Paul Knox Started This Business for a Reason That Has Nothing to Do with Business

The Story

In the Trades Since 1995. Started This Business in 2024. The Reason Has Not Changed.

Paul Knox has been working in the trades since 1995. He has done most phases of construction and remodeling: framing, roofing, siding, plumbing rough-in, and finish work. For a significant portion of his career he worked as a subcontractor for Lowe’s, handling roofing and siding projects across more than 100 stores. That is not a small-scale operation. It is the kind of work that requires managing logistics, meeting commercial timelines, and maintaining consistent quality across a large volume of jobs.

He knows how a house is built, which means he knows how to modify one correctly. When Paul assesses a bathroom for a tub-to-shower conversion or looks at an entry situation for a ramp, he is reading the house the way a tradesman reads it. The wall construction, the stud spacing, the plumbing configuration, the load path: none of it is guesswork.

He started NextStep Bath Solutions in 2024 for reasons that became personal before they became professional. His knee surgery did not go the way it was supposed to. The recovery period gave him direct experience with what it means to need a grab bar and not have one, to need a lower entry point and be stuck with a standard tub wall. He installed his own grab bars. He understood immediately why this work matters and why it is frequently done wrong.

His mother and sister were both nurses. He grew up watching what genuine care for another person looks like. Not the performance of care. The actual thing. That is the standard he holds this business to.

Paul does every estimate himself. He comes to the home, looks at the bathroom or entry situation, talks to the homeowner about what is difficult and what they are trying to preserve, and gives a straight recommendation. He does not send a sales rep with a product catalog. He does not run a two-hour kitchen table presentation. He looks at the problem and tells you what will fix it.

His uniformed crew does the installation work. Paul is on every job one to two times per day to verify the work is being done correctly. When the job is finished he walks the homeowner through what was done and what to expect from the installation going forward. Warranty documentation is provided in writing before he leaves.

He sincerely wants the customer to be happy and safe. That sentence sounds like something a marketing team wrote. In this case, it is what Paul said himself when asked why he does this work. The business reflects it.

Ohio HIC Licensed

Home Improvement Contractor License No. HIC 00306. Required by the State of Ohio for residential home improvement work. Verifiable through the Ohio Attorney General’s office.

General Liability Insured

$1,000,000 general liability policy through Celina Insurance Group. Certificate of insurance available on request before any work begins.

Residential Grab Bar Specialist

Credentialed specifically for grab bar assessment, placement, and installation. Covers ADA standards, stud location in existing walls, and user-specific height and angle requirements.

Residential Ramp Specialist

Credentialed for residential ramp design and installation. Covers ADA slope standards, width requirements, handrail placement, surface treatment, and permit requirements by jurisdiction.

Residential Accessible Bathroom Consultant

Credentialed for whole-bathroom accessibility assessment. Evaluates the full bathroom for modification needs and prioritizes work based on the user’s specific mobility situation.

CAPS: In Progress

NextStep Bath Solutions is working toward the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation from the National Association of Home Builders. This credential is in progress.