The Great Outdoors Part 1

Since it is Spring and we are all thinking of outdoor activities I thought we would talk about accessible design for outdoor spaces. In the next few post we are going to cover several areas including the patio, garden, pool, and outdoor kitchen area. Also I will cover parking and entrances as well.

Patios

In discussing patios I also include decks, as many of the design factors apply to both. Also there are certain things that are unique to decks. A patio is any outdoor area, usually a poured concrete slab adjacent to an entrance to the main house. Usually there is an elevation change of 3” to 4” from the indoor floor level to the patio level. This is dealt with by using what is known as a zero threshold. This means that the elevation change is handled by a gradual change using a ramp about 24” long from the threshold of the door to the level of the patio. If this is being done during the construction phase of the house this ramp can be blended in to both slabs so that it is not noticeable. Or the entire patio is poured such that there is a slight slope from the entrance away form the house. Note: If this is a remodel and the ramp is not going to be blended in, then a 1” curb must be placed on both sides of the ramp to prevent a wheelchair from rolling off the sides of the ramp. As for the area of the patio itself the only concerns are the furniture placement. You must remember to leave enough space for a wheelchair to maneuver. This means aisle of 36” or more and an area of at least 60” for turn around. The last place in the patio we will look at is again a change in elevation. Also this only applies when going from the slab to a grass area or garden path. In that case we will use what is called a cut-in ramp. I will discuss this kind of ramp and many others in a future post. Accessible design for a deck involves mainly changes in elevation. In addition we need to concern ourselves with slipping and tripping. Again I will cover this in detail in a future post.