Stacy Whetzel, and her husband Tim, of Poland, recently did just that.

“My grandfather passed away around 10 years ago,” explained Stacy. “And I hated seeing my grandmother home alone. She is still so active, but it’s not easy to maintain a home on your own, no matter what age.”

“She was pretty relentless!” exclaimed Ruth Davis. “And has been teasing me for quite a few years to sell my house and move in with them, but I just wasn’t ready to give up my independence.”

The solution: An above-the-garage apartment.

“We sat down and talked about it. This apartment would give her a home with privacy and independence, but with no lawns to mow or snow to deal with, yet be close to us if she needed us.”

“She wore me down,” said Ruth. “I finally said ‘Let’s do it.’ ”

Stacy, who is an interior decorator and kitchen designer, quickly put her creativity to work.

“We had just the house with no garage, so the ideal thing to do was to add a breezeway and attach a garage. For the upstairs, I sat down with Gram and designed the layout that would work best for her — a large, open-area living space that was fully functional, with her own entrance, yet easy access to our home as well.”

Safety was a main concern, especially with Ruth’s quarters being upstairs.

“We put in extra wide stairs with a chair lift,” said Stacy. “She doesn’t need it now, but at some point she might. She has company too, and it’s there if they need it as well. All the doors are handicapped accessible and of course we installed Co2 and smoke detectors.”

The two women, along with Stacy’s mom, Sharon Davis, spent many days shopping with their color palette in hand and went with corals and gray. The flooring they picked out was a wide board-type, gray laminate.

“Stacy and Sharon did a beautiful job with both the design and decorating,” said Ruth. “They picked out all new furniture, which ties in so nicely and the whole place is just so homey and comfortable. I especially love my granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.”

“And Gram added her little touches when she moved in,” added Stacy. “Those little personal things such as photos and knick knacks that make it ‘her’ home.”

The apartment is 28×28 and features a full-working kitchen with a large, center island and bar stools. It is open to the living room which has a propane fireplace, large windows and a balcony overlooking the front yard.

“I have electric heat that I use most of the time,” said Ruth. “But the fire is so nice, especially on stormy days or if the power goes out. For the summer I have ceiling fans and air conditioners.”

The bathroom is large with a built in washer/dryer hidden inside a closet and the bedroom is spacious and cozy with a full-length wardrobe.

“She added 13 pillows to the bed!” laughed Ruth. “I almost wanted to get a cot to sleep in because I didn’t want to mess up the bed.”

Stacy admitted that it really has been the perfect fit, for both her grandmother and her family as well.

“My husband works late most nights, so Gram comes and eats dinner with my son and me. And she helps out so much, like being here for Garrison when he gets off the bus from school. But the main thing is that she is cared for and safe.”

And Ruth agreed.

“I love it,” Ruth said. “I don’t know why you didn’t think of this sooner.”

“Oh my goodness Gram, I love you!” laughed Stacy.

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