The Voice - Red Plaid Developments with Adam A

In this month’s episode, Teresa sits down with Adam Arsenault, founder of Red Plaid Developments, to discuss how accessible housing is transforming lives across Alberta. Adam shares the personal story behind the name “Red Plaid,” the mission of his company to build beautiful, barrier-free homes, and how thoughtful design can preserve both dignity and independence for people with mobility challenges.

Listeners will learn the difference between accessible and barrier-free design, the importance of level-entry homes, and how Red Plaid’s work is helping people age in place or recover from life-changing injuries—all while creating inclusive, welcoming spaces.

Tune in for inspiring stories, practical insights, and a look at what it truly means to break down barriers to dignified living.

Transcript

Teresa M, VAD Society

Welcome to the voice of Albertans with Disabilities podcast from May 2025. I'm Teresa Makarewich, your host and VADS program and service manager. Thanks for joining us today. Voice of Albertans with disabilities acknowledges the importance of the land that what we call Alberta, where we are on today and which we call home. This is to affirm our commitment and responsibility to improving relationships between indigenous communities and their cultures. We acknowledge the ancestral territories of all the Inuit, Metis and First Nations, that call this land home. We are called to reflect and acknowledge the effects of colonialism on indigenous families and communities. We consider how we are and can each in our own way move forward in the spirit of  Reconciliation and collaboration. Hiy. Hiy. 

VAD has been talking with local agencies to learn about resources that are available to the disability community. And in today's podcast, we'll be talking to Adam Arsenault from red Plaid developments. Their website says they build barrier free homes for people with mobility challenges, their accessible homes, transform lives by giving owners the ability To either support aging family members or the community through the accessible housing program. Thank you for coming on the podcast today to discuss Red plaid developments. Together we hold the power. Hello, Adam.

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

Hi Teresa. Thanks for having me on.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your  Role in the organization.

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

Yeah. Again, my name is Adam. I am a Carpenter by trade, and I did carpentry for a very long time. I did renovations for a very long time, and as of 2019, we started building houses, specifically accessible houses. So I'm the founder of red Plaid developments and sort of the president or managing director.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Very nice. It's always great to learn how people come into their work. Can you tell us about red Plaid developments as an organization?

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

We're a small group of of individuals tha  Have all, we all have a sort of a large amount of construction experience, a very small team, but an agile team. We are looking to differentiate and and revolutionize a little bit the building industry. So we we all worked hard and we all sort of bring our new new perspectives on on not only what we're building, but how we're building and how we're we're setting up our company. We're very remote, very agile, always moving around. I'm talking to you now from my mobile office in the back, the back of my vehicle so. Or just  Trying to move away from a standard corporate structure.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Let's explore a little deeper the mission behind what you build, what is your organization's mandate and vision?

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals through housing, so whether that be from a disability or just from, you know, from from aging in place, you know long term, quality of life. So what, what does that look like? We believe that our traditional housing. Models what we call traditional housing doesn't address that. So we're looking to our mission is to help families  That are struggling in their residents are limited by their current housing, so there's something they can't do  Their lives are affected. They're not enjoying either. The later part of life or their health back because of disability and a home  That's not built for Them. we're hoping to sort of release their full potential and so that they can, they can thrive and and also enjoy life. A little bit more without worrying about the limitations Of a home.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Nice. That's inspiring purpose. Built homes with purpose behind them. Can you explain the difference between a common garden suite and an accessible housing solution?

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

Yeah, I can. So, you know, a garden, whether it be a garden suite or single family home. So most of what we're doing is is single family residential. So a single home on a on a lot, whether it be a garden suite or be a sort of a main dwelling or a single detached home. The biggest difference between what we're doing and and what exists. Now is, is, is steps. every home that's  Built in in our society has has steps, whether it's, you know, three steps, 4 steps, 5 steps. everything we build has level entry or no step entry. So that's the hardest thing to achieve generally in housing and that that's that's always our first step is. How do we achieve? A level entry so that anyone. Whether it be with a Walker or bad knee or a wheelchair, can can access the  Home or whether they  Live there, whether they're just visiting. that is sort of our must have, our biggest, our biggest differentiating thing is that every home we build that has  entry so that it functions well for 100% of the population.

Teresa M, VAD Society

What does breaking barriers to dignified living mean, and how does it affect the community?

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

I think the idea is that sometimes a barrier free or accessible home gets a bit of a bad rap. And then then, then that can be because of of the aesthetics, so you know how. How dignifying is it to have a 50 foot ramp in front of your place or or an outdoor lift. Our homes are essentially hiding in in plain sight. So you wouldn't you wouldn't know that they there. That's what is so great about zero step entries that they just look like a beautiful home. Most people don't even notice that there's no steps. They don't notice that the home is any different, even on the inside. So we're building accessible homes to be beautiful aesthetically. Also, obviously very, very functional or and inclusive. But we want to maintain people's dignity. So. So it's still a beautiful home. It still has great resale value. There's nothing that has to be renovated, added on and then removed at time of Sale. So it's it's just it's just  A A beautiful home that that we believe should be Being built as as a standard model.

Teresa M, VAD Society

That perspective really emphasizes some people First  design red Plaid developments has done in the last year.

