How To Build A Wheelchair Ramp For Someone Who Needs One!

From left to right. Ron West, Bob Stukenberg, Bill Barry, Bill Greguska

I used to build wheelchair ramps for a ministry called “Faith Indeed”

This is how I did it… If you have any questions, please Contact Us.

The client needs to be informed of his or her options in building their ramp. For example to have the posts on top of the ground or underground. Explain the code situation and also figure out if it is going to be a temporary ramp for someone that knows they are moving soon or terminal health type situation, where they would not want 4′ holes dug into their ground. We need to inform the customer so they can make their own decision for themselves. We build how the client wants us to build according to safety regulations. I always Explained that I needed a power source for our power tools. Also to be able to use the bathroom if someone is home. We can also include the take down of the ramp at their request once it is needed any longer.

How we find out how big the ramp needs to be is relatively simple.

First you need to measure the height of the steps from the door threshold in which the ramp is coming out of. Let’s say there are 4 steps and the height is 28”. Then you must look to see if the area that the ramp will be landing on is a flat surface. If it is not, then you need to use a laser to see how many inches it slopes down. The amount of inches, let’s say 3” then needs to be added to the 28” which will give us the total inches of 31”. Now for every inch in height, the length of the ramp (not including any decks) needs to be 31′ in length. The pitch needs to be 12:1 to insure a safe and smooth incline and decline of the ramp. (one inch in height will need one foot in length of ramp ) Let’s say instead of the above example of 31′ you would build it only 20′, that would result in an unsafe ramp because the angle of incline would be very hard to get up, and in bad weather very slippery and easy to fall down.

Overview of what the ramp is made out of?

Ramps that are build outdoors need to be green treated. Indoor ramps on the other hand do not need to be green treated. We use Ponderosa pine lumber. The size boards we use are 2” x 6” x (what ever length) we need to build each custom ramp. The deck boards are typically 1 ¼’ deck boards. We use 2” deck screws to fasten the deck boards on.(some special request we can use green treated plywood) The deck boards are good for draining of rain water compared to plywood which is not as good. We use 4 x 4 posts which we use 6” carriage bolts, washers and nuts to fasten together. On top of the posts we add post tops to make it look nice and to protect it from damage from rain from cracking. We also use two sets of 2”x 6” rails. (we can put on regular hand rails by the request of the customer as an extra feature). The ramp and deck joists are 2” x 6” material, with 2” x 6” supports going down approximately every 8′ to give extra strength. We also add a little coffee / plant holder on the inside of the angle of two rails. The end of the ramp we install an aluminum tread plate to ensure a comfortable entrance and exit of the ramp with out having a big bump to deal with.

What the client needs to do?

Not that much, except that the customer needs to be aware that the exit to their house that we are going to be working on, might be out of use for up to a few days or even more depending on circumstances and also the size of the ramp. Please keep your dog or cat away from us, unless you are sure they will not do us any harm. We do like animals but to your dog or cat, we are strangers.

Few simple definitions of different parts of the wheelchair ramp.

• Deck= The flat area which is attached to the ramp in order to make the ramp change directions.
• Door threshold= usually does not need a transition plate, only if there is too big of bump to overcome.
• Rail= Made out of 2” x 6” lumber. Upon request we can also add a regular wooden handrail with hardware.
• Ramp= Is obviously the part that gets you in your house. A 12:1 pitch is very important.
• Stain= Do not stain your new ramp, wait 6 months / year to dry out the wood. Then you can have it stained.
• Tread plate= The piece that connects the ramp with the sidewalk or into the house for smooth transition.
• Joist hangers, 3/8 inch bolts, washers, nuts, 3 inch deck screws, blue cement screws, will all be needed to assemble the ramp.

Deck

The deck is made up of 2” x 6” green treated lumber. They are screwed together with Three- 3” deck screws at each corner area. In the middle there is a support 2” x 6” to give it more stability. Four- 4” x 4” are bolted on with Two- 6” carriage bolts, washers and nuts. The deck area is the place where we attach the coffee / flower shelve for convince, strength and looks. Attached to the 4” x 4” posts, we attach 2” x 6” rails.

Ramp

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