OT report, quotes, and in the NDIS system usually a building practitioner's involvement.
The assessment is a walk through the house watching how you actually use it. Where do you stop and hold on? Which door do you avoid? What time of day is the bathroom hardest? We measure, photograph with your consent, and look at what the space will physically allow.
Working with builders. Recommendations that can't be built are worthless. We work with the builder and the funder together so the recommendation, the quote and the approval line up.
Timelines. Modifications take longer than anyone wants. Minor work can move in weeks. Major work involves assessment, report, quotes, funder approval and then a build. Starting early is the only thing that shortens it.
Under the NDIS, home modifications sit under Capital Supports, and an OT assessment and report is a prerequisite for funding. The OT's assessment and report time is billed separately, usually from Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living.
Under Support at Home, modifications are funded through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme, which provides upfront funding separate from the ongoing budget. The OT assessment and report is funded as a clinical support.
The assessment and report are billed as OT time; the building work is funded and quoted separately.
A written report setting out the functional problem, what was observed, the recommended modification, the clinical reasoning for it, and any alternatives considered. Where a funder requires specific formats or supporting evidence, the report is built to that requirement.
Plus practical follow-through: help getting quotes, liaison with the builder, and a check afterwards that what was installed is being used and working.
Generally grab rails, handrails, hand-held showers, lever taps, step ramps and similar — work that doesn't change the structure of the building. Definitions and cost thresholds vary between the NDIS and aged care, so check the current rules with your funder.
For anything beyond the simplest items, yes. Funders want a clinical reason linking the modification to a functional need, not just a quote.
You or your provider engage the builder. We work alongside them so the recommendation and the quote match, and so what gets built is what was recommended.
It varies by funder and by the scale of the work, and it is usually longer than people expect. Minor work moves in weeks; major work is months. Start earlier than feels necessary.
Yes, commonly. What the budget allows determines the scale. See the Home Care Packages page.
Book a free discovery call, ask a question, or just say hello. We reply within two business days.