This problem is a pretty obvious design flaw, and not hard to fix. More often than not, I see this mistake made outside a door at a bedroom to the backyard. The problem -- there is a small stairway, no landing at the top, and the door opens out OVER the steps. It does provide a certain element of security as it is just plain hard to get inside without sweeping yourself off your feet.

In this case, efforts to keep the crazy canine on the deck led to putting in this gate. Problem is, it is hinged the wrong way. I am fairly agile, doing what I do, and I had to do a dance not unlike a combination of the tango and the lambada to get in and up on that deck. The good news is that the repair is simple. How about reversing the hinges so the gate opens over the deck, not over the steps? Sometimes, when something is so obviously wrong, you have to wonder why it ended being done that way to begin with. While this is amusing, it is a fairly common problem that does present safety issues, even on steps that are not too high off the ground.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections