Wheelchair Ramp Project
Ramp Description
We expect that when Mom comes home from the nursing facility, that she’ll be wheelchair bound for seven to nine months. During that time, she’ll require easy access to her home, and to that end my brothers-in-law and I are going to build a ramp that leads off of the south porch at Mom’s house, to the east side car port. Several ramp configurations are possible:
- A primary goal is to avoid any sloping greater than 1:16 (one inch of rise per sixteen inches of run).
- The number of turns is to be minimum.
- Usable ramp width is to be at least 36 inches, though the ADA recommends ramp widths of 38” to 40”.
- Handrails on both sides that match our existing porch style.
- Use boards (either wood, or plastic-wood composites) for the ramp floor.
Issues
- Can we anchor the vertical support posts for the ramp to the sidewalk below, or must we remove the sidewalk and sink the posts? ANSWER: The township doesn’t care about this detail, as we are not required to have an actual building permit; all we need is an assessment permit. The requirements of an assessment permit don’t include details about the posts sitting atop sidewalks. So, we’re free to install the posts as we see fit, as long as the resulting ramp is sturdy and safe. RESOLVED on 2009-10-14.
Materials & Supplies List
Project To-do List
- Determine the maximum slope of the ramp that Mom is comfortable with. DONE. We’ll make the ramp with a slope of 1:16. Mom’s physical therapist said that she should be able to work this in her wheelchair without problems. DONE on 2009-10-02.
- Call the township offices to obtain a permit for building the ramp (if they require this). The township will likely have additional ramp requirements which will be listed in this document when they’re obtained. DONE on 2009-10-06. See details below.
- Remove the flower box on the patio on the south side of the house. In addition to making it easier to get back in there to clean the gutters, that extra space will give more options for positioning the ramp. DONE on 2009-10-07.
- Draw up plans for ramp. DONE on 2009-10-07.
- File application with Antis Township for a building permit. DONE on 2009-10-08.
- Upon receipt of the application, the township will send an inspector to look over the proposed site. DONE on 2009-10-12.
- Then, once the township reviews his findings and if there were no show-stopping issues discovered, they’ll issue us the building permit. DONE on 2009-10-13.
- Move the steps from the south side of the east porch landing to the east side, to make way for the new ramp.
- Set up strings and stakes that outline the path of the proposed ramp. Then have the siblings look it over and get any feedback they might have. DONE on 2009-11-11.
- Determine exact ramp configuration desired. We’ll be closely following the ramp design specified here on the Adaptive Access web site. DONE on 2009-10-14.
- Calculate exactly how high the carport area needs to be raised in order to shorten the necessary ramp length to a viable value. DONE on or around 2009-10-06.
- Based on the findings in the previous step, calculate how much gravel to order. We’ll have gravel brought in, in five tone increments, and stop when it looks like we have enough. These are called cye-ball calculations.
DONE on 2009-10-14. - Order the appropriate amount of 2RC gravel. The delivery man suggested that instead of 2RC, we use quarry waste. It’s cheaper and we’ll get equally good packing and settling from it. DONE on 2009-10-14.
- When the gravel arrives, spread it to the correct dimensions. The parking area should be as level as possible and be the same height as the ground at the east edge of the house (facing the river). DONE on 2009-10-19.
- Complete all measurements.
- Determine the amount and type of wood and number as well as the number and type of fasteners needed.
- Purchase the materials.
- Remove the north side hand rail from the south porch steps. We’re replacing this with the new hand rail that goes with the ramp.
- Determine exactly where to sink the ramp support posts.
- Dig all necessary holes for the posts.
- Cut these vertical posts to the right dimensions.
- Put them in the ground.
- Build the ramp. Will add those steps as we learn more about ramp construction techniques.
- Once the ramp has been built, lay a concrete path to the car from the bottom of the ramp.
Project Costs
- $8.00: Batteries for Richard’s transit tool.
- $30.00: Assessment permit.
- $340.00: 23 tons of gravel (2009-10-14). This includes spreading it.
- $132.00: 12 tons of gravel (2009-10-15), which also includes spreading labor charges.
