Aging-in-Place Remodeling in Philadelphia: Rowhomes, Who Pays

Philadelphia County had 242,489 residents 65 and over on July 1, 2024, 15.4% of the city, according to the Census Bureau's Vintage 2024 estimates. They live in the oldest housing in Pennsylvania: 41% of the city's homes were built in 1939 or earlier, the median construction year is 1949, and the typical rowhome has several entrance steps, narrow halls and doorways, and no first-floor bathroom. Contractors need a state HICPA registration, and the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) licenses electrical and plumbing work separately. The projects that come up most are a stair lift, a first-floor bathroom, and a safe way up the front steps.

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Philadelphia by the numbers

• 242,489 Philadelphians were 65 or older in July 2024, 15.4% of the city, the second largest county count in Pennsylvania (Census Bureau Vintage 2024 county estimates).
• 41% of Philadelphia housing units were built in 1939 or earlier, nearly twice the share of any other county in the region (ACS 2022 5-year, via the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia).
• The median Philadelphia home was built in 1949, the oldest county stock in the state alongside Schuylkill County (1944) (PHFA 2023 housing study, via Pennsylvania Realtors).

The homes here

Start with the rowhome: several steps up from the sidewalk, a narrow hall, narrow doorways, and no bathroom on the first floor (WHYY, on age-friendly rowhomes). The stairs decide everything. A stair lift fits most straight rowhome staircases, though some very old Center City staircases are narrower than a lift needs. When the stairs are out, the answer is a main-floor bedroom and bath: a powder room enlarged into a full bath, or a rear room converted.

The front steps are the second project. A ramp needs about 1 foot of length per inch of rise under ADA guidance, and a rowhome frontage rarely has the room, so the choices are a railed stoop with a landing, a rear entry, or a vertical platform lift, which costs a fraction of an elevator; all fall under ramps, entries and thresholds. Ice on the stoop makes a covered entry a frequent request.

Pre-war houses often still carry knob-and-tube wiring and galvanized plumbing, and pre-war doorways rarely give the 32 to 36 inch clear opening a wheelchair needs. Widened doorways and hallways are a normal line on a Philadelphia quote.

Licensing and permits in Philadelphia County

Pennsylvania has no statewide contractor license; any contractor doing at least $5,000 of home improvements a year registers with the Attorney General under HICPA, which also requires a written contract on jobs over $500 and caps the deposit at one-third on contracts over $5,000. The Pennsylvania state page has the lookup and the full rules.

Philadelphia's L&I lets a Pennsylvania-registered home improvement contractor pull permits for work on 1- or 2-family dwellings without a city Contractor License, but electrical, plumbing and fire suppression work need L&I trade licenses (Electrical Contractor, Master Plumber). A contractor pulling those permits also needs a city tax account (BIRT ID), a Commercial Activity License, $500,000 general liability, $300,000 auto coverage and workers' compensation (City of Philadelphia, L&I). Ask for the HICPA number, insurance certificate, L&I trade licenses and the contractor's name on the permit; our guide to choosing a remodeler covers the rest.

Who pays

Most Philadelphia families pay directly, from savings, home equity or siblings splitting the cost; see paying out of pocket. Original Medicare pays nothing toward modifications; some Medicare Advantage plans and many long-term care policies help, with limits (long-term care insurance). For Medicaid, ask the Department of Human Services, Office of Medical Assistance Programs, about coverage and waitlists (Medicaid waivers). The Area Agency on Aging for Philadelphia County, reached through the Department of Aging at 717-783-1550, takes OPTIONS applications for residents 60 and over. Two city programs:

• Adaptive Modifications Program (PHDC). Covers stairway elevators, exterior lifts and ramps, barrier-free showers and first-floor baths at no cost for residents with a permanent physical disability; income limits apply ($68,750 for 1 person, $98,150 for 4), the applicant must own the home or have the owner's permission, and property taxes must be current. Apply at housing-front-door.phila.gov or 215-448-2160.
• Rebuilding Together Philadelphia. Repairs at no cost for income-eligible homeowners, with neighborhood waitlists, 215-965-0777.

Common projects in Philadelphia

• First-floor bathroom. Priced by whether a room exists and how far the plumbing runs from the stack; a full aging-in-place bathroom is $6,600 to $28,000 nationally. Main-floor bedroom and bath.
• Stair lift. $3,000 to $20,000 installed, averages $7,000 to $8,000; a straight rowhome staircase is the cheap end. Stair lifts.
• Widened doorways. A few hundred to a few thousand dollars per door, depending on the wall and what runs through it. Widened doorways and hallways.
• Front entry. A ramp is $875 to $5,000 where there is room; a platform lift or railed stoop where there is not. Ramps, entries and thresholds.

Philadelphia is a union-heavy metro and labor likely runs above the national average, so get 3 written local quotes.

Ready to talk to a certified aging-in-place remodeler? Request a match and talk to a registered remodeler serving Philadelphia.