Challenge: We have lived in our house in an old residential area of the city for many years and would love to stay here. My husband was seriously injured in an accident overseas many years ago. As a result, he now has severe arthritis, and recently became a wheelchair user. But my husband has great difficulty getting in and out of the car from the wheelchair from our narrow steep driveway. The car is our principal means of transportation around the city. How can we make a place for my husband to get in and out of the car from his wheelchair?
Solution: Your driveway problem is an all too common dilemma faced by wheelchair users. Your older home is set more than 5 feet above the curb. Fortunately the garage is set well back from the front of the house. Creating an accessible parking area on the side of the house and in front of the garage is the most convenient location. But this will require the driveway that leads up to the new parking area to be even steeper than the original. For convenience and safety, a turnaround space is recommended. To make a relatively level area for parking will require importing and compacting fill dirt over your existing landscape, with retaining walls, near the property line. The suggested schematic design solution may be expensive and will require careful site design. An architect, landscape architect or engineer should be consulted for design services and to produce necessary construction documents to secure a building permit. From Paraplegia News, published by the Paralyzed Veterans of America PVA accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information published herein and does not endorse any company or any of the products or services advertised on this Web site.
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