- $379.00: 24 tons of gravel (2009-10-16), which also includes spreading labor costs.
- $15.oo: No gravel today but he did an hour’s worth of spreading and smoothing. The total cost of the gravel to do the driveway and the parking area for the ramp was $866.00.
- $127.07: 4′ X 8′ X 3/4” outdoor plywood for a temporary walkway.
- $22.85: Stake Reflectors for outlining the parking space (11).
- $21.17: 10 Ft. ratchet belt for hauling wood home. 2009-11-13 shopping trip.
- $31,70: 2” X 6” X 16′ planks (3). 2009-11-13 shopping trip.
- $14.78: 2” X 4” X 16′ planks (2). 2009-11-13 shopping trip.
- $63.54: 4′ X 8′ treated (outdoor) plywood. 2009-11-13 shopping trip.
- $19.06: Star drive outdoor wood screws (2 pounds). 2009-11-13 shopping trip.
- $2.73: 2” X 6” joist hangers (3) to fasten ramp to porch. 2009-11-13 shopping trip.
- $30.39: Green and white roll roofing (1 roll) as an anti-skid surface for the ramp. 2009-11-13 shopping trip.
- $3.50: Lug bolts and washers for ramp barriers: 2009-11-20 shopping trip.
Ramp Layout
Click here for ramp diagrams and specific measurements for the various pieces.
More sections will be added to this document as the project progresses. So stand by.
Tom
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Talked to one of the physical therapists working with mom at the nursing facility this afternoon. He suggested that the ramp should be as wide as practical so she has plenty of space to work her arms off to the sides, as she maneuvers her wheelchair around on it. The ADA specifies a minimum width of 36’’ but recommends 38’’ to 40’’.
As to the choice of plywood or boards for the ramp floor, he said that neither type should cause problems with a wheelchair or a walker. Inded at Beacon Lodge where I attend camp each summer, they have several of the board style ramps that have been there for over ten years now, and the campers don’t have any problems using them. Both plywood and boards can have problems, especially since this ramp will be out in the weather with no roof to shelter it from sun and rain. Boards can warp, that’s true, and pose potential tripping risks. But plywood can splinter and grow weak over time as the individual laminations come unbound, and moisture entering the layers at the edges rots the wood over time. Thus, plywood can cave in if not monitored and repaired as the need arises. So whether we use plywood or planks, we’ll still have some routine upkeep of the ramp. Neither plywood nor boards seems to have a clear advantage from a maintenance perspective. My preference is to use boards here, because they’d better match the style of our existing porches, and they’d offer a more sound construction in my opinion.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:33 am
Rich and I have been taking some measurements around the yard, and found that the ground drops off rapidly once you go past the back porch toward the river. Without ground adjustment therefore, the ramp would have to be quite long in order to maintain the 1 in 16 slope recommended by the ADA and the physical therapist. So we must raise the carport area, at the low end, by around a foot or so. This can be accomplished cheaply by adding gravel. However, we won’t know how many tons to order until we actually take some string-level readings of the area, which we’ll probably do early next week. The gravel must be dumped and spread before we build the lower part of the ramp.
Tom
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:12 am
Added a Project Todo List section to the post above.
Also, the flower box on the south side of the house must be removed to make way for the ramp.
October 5th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Richard is bringing some string levels over this week (hopefully today) so we can figure out how much the ground must be raised at the carport. Then, based on these, we have to order the right amount of gravel, and when it comes, spread it. This may not be completed by next weekend, and we can’t do much with the ramp itself until the gravel is done. Probably for this week anyhow, we’ll be working with the gravel part of the project. We’ll let you know when we’re ready to start building the ramp.
***
We did some measuring tonight. Still don’t have exact figures on how much gravel to order. However, we did set some stakes where we think the best place for the ramp would be. We’ll add string to show the exact position of the sides of the ramp, and where the concrete needs to go.
We propose moving the steps for the east porch to the east side of the landing in order to give us more of a straight shot for the ramp. Currently, the steps are on the south side. Checking with Mom for approval. She says this is okay.
