One of the challenges of putting your house together as a shorter person is trying to reach things that are high up. You have to call a friend, neighbor or your spouse to help you with simple things that can’t be reached. This could be hanging the curtains, storing things above the refrigerator, hanging up a photo or changing a light bulb on a tall lamp.

When you are vertically challenged and don’t always have someone nearby to help you, you can have a couple of items in the home to be prepared for situations when you are alone. Don’t worry about calling for help; simply use these tips to create a better home while being too short to reach something.

Customize your Counters and Cabinet Heights

If you feel that it may be enough of an issue that you’ll never be able to reach your kitchen and bathroom cabinets and countertops, you may want to choose a house or customize your house to be designed to have a lower counter and cabinet height.

Have your house designed with this in mind or if you’ve chosen a home that is already built, simple hire a crew to redesign the kitchen and bathrooms to better suit you or your family. Keep in mind that you’ll have a harder time selling it later on, but if you plan to stay for a while, this may be well worth the time and money to customize it for convenience on a daily basis.

Having a Sliding Ladder Ready

You could install a sliding ladder in the home for a super convenient option to reach things for the vertically challenged. This is a great option that may feel rather fancy and comfortable. Sliding ladders work just like you’d see in an old library or bookstore and look really beautiful. Keep in mind that your pantry may be a good spot to install one to reach the top shelves.

Consider automating your cabinets where you can push a button and the shelves will slide down to be within your reach. For a super cheap option, just grab some step-stools to place around the house. You can have one installed like a hidden drawer where you can just pull it out when you’re ready to reach something high up.

Use these tips for the vertically challenged that are struggling to function in their home on a daily basis.