Maxing out mobility
Escaping to the cottage for the summer is simply not an option for an Ottawa family who live on a suburban street in Alta Vista.
Escaping to the cottage for the summer is simply not an option for an Ottawa family who live on a suburban street in Alta Vista.
So, they've brought the natural tranquility of cottage life to their city backyard with a Muskoka-style porch overlooking a serene dipping pool. The pool sits among rustic elements of rocks, leafy green foliage and stunning stonework with integrated pathways.
Chris and Sydney Peirce, together with daughter Hilary and son Hollis, both Carleton University students, relish time at their urban cottage -- minus the thankless hours of packing and travel on crowded highways to a country retreat.
The city cottage concept has been cleverly constructed to allow maximum mobility for 20-year-old Hollis, who has muscular dystrophy and gets around in a highly computerized wheelchair.
Hollis loves to lap and laze in the stone pool which is heated to a balmy temperature to maintain body heat and provide therapeutic benefits. With his head supported by a foam pool noodle, he can float on his back using his arms and legs to swim. "He's the only one who can do laps in the pool," laughs his mother, while noting its small 12-foot by 18-foot size.
Inspired by urban pools in Toronto and a reflecting pool in New York City (a favourite family destination), the little pool is beautifully crafted from Pennsylvania Blue flagstone. Designed by Ottawa landscaper Kent Peddie of Precision Landscaping in collaboration with Ottawa renovator Scott Puddicombe, and built by Benson Pools, the shallow wading pool rises 18 inches above the ground and features a two-foot wide stone ledge.
"The original plan was for a pond and waterfall, but I told Kent that I couldn't take the added responsibility of caring for fish and keeping them alive," says the stylish woman with cropped silver hair and an artistic flair for photography.
"A pool was something we could all use, except I had nightmares about Hollis tipping into it by accident," says Sydney, who freely admits she is a protective mother. The initial pool plans changed, raising it above the ground so it works on many levels.
While family and friends like to sunbathe and sip a drink while sitting on the warm stone edge, the pool ledge also serves as a convenient way to help Hollis get into the warm water. He can wheel safely up to the ledge, be lifted into the pool or carried down the steps. Another interior ledge enables the university student to rest in the soothing water, which is five feet deep.
Once in, the curly haired guy doesn't like to get out.
"My record for being in the pool is close to five hours," Hollis says proudly. "It feels great to eliminate gravity -- my abilities are heightened and, afterwards, my body feels more refreshed and relaxed."
When big sister Hilary jokes that Hollis looks like a wrinkled prune after a marathon soak and often eats his lunch in the water. Nearby, Hollis breaks into a big smile.
A gradual sloping path of crushed stone leads from the pool to the screened cedar porch, and no one would guess it acts as a wheelchair ramp. It winds through the revamped lush landscape like a nature path through ornamental trees, bushes, big boulders and shrubs. With an air of controlled wilderness, every element is integrated into a calming city sea of green.
Like every other modified feature in the sprawling bungalow, the cedar porch addition off the kitchen was designed by Scott Puddicombe, an Ontario expert in home accessibility. The 14-foot by 30-foot long porch is constructed in a post- and-beam style from rough-cut cedar, with wide planks over the rafters to induce the feel of an old Muskoka cottage.
"I liked the idea of a relaxing outdoor space where we can gather people together without leaving home, because our lives are not easily transported to another environment," says Sydney.
"Scott figured out how to make enough space for a big dining table and separate sitting area, so that Hollis could roll in and out without the awkwardness of constantly asking us or visitors to move out of his way."
When the Peirces moved into the open-concept bungalow eight years ago, they knew it had good bones for adapting the spaces to easy wheelchair movement.
The spacious main living areas, all on one level, had either hardwood or ceramic flooring with door-less entry points. Doorways to the kitchen and bedroom areas were widened, levered handles added and the layout made seamless. Two of the four bedrooms have ceramic flooring which flows directly into open, fully tiled, roll-in shower units.
Everything in the stone bungalow -- from the landscaped interlock and backyard oasis to the interior layout -- has been modified to be fully accessible while maintaining its esthetic design.
The only obvious wheelchair-access feature is the elevator in the lower level garage, installed to transfer Hollis from the car to the house.
The Peirces credit Puddicombe for giving them a highly functional home dressed in grand style.
It creates a liberating environment of independence for Hollis and an elegant atmosphere of comfort for the family.
"Everyone gravitates here," says Sydney. We have everything we need now."
Jane Whiting is an Ottawa writer.
