Isaac has just turned 6 and he has Cerebral Palsy. Lifting and carrying him regularly causes both myself and my wife back problems. Door thresholds, narrow corridors and sharp turns in our house make wheelchair use difficult. Disability impacts on every area of life and makes small things you used to take for granted difficult. We couldn’t put off making adaptions to the house any longer.

We are learning that special needs raise many extra challenges in getting building work done correctly. Things can get very expensive very quickly, but thankfully in the UK our local council provides significant funding originating from the public tax pot towards adaptive works, and can project manage certain things.

We don’t want our house to feel clinical so in some areas we are opting to pay extra or self manage the works to hopefully get a better result. This is all very challenging alongside dealing with the significant day to needs of Isaac, and the rest of our family, while running a growing joinery business (designing and making fitted furniture). Over last few weeks Isaac has been in and out of hospital for brain surgery and other issues in the midst of it all as everyone knows it’s especially stressful when the secure haven of a place to relax at home is turned upside down for a period!

I began this quick video update as a way to let my long term subscribers know what we’ve been up to and some of the reasons why it’s harder to find time to make YouTube videos lately (though I AM now working on a couple of new build video edits!). The video may have wider appeal to others dealing with disability who are considering their options for adapting their house for accessibility, including door widening, thresholds, outdoor lift, and a wetroom bathroom.

You can connect with me on Instagram @alastair_freebird

Or for our fitted furniture business @freebirdinteriors

And for trade services including build videos, CNC work and workshop tips etc it’s @freebird_trade

To learn more about fitted furniture making try the membership site:
www.buymeacoffee.com/freebird