Also, we know now that that big flower bed must be removed, and I got Mom’s permission to do that. So I’ll get started on that tomorrow.
October 6th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Removed fake flowers from the south flower box. Put these in large, black garbage bags. Need to ask Mom what to do with them.
Dumped Mom’s fountain and put it on the east porch.
Moved the statue flower pot into the back yard for now.
Removed lantern lights.
Removed shrubs from the south side of the east porch. Mom says that we’re not to remove the hemlock tree however. This shouldn’t be a problem, as the tree is not in the planned ramp path.
Removed four wheelbarrows of dirt from the flower bed that we’re removing along with about one wheelbarrow of river rocks.
Removed the lattice work from the bed along with the riser. This will give better access to the remaining dirt and rocks inside.
October 6th, 2009 at 7:33 am
Talked with the Antis Township construction permits office. Yes, we must obtain a building permit before beginning construction on this ramp. The application must includes a drawing and detailed construction plans for the ramp, including measurements, exact location, and such. So, we’ll need to get our proposal together first. Then, the township inspector will come out and look over the proposed site and make specific recommendations and plan alterations as needed to keep us in compliance with township safety and accessibility codes.
October 7th, 2009 at 7:07 am
Today, I’m drawing up plans for the ramp and filling out the application for the building permit. DONE. I’ll walk them up to the township offices this afternoon.
Removed six wheelbarrows of dirt so far from the flower bed being removed. Also, removed the front and top supports and dividers to ease the shoveling of the remaining soil.
This afternoon, I removed the rest of the wood that comprised the box in which the flower bed was built. So, the flower box is officially gone!
October 8th, 2009 at 8:32 am
FAXed the application for a building permit along with my hand-drawn plans for the ramp to the township offices.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
No progress today. Haven’t heard back from the township yet. I’ll give them a call in the next day or two to see how they’re coming along with reviewing our plans for the ramp.
Rich is getting the name and number of a fellow who can bring us five tons of 2RC shale, hopefully this week. We need this to raise up and level out the east parking space, in preps for the ramp.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:03 am
The township has approved our plans for the ramp and thus, has issued the building permit. Apparently, the inspector came out yesterday to look at the site while I was at the shed. I knew not that he was here. However, he had no questions or concerns as he did not contact me. He just quietly came and went. So we’re good to go. I’ll pick it up sometime in the next few days. Thus, we’re now ready to begin the ramp construction in earnest.
The next steps are to determine how much of and what types of wood we need, and arrange to have five tons of shale dumped in the back parking space to raise it up as well as level it off somewhat.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:17 am
09:15 AM: We have five tons of gravel and dirt being delivered this morning, and the fellow bringing it says that he also has a bobcat, which will be handy for spreading out the shale. Nice. I’ll take him up on it.
11:11 AM: The gravel has been delivered. There were five tons of 2RC and six tons of quarry waste (was cheaper and it packs well). Next, the fellow is coming back with his bobcat to spread out the shale, and we’ll get more if needed at that time.
11:15 AM: FAXed Tom the plans for the ramp. He’ll review them and get back to me later today with recommendations for how to build the underlying support structure.
11:20 AM: The type of permit we got from the township was an assessment permit, which means that we’re not bound by the same stringent regulations that a building permit would require. So to answer the question of whether we can sit the support posts on top of the existing concrete side walks, the answer is yes.
01:05 PM: The first eleven tons of gravel (two loads) has been spread. Looks like we need at least one more load. The delivery fellow is off getting that load right now.
02:38 PM: Twelve more tons (two more loads) of the quarry waste gravel were just delivered. He’s spreading it out now.
03:40 PM: All 23 tons of shale were delivered and spread, at a total cost of $340. Looks like we’ll need a little more to completely level off the portion of the parking spot nearest the driveway. He’s bringing another load tomorrow morning.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:06 am
09:00 AM: Dumped another load (six tons) of shale in the surrounding driveway to the east parking area.
10:30 AM: Dumped a second load of six tons this morning. However, the rain is pelting and the equipment operator doesn’t want to continue working in it; he’s soaked already. So he’ll be back tomorrow to finish up, weather permitting.
