What materials have y'all found to be wheel/tire friendly or unfriendly?

* marti8a -- Did you ever try the grass grids that you mentioned in the tools thread some time ago, and do you know where we can get them in Dallas? (or anyone else?)

~ Amy

It's been my experience (within the realm of education) that parents of children with special needs rarely network the way other parent subgroups do (band parents, football parents, GT parents and so on). Because of that, we don't share info, we don't support each other, etc. It seems so ironic that a group that stands to benefit so much from one another's experiences shares information the least.

I'm willing to bear my portion of the blame on that. I shut people out b/c I'm already overloaded with my own issues and don't have any energy left for someone elses. But I'm asking y'all a pretty basic question, and the entire forum has been silent on this for 3 weeks. What gives?

~ Amy

I hope you get more info out of these blogs. I am surprised by the lack of posts too. Geez

Grass is ok if it is dry, but wet grass is very slippery.
Mud and sand are, of course, problems.
Gravel works very nicely. So do wood chips (had half the trees in my back yard cut so my deck would get light).

My cement walk is a breeze. If done right, I'd think pavers would work well.

Kudos for wantiong tp get the kids gardening. Wish the world had more mothers like you.

I'm suspecting that you don't have a lot of spare money. You might contact some landscaping supply companies, the ones who sell the bulk bark, soil, sand, rock, etc. Tell them what you want to do, and ask about their rock that is about 1.25" in diameter (chunk, not round). A friend of mine used this stuff to make her driveway. The main problem I see with it for your purposes is that it would have to be tamped down to lock together and lie flat. (My friend just drove her truck back and forth over it.) This rock in WA State is $14/cubic yard.

I am thinking that if the soil where this path would go was loosened about 3" deep, and the rocks laid down, and then tamped down, they might set quite smoothly.

If this seems like a viable idea, you might contact your local Boy Scout group, and ask if they would be able to help you do the labor (the boys could get merit badges). And it's going to be hard labor, as that stuff sure isn't light!

One thing I would want to warn you about is not to use anything much smaller than the 1.25" rock, and it MUST have flat, chunky sides. The smaller it is, the more is likely to shift or sink into the soil/mud in winter.

I hope you can find a solution to your problem.

Sue

We put stone walks in here & it was a big mistake, They are much too rough. We also have some decks, one is wood and one is a Trex like one. Not having done a Trex one before, my dh made the spacing the same as the wood to allow for expansion and it's really too far apart for a wheelchair. Concrete is the best, but not possible for us in the areas we need it. Plain grass would probably be better than the stone walk, but we needed access in areas that get boggy for long times. The last thing we did was use the 16x16" concrete pavers from Walmart or Home Depot. Once leveled, they seem to stay really flat & tight to each other, are reasonably priced and I can pick one up by myself, at least for now.

MeMo

Took an internet hiatus for a while.

a) So far, the options I've explored are either too expensive or too labor-intensive. Two months ago, I was diagnosed with osteopenia & a compressed lumbar disk, so I'm having to limit my heavy work so that I can lift the kids when I need to. The materials that I could possibly manage, in terms of budget and logistics, are poor candidates: gravel, mulch, etc.

b) There's also the issue of resale value. We're certain this isn't our "forever house", so we'll eventually need to sell the house. Not sure a path to nowhere (nowhere, as in it won't be going to a jacuzzi or "outdoor living area") will be marketable down the road.

c) The kids are 10, severely low-functioning, and completely dependent. So any time they're outside, they'll be pushed & then won't be left alone either. Their outdoor experiences will be sensory rather than functional - they won't actually be "gardening." One of them mouths everything, so we'll be keeping his hands away from anything that shouldn't go into his mouth, which is almost everything outside.

d) They both sort of wilt in the heat, but they also both love fresh air, wind, and outdoor sounds. My sole objective is a way to get them from the patio to the opposite corner of the backyard (about 15yds - typical small suburban yard) so they can enjoy another part of the yard during comfortable weather.

~ freshair

I don't know how well they are able to get around but it sounds like you need to keep working with them and try to see what all they may need in making your yard more accessible for them. They should be the best in helping you work through this learning process. It is great that they want to be active too many don't, I wish you well
Paul