Construction project! (Oct. 20)
After a few months of construction, we’re closing in on having a beautiful new front yard ramp for Lucas!
It’s been a long time in coming. Since we moved into our house a few years ago we’ve had to maneuver the steep driveway every time we leave the house with Lucas, which is especially treacherous in the wet and cold fall and winter months, and has gotten more difficult as he gets bigger and heavier. Initially we had hoped to flatten out the driveway — a relatively easy and cheap project. But that idea was nixed by our neighbor (its a shared driveway) so we moved on to plan B.
It took a while to find an architect to help design the ramp, and given the construction boom in Seattle right now, it was equally difficult to find a landscape contractor willing to take on the job. Even then, we had to get all the required permits and wait until until the contractor had a space in his schedule to fit us in.
Finally, in August the project began. It’s been fascinating to watch our front yard transform into a landscaped path. 
There have been some challenges along the way — as I imagine there usually are when you do work on your house. But for the most part we feel extremely lucky to have the resources (shout out to my parents for the financial support!) to make this project happen so that Lucas has a safe way to enter our house.
And speaking of Lucas… he’s been watching the construction take place, asking nearly every day as he heads off to school, “how’s the ramp going?” and, “when is it going to be done?!?” Patience is not something that Lucas is known for, but it’s fun to see how excited he is about having a new route into the house.
Perhaps most exciting was the long anticipated concrete pour. As Ida exclaimed that morning a few weeks ago when the truck pulled in, “It’s the big day!” For weeks the workers had been preparing the forms for the concrete walls so it was a significant step in the process to watch it all go down. There were extra workers on hand that day and they paused to get a photo with Lucas as he headed off to school (see below). We won’t miss having a major construction site in the front of our house but we will miss Juan and Miguel, the amazing guys who have done every aspect of the job from day 1.
Next week they put down the pavers that will make up the path for the ramp and along the side of the house. Oh yeah, and there’s still an addition ramp that needs to be constructed along the side of the house, though it will be a much easier to install aluminum portable ramp. At any rate, we’ll post more pictures when its all done, and are also planning a ramp-warming party, including various friends who use wheelchairs who can help christen the path.
