New Front Walk/Ramp

According to the Seattle Times, the average age of homeowners selling their homes and moving into a senior living situation is eighty five years old. Wow! We certainly hope to stay in the home we love as long as possible. So it makes sense to start planning how to make it physically possible as our knees and hips start complaining when they encounter stairs.

Our Rodda and Sons Landscapes crew has just completed the landscape renovation of an aging, overgrown garden. The concrete in the front walk and steps was cracked and heaving. The concrete landing at the front door was tipping and pulling away from the house. Both were hazardous and needed to be replaced. The landscaping was not the only thing that was aging. The owners, who want to remain in their home several more years, realized that steps were becoming painful to climb, and they were starting to have trouble with balance. So they opted to eliminate the three steps along the sidewalk and three steps at the front porch in favor of a poured concrete ramp up to a new concrete front porch. We poured a longer concrete front walk to accommodate the gradual rise from the driveway to the front door, and added concrete steps next to the house for a shortcut. Now they have an easy walk, and in the event that they need a walker or wheelchair an easy glide, from the car to the front door and on into the living room.

Jan Rodda, Rodda and Sons Landscapes, Inc.