Build the Safe Garden Bridge
After assessing your backyard’s future needs for expansion, you have decided to set up a garden bridge.
But as pretty as it is, and as it plays a role to bring together every item in your garage, what do you do to make the safest item you will need? For example, how are your parents and other elders visiting your home getting through without a handrail? And what about children, running across your bridge? How will they be safe to protect by the new choice in décor? This article will give you how to make your bridge safe for all your visitors.
Many of the garden bridges you have seen on the market don’t usually come with hand rails – making you rather weary of building your garden around to make it work together in the first place. But if the garden bridge you want doesn’t come with safety features built in, you can always have them added on. Adding railing on to a garden bridge will keep your bridge structurally reinforced, offer support to the elderly, and even protect children from falling off the edge.
The first thing to consider when figuring out what garden bridge you need is how wide it needs to be before it is placed across your gorge. If your normal garden visitors are able-bodied children and adults, who don’t need the extra room to move around, a standard width bridge of 35 inches should work well for your needs. However, your guests may include the elderly, those in wheelchairs, or other people with disabilities. If you have guests who need the extra room or extra time when crossing the bridge, consider buying a bridge with a wider threshold of at least 44 inches of clearance across. This will ensure that all of your guests will be able to enjoy your new feature with ease.
Once you consider the width of your garden bridge, consider the maximum weight load it will need to accommodate. The weight limit will be determined by the materials, construction, and reinforcement of the bridge itself. Added apparatuses to your guests (such as walkers and wheelchairs) will weigh them down, putting them at risk of breaking the bridge and falling through. Determine what weight threshold is appropriate for you, and then purchase accordingly.
Once you have your garden bridge decided upon and ordered, it is now time to start measuring the height of your handrails. If you are just keeping kids from jumping off the bridge and into the gorge or pond underneath, your hand rails do not need to be much higher than 12 inches to 20 inches. Foot-high rails, generally speaking, are nothing more than decorative additions to a bridge, and serve no real function but to keep people on your straight and narrow path. If your backyard will be frequented by bigger children, you will want to bring your handrails higher. If you are looking for handrails for adults and the elderly to use while they cross over, then you will need to install rails that are at least 35 inches high, or higher. 35 inch high rails are the bare minimum to keep your guests walking across in comfort, while being effective as well.
While buying a garden bridge can be a difficult decision, knowing how to make it safe can ease your mind in your purchase. By knowing how to make it accessible and safe for all your guests, you will be ensuring your investment for years to come.
More Gardening Articles
