Lever Door Handles and Threshold Ramps for Seniors
Knobs you cannot turn and thresholds you trip on are the two small things that make a house hard to live in. We swap every knob for a lever and fix every threshold in one visit.
JMB Builders does lever door handles installation for seniors and anyone who cannot grip a knob, one door or the whole house, across the Twin Cities metro. Levers go on in the existing bore, and we adjust the latch so each door closes with a push. At the floor we ramp raised thresholds, or remove them and set a low threshold a wheelchair rolls over. Priced per door, quoted from photos within one business day.
- Priced per door: hardware and threshold
- Levers fit the existing bore, no new holes
- Raised thresholds ramped or removed
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Arthritis, a stroke, a hand that does not close all the way: a round door knob stops working long before the rest of the house does. A lever handle opens with a forearm or a closed fist. JMB Builders swaps knobs for levers across the Twin Cities metro, usually the whole house in one visit, and we do it right: the latch is checked on every door so the lever does not have to be lifted or shoved to close it.
Thresholds are the other half. A raised oak threshold at a bedroom door, the lip at a patio door, the step down into a garage or a sunroom: each one is a trip for a walker and a wall for a wheelchair. Depending on the door we plane it flat, replace it with a low profile threshold, or add a ramp that meets the floor on both sides.
What you supply
- The lever handles if you want to pick the finish and style, or we bring levers to match the finish already in the house
- Which doors: usually every door the person uses, including closets and the door to the garage
- A photo of one knob, one threshold, and any door where the floor changes height
- Whether the person uses a wheelchair, a walker or neither, so we know how flat the thresholds have to be
What JMB supplies
- Lever handles in passage, privacy and keyed versions, in the finish you pick, sized to the existing bore and backset
- Latch and strike adjustment on every door so the lever closes with a push and does not need to be lifted
- Raised interior thresholds removed and the gap filled flush, or planed down when the floor heights differ
- Threshold ramps in aluminum or rubber for exterior doors, sliding patio doors and garage entries, fastened so they do not shift
- Low profile replacement thresholds at exterior doors that keep the weather seal but drop the height
- Door bottom sweep adjusted after the threshold changes so the door still seals
- Photos of the finished doors in your job folder
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of doors — a whole house of levers is a much lower rate per door than a single one
- Passage, privacy or keyed lever, and whether you supply the hardware or we do
- Doors whose latch or strike has to be fixed so the lever closes cleanly
- Threshold work at each door: none, a ramp, planed flat, or removed and the floor filled
- Exterior thresholds that need a low profile replacement and the sweep and weather seal adjusted
- Old doors with a non-standard bore or backset that need the hole enlarged or a plate to cover it
Count the doors, send a photo of one knob and of each threshold that is a problem, and tell us who it is for. That is enough to quote it firm.
How long it takes
Levers only: a whole house in half a day to a day. Add a few hours when several thresholds are being removed or replaced.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Whole-house lever swap
Every knob in the house replaced with a lever in one finish, latches adjusted so each door closes with a push. Includes closets, the bathroom privacy lever and the keyed lever to the garage.
Threshold ramps
A beveled aluminum or rubber ramp on each side of a raised threshold, at patio doors, exterior doors and the step into the garage. Fastened down so a wheelchair or walker does not shove it.
Removing raised interior thresholds
The oak saddle at a bedroom or bathroom door comes out and the gap between the two floors gets filled level, or the higher floor gets a small flush bevel. The door bottom is checked so it still clears.
Low threshold at an exterior door
The standard exterior threshold is replaced with a lower profile one that still has a weather seal, and the door sweep is reset to meet it. For a wheelchair, a ramp outside meets the new threshold.
Lever Door Handles and Threshold Ramps for Seniors: questions, answered
Can lever handles replace door knobs without changing the door?
Yes. Almost every interior door in a Twin Cities home has the same size hole and the same latch backset, so a lever handle goes on in the existing bore with no new holes. We pull the knob, set the lever, and check the latch. If an older door has an odd bore or a small latch plate, we enlarge the hole or use a lever with a larger rose that covers the old marks.
Which lever handles are best for arthritis?
A lever with a straight or slightly curved arm that returns toward the door works best, because it can be pushed down with a forearm, a wrist or a closed hand. Avoid levers with a fancy shape that needs fingers to grip. Passage levers for bedrooms and hallways, a privacy lever for the bathroom with an emergency release on the outside, and a keyed lever or a keypad lever for the door to the garage. We can bring samples in the common finishes.
How do you make a threshold wheelchair accessible?
It depends on the door. At an interior door with a raised saddle, we remove the saddle and fill the gap so the two floors meet flat, or bevel the higher one. At an exterior or patio door, the threshold has to stay for weather, so we either replace it with a low profile threshold or add a ramp on each side that meets the floor with a gentle slope. Small changes in height are what catch wheels and walkers, so the goal is a floor that reads as flat all the way through.
Can you remove the threshold at a bedroom door?
Yes, when the floors on both sides are close to the same height. We pry the threshold, clean the subfloor, and fill or cover the strip so the two floors meet flush. When the floors are different heights, we set a flat transition strip with a low bevel instead of a raised one, and check that the door bottom still clears it. Either way there is nothing left to catch a foot or a wheel.
Do you fix doors that do not latch while you are changing the handles?
Yes, on every door. A new lever on a door that never latched right is still a door that does not close. When we set each lever we check that the latch lands in the strike and adjust the strike plate or the hinges if it does not. That way the door closes with a push, which is the point of switching to levers in the first place.
Do you install threshold ramps outside for a wheelchair?
Yes. A short exterior threshold ramp at a patio door, a garage entry or a front door with a small step is common, in aluminum or rubber, fastened to the slab or deck so it does not move. When the step outside is more than a threshold, a real ramp with the right slope and a landing is a different job, and we will tell you which one you need from the photos.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All aging in place pages
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