Zero-Step Entry: How to Build a Home With No Stairs to Climb
TL;DR: A zero-step entry lets you walk, or roll, into your home without a single step. In a new home on a slab, it's planned in: the ground and walkway rise gently to the door, and a covered porch and good drainage keep water out. It costs little up front, and it's one of the hardest things to add later. If you plan to stay in your home, plan for it at the front door, the garage door and the porch.
Why it matters: my old dog
I have a dachshund. She's 14, and she doesn't pick up her feet very well anymore. The other day she tripped over a rope in the yard.
That's all of us eventually. Feet don't lift the way they used to. A 2-inch threshold, a single step at the door, a rug edge: the little things become the things that cause a fall.
That's why zero-step entry matters so much to me. Not so my dog can visit your house safely. So you can live there that way.
What is a zero-step entry?
A zero-step (or zero-entry, or step-free) entry is a doorway you can go through without stepping up or down. No stairs, no single step, no tall threshold. The path from the driveway to the door to the kitchen floor is smooth enough for a walker, a wheelchair, a stroller or a cart of groceries.
Why a slab makes it easy
A house over a basement or crawl space sits up off the ground, often a couple of feet. Getting in means stairs, or a long ramp added later.
A home on a slab sits close to the ground, so the walkway only has to rise a little to meet the door. That's one reason every DreamStart design sits on a slab. (The footings still go deep below the slab; here's how deep in Missouri.)
What to plan at each door
The front door
- A walkway that rises gently to the door instead of steps
- A covered porch or deep overhang to keep rain and snow off the threshold
- A low-profile threshold, so there's nothing to catch a toe or a wheel
- A 36-inch door (more on door widths)
- Good lighting, and a spot to set packages down
The garage door into the house This is the door most people actually use every day, so plan it as carefully as the front. The garage floor can slope gently up to the house door instead of having a step there. Ask your GC and your county what your local rules require at that door.
The back porch or patio A porch slab poured at the same level as the house floor means you can step outside without thinking about it.
Keeping water out
The main worry with a no-step door is water, and good planning takes care of it:
- The ground slopes away from the house on every side
- A covered porch or overhang over the door
- A drain or channel at the threshold where needed
- Gutters and downspouts that carry roof water well away
Your designer and GC work these details out for your site and your county's rules.
Why it's hard to add later
Adding a zero-step entry to an existing house usually means a long ramp, rebuilt steps, regraded yard or a new door location. And the inside still needs to match: halls, bathroom doors and the shower. That's why it pays to plan the whole path in from the start, from the driveway to a curbless shower.
See the full checklist on our aging-in-place homes page.
Walk it before it's built
Every DreamStart design package includes a Walk Your Plans visit: your full-size floor plan laid out so you can walk in the front door, through the halls and into the bathroom before anything is ordered. Bring a walker if you want to test it. You make final changes right there.
How to start
- Get your free estimate for a single-level home on your land.
- Book a free 30-minute planning call.
- Reserve your design. Your $9,000 design package includes Walk Your Plans, and the plans are yours to keep, no matter what.
We're only taking on 10 new design clients through December. Reserve your spot →