Today’s todal cost: $132.00.
October 16th, 2009 at 11:17 am
02:15 PM: Dumped four more loads (24 tons) of 2RC gravel today. The weather is hampering the bobcat operator’s efforts. So he’ll be stopping pretty soon, and we’ll finish up this part of the project this coming week, when it’s supposed to warm up again.
Today’s total cost: $379.00.
October 19th, 2009 at 7:45 am
All gravel has been delivered and spread. There’s just a little raking to do yet, to smooth out the ruts and tracks left by the bobcat. But I already have half of that done. I should finish the rest today, once the sun assumes westerly position in the sky; this way, the ruts on the west side of the driveway will be easier to spot and correct. So I’ll wait until late this afternoon to finish the raking.
I paid the excavator, Richard Mayhue $15 dollars (10 dollars an hour for labor and a 5 dollar tip) for about an hour’s worth of spreading this morning.
October 24th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Brother-in-law Tom stopped over, and the two of us made a trip to Lowe’s and then spent an hour or so measuring and kicking around some ideas for the ramp. As a result, we believe that it better to place the landing more in the middle of the ramp than so close to the far end. Not only would this give Mom a more useful place to rest while pushing herself up it, but it simplifies the problem of designing a landing that correctly connects to the east porch steps. Since we plan on moving those steps from the south side of that porch to the east side, this eliminates the need for a landing in front of these steps, and makes access to the porch via these steps totally independent of the ramp structure. I’ll come up with a new drawing of the ramp shortly.
Also, building the permanent ramp before winter gets here presents too many scheduling difficulties for our volunteer construction crew. We’ll do what we can piecemeal. But the ramp probably won’t be finished until spring. For the winter therefore, we propose building a temporary ramp, which will be steeper than the final one, and so, Mom won’t be able to use it by herself. But at least she’d have better ingress to her house than what she has now, which is virtually nothing.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Added fluorescent stake reflectors to the end of Mom’s parking spot to which the proposed ramp connects. We liked them so much that we’re going to add six to eight more to line the east side of the space as well.
Tomorrow, Rich and I will bring home several 4’ X 8’ sheets of outdoor plywood from Lowe’s and lay them out as a temporary sidewalk so Mom can wheel over the grassy and gravel areas more easily.
October 27th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
04:45 PM: We brought the outdoor plywood home a few minutes ago. It’s now in place so that Mom has a smooth albeit makeshift path from the porch steps to the car until we finish the permanent ramp. I also installed eight more reflective stakes to better highlight the edges of Mom’s parking space.
October 31st, 2009 at 9:51 am
Built a temporary ramp out of a 4 X 8 sheet of 3 / 4 ” outdoor plywood and two 2 X 4s. I nailed the plywood to the steps and then nailed the 2 X 4s to the up-side edges of the plywood, to serve as a lip, to keep wheelchairs from rolling off the sides. This should work well until we devise a permanent ramp solution; probably in the spring.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:56 am
09:52 AM: On the temporary ramp: It’s worked pretty well. However, since it’s only eight feet long, it is rather steep. So, to reduce the slope, I’m going to extend this ramp to sixteen feet; doubling its length. To that end, I just talked with brother-in-law Richard, about going up to Lowe’s sometime in the next few days to get the wood and supplies required. He’ll borrow brother-in-law Roger’s trailer to haul the stuff home.
I’ll need the following supplies:
* 4′ X 8′ X 3/4” outdoor plywood (two sheets)
* 2” X 6” X 16′ outdoor planks for support at ramp sides (2).
* 2” X 4” X 16′ outdoor planks to provide a lip on the ramp sides to keep the wheelchair from rolling off (2).
* 4” long nails to fasten the lip to the plywood.
* Roll roofing (16 feet) to provide an anti-skid surface on the business part of the ramp.
* 4” X 4” X 8′ outdoor planks (4) for this and other, unrelated projects.
