The view out the back door is more yellow than green these
days. There’s more openness in the foliage allowing clearer views of the
neighbors’ houses across the brook, and across the street, I can see part of a
building on the next road over.
The rocks in the brook are laden with fallen leaves and the
water level low enough I can’t easily see from my chair. I love the way the
colorful leaves line the opposite banking filling in crevices in rocks and big
tree roots going up the hill.
Acorns drop on the roof and deck with loud plops. Was it
just a week or so ago when the only color beyond the deck was green?
When I moved here in 2015 and began Sasha-fying this house,
I had – discussions – with the contractor doing the renovations. I didn’t buy
this house thinking about resale value. I bought it to live here, maybe for it
to be my forever house! I didn’t want my home to look like every other house. I
didn’t use colors or décor to keep up with the latest design fashions, and I
needed structure to support me and make my life a little easier.
In the ensuing four years, I decided what’s considered code
doesn’t always fit me. For instance, the bottom railing on my deck I want high
enough for the shovel to be able to push snow off in winter.
“But that’s not to code. A child could fall through,” I was
told.
But this is my house and no children live here! And, as I’m
getting older, to lift a shovelful of snow up over the railing is nearly
impossible considering code height for the railing brings the top just about waist
height on me. Heck, lifting a shovelful above my knees is a strain on my
arthritic back!
I actually like shoveling snow if it’s a reasonable depth
and weight. Plus, I want to do as much as I can as long as I can, so if I need
a wider space between deck floor and bottom rail then I want it.
Stairs are another hardship with my short legs, weight, bad
knees, and lessening flexibility. The contractor insisted on building the
outside steps to the 7-inch-rise code which is difficult for me to get up and
down. Going up I physically pull myself to the next step holding onto both
railings on either side, and going down, I need to grip the railing tightly to
prevent losing my balance and falling. That makes carrying anything extremely
hazardous.
I convinced him to build the inside steps from the garage to
the house with a 5-inch rise. The 2-inch difference makes it much easier for me
to get up and down steps. Unfortunately, he made the inside treads only a
little bigger than my shoe size which meant I’d either catch my toe coming up,
almost tripping, or I’d catch my heel going down. More than once I would have
fallen if I’d not had a tight grip on the railing going up the steps or wall
studs going down. (There was only a railing on one side.)
And if I had trouble, I worried about people with bigger feet.
I’ve been able to carefully go up the steps clutching the railing these past four
years, but to go down, I’d creep sideways gripping each wall stud along the
way.
My worry increased after I took the header on the deck on
Aug. 9. Thankfully, I fell up a step and not down the stairs, but this made my
awareness of stairs and balance more pronounced. However, accidents happen and
sometimes when hurrying, I don’t pay complete attention – which was why I fell.
This week’s news, which I’m very excited about, is my
neighbor rebuilt the steps from the garage to the house. These days safety is
my biggest concern and I am determined the stairs from the garage to the house should
be best for me.
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| You can see where the old wood ends inches from the corner of the door. |
There was also the issue with the door to the back deck. It
was next to the first step down from the landing! I had to be careful when
stepping inside or out. One inattentive couple inches to the right or left, depending on
which way I was going, and it’d be a tumble down the steps.
The first job after removing the old stairs was to bring the
landing out to the next wall stud before making the first step down. Now there’s
room to get in and out to the deck without fear of falling. He built a box to
fit the wall studs for stability with strong legs and pressure-treated bottoms
for the other side.
He continued the box idea for the new wider treads with the
rise of steps still at 5 inches. Each box/tread is just under 16 inches deep,
32 inches wide, supported by strong legs on one side and screwed into the wall
studs on the other. It’s incredibly solid.
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| New stairs |
The added width to the treads, however, means the stairs extend
farther along the back wall of the garage right up to the built-in storage
rack. The last step is a turn out into the garage, but it works just fine.
He built two strong railings; the inner rail used the old
railing plus a little more, and the second railing was attached to the studs of
the outer wall. We had a discussion on the angles of the railings. They are not
the same angle or height. I went up and down the steps many times to determine
my comfort and stability level. We settled for asymmetry because this new build
fits my comfort and safety needs.
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| The width between landing and first cross board allows space to put groceries and packages without having to carry them up the steps |
One last thing I want to mention about building to fit me. I
kept the higher bottom railing the original contractor built on the landing
(again not to code). This allows space to place groceries and such without having
to carry heavy packages up the stairs putting added strain on my back and knees.
This little feature has been wonderful, and I love it!
For years I’ve listened to “resale value” and “code,” and
you know what? Now I’m doing things for my safety and comfort, and while
something may not be ascetically pleasing, if it works for me, so be it!
I am
very happy with this new set up and easily can go up and down these steps. Now
I just need to paint them!
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