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

So we've done a number of gardens suites, also some single family homes as well. We are nearly finished a project for someone named Darcy who's quadriplegic that's going to be very unique. So to make him as independent as possible. So some unique design challenges there on on finding out what exactly works well for him and and again making it a beautiful home that has great resale value and you know isn't so specific that, that it get can't function for a lot of other people as well. We've done some garden suites. For a fellow. That, you know, had a bad fall that lifted on by level and just didn't, didn't want to move or leave the neighborhood. So it moves into the backyard and a fully accessible home in the backyard. And and you can rent the main dwelling in the front for a source of income. So we've done a couple of projects like that and and we continue to Add more and we are excited about some purpose built rentals that are coming up for for backyard housing. So these are people that are building as an investment in their backyard or garden suite, but they're building it completely barrier free to specifically help and add inventory for the accessible community.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Just a side note, can you explain what barrier free design is?

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

Yeah, normally actually I don't use barrier free too much. It gets kind of confusing, but we use accessible and barrier free, so accessible we've defined accessible as there's a minimum standard. So if we're gonna build something, we have a minimum standard of accessibility and there's six things there. To go through quickly, it's zero step, entry 3 foot wide doorways, 4 foot wide hallways, 5 foot turning circles in every room there. If it's a multi story then we have an elevator or potential for an elevator or a stair lift and one barrier entry washroom that's accessible with a very free path of travel. So that's what we call Accessible. Now what I didn't mention in there is some of the other things you might traditionally think of when you think of barrier free and that's is, you know specifically in the kitchen, lower, lower  Counters base under the sinks base under the range lowered light switches raise plugs so all that stuff. You Add all that in and you get to barrier free. That's sort of a more for a commercial brand. The one nice thing about residential construction is that it's a little bit more unique. It's not a one-size-fits-all and commercial, it's very regulated. There's there's a specific code to say, you know what is barrier free and residential there isn't. So which is good actually, because it allows us to todetail, the home specific to to the client, cause everybody is unique and and it's not a one-size-fits-all. So normally we say you know all our homes are accessible. So they meet these 6 minimum criteria every time and then if more wants to be added to make a home completely barrier free then that's that's up to the individual. But you end up sort of  Usually with some sort of hybrid, so you have the minimum 6 things and then you add a couple other features. Is it full barrier free? No. So we generally call it accessible. But you know, like I said, it's it's sort of a blurred line there between barrier free and accessible.

Teresa M, VAD Society

That's awesome. Some real stories of change on the ground. Thank you for that. How does someone get a hold of you in your business?

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

The easiest way is to give me a shout 780-504-5656 or you can go to our website redplaidhomes.com or also on Instagram and Facebook at red Plaid developments. You can follow us there and yeah, reach out anytime. I'm happy to take any kind of feedback. We always want to hear. We're always trying to improve, always trying to learn. There's there's just so much to learn. So we're we're happy to take any and all feedback.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Wonderful. We'll be sure to include that in the show notes. What's an interesting fact about red Plaid developments that everyone should know?

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

So I get asked a lot about why so red plaid developments only builds accessible. Right, where we don't we  Don't we turn away anything that doesn't meet our sort of 6 attributes of accessible design and and a lot of people ask me why. You know why? Why do you do that? So a lot of it comes down to, well, it all started with the origins of of red Plaid. So why, you know why the name red Plaid. Developments. So my grandparents were in a bungalow. So you think of a bungalow? That's a great 55 + Solution, but their bungalow had five steps to get up to the front door and 15-16 steps to get to the basement where it might be, and so they were living there and just getting on in age, you know, in their 80s and their house was becoming less and less function, functional and and eventually my grandpa did have a fall and things really escalated quickly as far as their deterioration and it just seemed  At the time you know it was sort of a whirlwind. This is before we were building houses and it just seemed like it was just so silly. How, you know, they didn't want to go to community care and this is just sort of where we ended up, right. And there's just there's thousands and thousands of families that are sort of just. Just waiting for a call or waiting for something to happen and it just it just seems silly. So so my grandpa, who who did fall and and deteriorated and passed away very quickly after that. He always liked to wear red Plaid jacket, cut wood sort of work with his hands. I always remember that as a kid so the the red Plaid jacket which I wear  Much each and every day and get covered in sawdust is is an homage to him and hopefully to assemble to build something better than than what we currently have for, for for our housing stock.

Teresa M, VAD Society

That's very interesting, Adam. Sounds like your work really makes a difference. Thank you for your time and energy today. Your support in the Community is of value to all. Is there anything else you want to say today that I haven't asked you?

Adam Arsenault, Red Plaid Developments

No, I think I I appreciate that support and and we are looking forward to learning more from the bad community and we'll see you at the BBQ.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Perfect sounds like a perfect note to end on. So thank you again for joining that's podcast today, Voice of Albertans with disabilities is across disability nonprofit organization. Even for people with disabilities. We are guided by the principles of accessibility, equity and inclusion. Learning about VAD services on our website at vadsociety.ca or call 780-488-9088 For more information. If you have a topic you would like to hear more about in a podcast, please e-mail myself at vat@vadsociety.ca with topic ideas, speaker suggestions, or your feedback. Signing off for the day together, we hold the power.