Wheelchair Ramps

Danny Overstreet, field director for Friends of Disabled Adults, says a safe and useful wheelchair ramp involves a lot of thought and planning. When planning a ramp, look at the lay of the land, the exterior of the house to best decide how to attach a ramp and stay within code.

• Decide what's best for a person's needs. A ramp designed for use by someone in a wheelchair differs from one designed for a person using a walker.

• Though not always required by code, one important safety feature is a toe rail along a handrail that prevents a wheelchair from rolling under the handrail and off the side of the ramp (figure A).

• Decking boards used for the ramp should run crossways to provide extra traction (figure B).

Construction Tips:

When planning a ramp, first measure from the ground to the base of the doorway to find out how much elevation is needed (figure C). Many states have adopted the ADA code requirements for ramps, so check with your local building codes office to make sure a ramp meets specs.

Every inch of rise requires a foot of ramp. So a ramp that goes up to a doorway 20 inches off the ground should be at least 20 feet long. The slope should never exceed a 1-to-12 ratio.

Other criteria for a ramp include:

• The ramp should be at least 36 to 48 inches wide (figure D).

• Concrete piers for posts enable you to place ramp supports directly on grade or on the ground without digging holes and pouring concrete (figure E). The anchors accept 4x4 posts, 2x6 or 2x8 boards. Once again, check to make sure code requirements allow use of piers.

• The height from the rail to the surface of the ramp should be 36 inches.

• A landing should be 60 inches by 60 inches, for five feet square.

• The threshold or lip of the ramp should be no higher than 1/2-inch.