Disabled dilemma .....

11 years ago

I am in dire need of an update or improvement to my existing outdoor stair railings. They are made of pipe and in the winter any precipitation freezes making them slick and of no assistance to me when climbing the stairs as I need to be able to get some leverage to be able to pull myself because my legs and knees are very weak. Tonite I slipped and injured myself quite badly. Any ideas for improving this situation would be greatly appreciated as they were needed yesterday! Thank you ahead of time for any help and may God bless.

Featured Answer

PRO

Karen Smuland Architect, LLC

11 years ago

A wood handrail would be the way to go but I would first encourage you to look at finding a way to cover your stairs with either an overhang from the roof or a separate roof structure.

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Comments (9)

PRO
OnePlan
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Can you get a snowblower too ? I think I should rephrase that - is there a snow blower service in your area you can subscribe to ?! Hope you are feeling a bit better now ?!
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lainey914
Original Author
11 years ago
No, there is no snow blower service in my area. I live about 20 miles from the town either way out in the country. Wishful thinking I'm afraid! Thanks anyway.
lainey914
Original Author
11 years ago
Yes I have considered putting a roof over the entryway, but at the time I am unable as I have no help and I am not able to do this myself. I am looking for something to temporarily, until finances and warmer weather and I'm feeling better are available, to improve the situation that exists. Thank you so much for your comment though!
PRO
Cabinet Express, Inc.
11 years ago
Since you are looking for a temporary fix until spring, how about those bath tub non slip appliques applied to the metal rail?
S. Thomas Kutch
11 years ago
Replacing the handrail in the winter is a pain and depending on where your location is..........Spring (think thaw) might be a ways off. A quick solution might be just covering the pipe railing with a pipe insulation tubing. Split it down one side only and place it on your railing. You could secure it with a couple or three zip ties for now. This would keep the frozen precipitation from freezing to it and provide a better grip for now.......Come spring, I agree with the other posters, some sort of roof extension and new wood railing are in order.
sacapuntaslapioz
11 years ago
Do you have a hardware store or a home depot or similar. Get some pipe insulation and slip it over. secure with duct tape. create texture in the duct tape,
sacapuntaslapioz
11 years ago
oh did not read comment above.
S. Thomas Kutch
11 years ago
that's all right..........great minds think alike.