If you asked for grab bars, 1/2 steps, railings, etc....?

Here's the scoop:
1/2 steps:  I will contact each of you regarding the status of your pre-built steps.  If we have pre-built them, they will be delivered prior to Rebuilding Day and your team will be removing the old steps and installing the new.

Railings: Due to the complexities of each project regarding railings, we have decided to ask each House Captain to purchase their own.  We typically install two types of railings (1) Black Rod Iron and (2) White Aluminum.

• The black rod iron railings - For these, you can go directly to Home Depot (Capitol Expressway and Winchester Campbell locations only) and Lowes (Cottle, Montague and Gilroy only). There are two types of railings in black. There are straight railings that come in 8ft sections and angled railings that come in 6ft sections. The angled railings must be pre-ordered and take 10 business days to arrive. Also you need to buy the 2x2 posts and hardware.
• The White aluminum railings - These require assembly and can be purchased from JRW at 850 Aldo in Santa Clara, 408-988-4097.  Just tell them how many posts, angled and straight railing needed and they will get you what you need. These require lots of assembly, so please keep this in mind.

If you have ANY questions regarding railings, please call Jerry Zuniga at 578-9519 or email him at jzuniga@rebuildingtogether-sv.org.

Grab Bars:  We will have your requested grab bars here at the warehouse when you come to pick up supplies.  We will also have Toggler Brand Toggle Bolts if you need them.  These can be used if one end of your grab bar is not going into a stud or if you are installing in tile or fiberglass.  Check out this video on how these work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC1ZuxuZ2PU&feature=related

When you install a grab bar using these bolts, use a 1/2" drill bit and move it around a bit once you've made your hole because these togglebolts are slightly larger than 1/2".  Be sure to use a glass/tile bit if drilling into tile.  Lloyd, our Home Repair technician, suggests using clear silicon on the back of the grab bar before screwing it into the wall for added strength. 

Other Accessibility Items (such as shower seats and handheld showers):  We are having trouble with the supplier we have worked with in the past, so we currently purchase these at Lowe's or Home Depot.  So again it makes sense for you to add these to your shopping list rather than pick them up here.