Winter: Ice, Early Dark, and the Path to the Door
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The entrance is where winter does its damage. It combines a change in level, a wet or icy surface, hands full of shopping, and, from late afternoon, no light.
The approach
- Handrails on the steps, both sides. If there is one rail, add the second. Grip diameter 1.25–2″ so a gloved hand can close around it.
- Traction on the surface — grit kept by the door in a container they can actually open, or non-slip treads on the steps.
- Clear where the water goes. A downpipe discharging across the path makes ice in exactly the wrong place.
The light
Motion-sensing light at the door, and enough of it to see the edge of each step. Dark treads with no nosing contrast are hard to judge even in good health.
Inside the door
A large, flat, non-slip mat that stays put — and somewhere to sit down to take boots off. Standing on one leg to pull a boot off is a fall waiting to happen, and it happens indoors, where nobody expects it.
Small hard casters do not cope with snow, grit or ice. Check the wheel size, and plan for the days when going out is not reasonable rather than improvising on the day.
Before the first freeze
Do this in autumn. Every item here is harder to install once the ground is frozen, and the first icy morning is not the day to discover the rail is loose.