Measure the landing outside the side door against the people and equipment that will use it, then settle the steps, the rail, and the door swing before anyone buys or builds anything.

The side door carries most of the daily traffic, and the outside landing is where a plan that works for you alone can fail for your father with a walker, for a helper carrying a bag, or for two people standing shoulder to shoulder in the rain. Size the landing to the people and gear that will actually use it, not to the door on the frame.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Measure the pad

Stand where the door opens and note the landing depth from the threshold out to the edge, and the width side to side. Then check whether the device he uses, with its feet planted, fits in front of the door with room to open it and step back without leaving the surface. The number that matters is clear space. Mark the tape on the concrete or deck so you can repeat the measurement without guessing.

Count the steps and check each rise

Count every step between the walk or drive and the landing, and the step from the landing into the house if there is one. Check whether each rise is the same height. A step that is uneven from the others is the one that catches a foot, so measure the worst step, not the average. Look at each step from the side, and note whether the edge is clearly marked or blends into the surface below.

Check the swing and the sill

If the door swings out over the landing, the landing has to leave room for the swing and for a person to stand clear of it. If it swings in, check that the threshold does not catch the device when he pulls the door across. Note where the sill sits relative to the landing surface, and whether the surface is level with the sill or drops away. A drop at the door is a decision point, not a detail.

Rail, light, and surface

Put a rail on the open side of the steps and on the side he uses to hold the door. Check that the rail is fixed into structure, not only the siding, by pulling on it with real force. Put light at the top and bottom step so a shadow does not hide an edge after dark. Note what the surface is like in wet weather, whether smooth paint, bare concrete, or textured. Ask anyone who will install a rail or surface to state in writing what it is rated for when wet.

Ask before you commit

Ask the installer whether the rail anchors into framing or only into the face of the stair. Ask whether the landing can be widened without moving the door, and what that does to drainage away from the house. Ask whether a second person can stand beside the door without blocking the swing. Write the answers next to your measurements. A plan that fits those numbers is the one to sign.

For the wider picture of who does what in the first weeks, the Start Here page lays out the order.

Next move

Tonight, measure the landing depth and width, count the steps, and mark the worst rise. Sketch the door with its swing drawn in, put the numbers on the sketch, and do not commit to any change until every number is written on it.

The Side Landing Has to Hold Two People and a Walker: Measure the Pad, the Steps, and the Swing Before You Plan the Route