November 13th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Richard and I went to Lowe’s and purchased all the required wood and supplies listed here for the second version of the temporary ramp. We hope to build it this weekend.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:32 am
08:30 AM: The plan for today is to remove the 8 Ft. long temporary ramp and build a 16 Ft. one, to reduce the slope. This should facilitate easier maneuvering of the wheelchair up and down, and make it less dangerous should rain and ice accumulate on the ramp surface during the winter. I think we got all wood and hardware we need on last night’s shopping trip. So hopefully, the new ramp will be finished either today or tomorrow.
09:50 AM: The 8-foot ramp has been removed. Now fastening the joist hangers to the top of the original steps. We’ll “hang” the beams for the new ramp on these.
11:20 AM: The joist hangers are now installed. Next step: Trim and notch each 2” X 6” beams as needed.
02:00 PM: Cutting the beams at the correct angle so that they sit flat on the ground even though the board is itself at an angle to the ground, gave me a bit of a challenge because each time you take some off the down-side corner that touches the ground, you change the angular relationship between the board and the ground. The one board I cut too much off of so we may have to replace it. But the others, I’m shaving off a little at a time, and then putting it in place and observing fit, then adjusting my measurements and taking off a bit more, and checking it again. In this way, I hope to “zero in” on the right cut while avoiding over-cutting.
03:10 PM: All three notches on the top of the steps have been chiseled for correct fit of the beams.
05:45 PM: The three beams along with the top piece of 8 Ft. plywood have been installed. I temporarily tacked on the bottom piece of plywood, so people can use this entrance tonight. Tomorrow, I want to take that piece back up again, and install additional vertical support to sure it up a little more. Then, once the 4” X 4” legs have been positioned and screwed on then I’ll install the bottom piece more permanently.
November 15th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
01:15 PM: Brother-in-law Richard came by to help with the ramp. He had some useful suggestions on how to get all the plywood to join without a lip (different heights between the two pieces of wood).
05:15 PM: Added cross supports to the top and middle of the ramp; it wobbled a bit in these locations, but not anymore.
Also, the cross supports in the middle turned out to be a bit high. So we used an electric chainsaw to “whittle” them down a little (easier than undoing the fasteners then repositioning. Then, once I positioned the plywood again, I used an orbital sander to get the ends to align properly.
We also spread out the roll roofing out back. Tomorrow when the sun warms it up, I’ll cut the roofing to the correct dimensions, and apply it to the ramp as an anti-skid surface.
November 17th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
02:30 PM: Brother-in-law Richard brought a belt sander over for me to use to round off the edges of any lips in the ramp as well as the corners of each 2” X 4” guard on the sides of the ramp.
I need at least ten lag bolts, 5” long each, along with washers that fit them. Hopefully, Surplus City has them. These we’ll use to fasten the wooden guard rails to the side edges of the ramp; thus, preventing the wheelchair from inadvertently rolling off and falling.
Rich also brought a piece of aluminum over to place under the plywood at the foot of the ramp to sure up the edge of the plywood down there. We’ll fasten that strip to the sidewalk with tapcon screws perhaps, or some sort of concrete anchor. Then, we’ll lay one of those doorway thresholds over the edge of the plywood, and screw it through to the aluminum underneath, in order to properly terminate the ramp, and protect the edge of the plywood as well as the roll roofing we’re using for an anti-skid surface, from being damaged by foot traffic.
November 20th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
04:30 PM: Went to Surplus City earlier and bought twelve 5”-long, 3’8”-diameter lag bolts and washers for them, required for fastening the 2” X 4” barrier to each side of the ramp, that should prevent wheelchairs from rolling off the sides by accident.
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:15 pm
03:15 PM: Installed the 2” X 4” lips (one on the left, and one on the right side of the ramp), using twelve of the 5-inch long, three-eights inch thick lag bolts. At sixteen feet per lip, I put six bolts in each 2” X 4”. However, I think I need to add three more per side to get these barriers really strong. So, the next time I go to Surplus City, I’ll get the required hardware.
05:30 PM: Put away all the tools on the porch for this project. I probably won’t do any more with this until after the holidays at least, if not in spring time.
November 29th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
03:35 PM: Applied the roll roofing to the business area of the ramp and fastened with 1-1/2 inch roofing nails that Dad had laying around in the basement from some of his roofing projects.