80 y.o. Mildy has a bad knee , she had the other knee done prior to the covid.

now she's on blood thinners for stints that had to be put in ,
so
the knee operation is at least 14 months out.

two guys came to quote her a price for the ramp and hand rails.

neither came back to do the work.

I was getting ready to attempt it all on my own.
about $240.00 for the materials

and three days worth of work , for me .
(thats if it all goes right )

In speaking with a very good neighbor,
He offered to call his co-workers at
Habitat For Humanity .

They are offering to put one up for her , Gratis,

if she promise's to have them come to get it ,
when it is no longer required .

it's true what they say ,
It's not what you know, but who you know .

Good deal.

We have a local church that builds access ramps for needy families, free of charge.

The program is overseen by several experienced contractors, and they use it to teach teens in their youth group about wood shop skills.

Win-win: real world skills for the young workers, and free ramps for those in need.

Both are good resources potentially.

Habitat’s availability will often depend on the level of funding to support lot acquisition & new home construction, which is their main focus. But during periods of low funding, I’ve seen Habitat shift towards repair projects. Also, a local Habitat office may have a “go to” gang of regular skilled volunteers that the salaried staff know & trust and can send out for small projects.

We also have a nearby large church that has a home repair ministry involving retired volunteers working throughout each week. Last time I volunteered with them, they had a healthy backlog. Their scope was very similar to your project. The focus is usually safety & security. It ain’t always pretty and they move quickly, but they diligently address basic needs.

And, of course, most churches tend to have service days where a large group will coordinate with Habitat for a site, etc. But that effort wouldn’t always be a good fit for your need.

After our state was slammed in 2011 by tornadoes, I developed a habit of volunteering a good bit with both type efforts. When I finally retire, I hope to resume that activity on a regular basis. Those were some of the most rewarding days of my life in regards to personal contribution.

there is no doubt that she will give them some cash donation.

Her med bills are piling up like crazy , she will probably have to send donations in installment.

Habitat might be saving her many more med bills by doing this,
her currant
front step
is 11 inches tall w/o hand rails

My sister got out of the nursing home. She has cancer all over her and cannot walk much by herself.
She needed a ramp. My niece called a guy from the Local Ford motor plant here. They have a volunteer crew that puts them in. He told her he would put her on the list and check it out with the city she lives in.
The city told her, no can do in this town.
Can you believe it?

My niece is pretty smart, so she got an air controlled motorcycle lift table. She rolls her wheel chair up on it and then raises the lift and rolls the chair off.

quote:

The city told her, no can do in this town.
Can you believe it?

I can believe it, but surely it can't be legal. Of course, it would take a lawsuit and lawyer with the associated fees.

I could see that potentially happening. Some cities have strict building code requirements, whereby any permanent/attached improvements (including decks, ramps, etc.) have to be permitted, built by licensed contractors, etc.

quote:

The city told her, no can do in this town.
Can you believe it?

no can do what, no ramps on private property?, unless she's in some kind of home where the ramp would impede others doesn't make sense, has to be more to the story...



Someone should build it, then if the nitwits in the city come to take it down, have a camera crew with her in her wheel chair up top while they try to rip her only access to and from the house out...

Just a ADA rule of thumb for ya'll: 1 foot of length for every 1" of rise. we do a lot of ramps. They are aluminum. They are not cheap. They generally outlast the person that needs it.

Good for HfH.

RE: possible restrictions/regulations. Ramps are not without their own risks - I could see places putting codes in place, maybe requiring rails as part of some installations.

For example, if downtownv's rule of thumb and bendable's 11 inch are both correct, that'd be 11 ft of ramp to get up the 11 inches of step. Might be reasonable to worry about what happens if someone fragile wobbled off something like that.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
I could see that potentially happening. Some cities have strict building code requirements, whereby any permanent/attached improvements (including decks, ramps, etc.) have to be permitted, built by licensed contractors, etc.

I can see that, but the way I read his post suggests no permission of any kind is given, ever. Maybe there is more to it.

She could have a ramp, it just cannot be as long as she needs it to get as high as the porch.
They have a limit on the length of the ramp.
My brother had the same issue in a nearby city.
He just had the ramp made and installed and dared them to sue him.
At this point it is almost a moot issue. My sister had to taken to the hospital and may not make it out.

ADA is for public buildings. My understanding is that ADA does not apply to private residences. A ramp might be a little shorter and a little steeper and still be exactly what is needed.

Your building codes might vary.

You might also build one as a temporary structure. It may need no permits/permissions whatsoever if it can be moved as needed.

Get clarification as to what is “temporary”.

quote:

Just a ADA rule of thumb for ya'll: 1 foot of length for every 1" of rise. we do a lot of ramps. They are aluminum. They are not cheap.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
He is correct on the ADA rule. I finally got my office landlord to put in a concrete ramp two years ago.
The first lady in a wheelchair complained it was too steep. Having since been in a wheelchair for a brief time she was right. Unless you have one of the motorized chairs you have to have superior upper body strength. On the way down you want a slow descent.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

Just a ADA rule of thumb for ya'll: 1 foot of length for every 1" of rise. we do a lot of ramps. They are aluminum. They are not cheap.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
He is correct on the ADA rule. I finally got my office landlord to put in a concrete ramp two years ago.
The first lady in a wheelchair complained it was too steep. Having since been in a wheelchair for a brief time she was right. Unless you have one of the motorized chairs you have to have superior upper body strength. On the way down you want a slow descent.

Power chairs 6" to 1" rise. Rule 2. I've done medical since 1977 (damn, where did the yesrs go) That's why you don't see many straight runs more than 10' long, rather a zig-zag. A typical Philly row house has about 5' from the step to the sidewalk, porch lifts are the only option. Also, it is illegal to solicit (cold Call) a home with a ramp on its entrance-way.

^^^^^^^
thanks that was interesting. I learned a lot the week I spent in a wheelchair.

"The Man" came and looked at the situation,

Mildy wanted a 48" ramp 36" wide w/ hand rails.

Their parameters
Would make the ramp 9 feet long.
( Out in to the lawn)

They gave her the option of two steps up and hand rails.

She liked that better.
They
Are two weeks out

Is it possible to make a ramp out of dirt (raise the grade of that area). then put a concrete sidewalk in on top of it?

Not for free, no.

At her age, the home owners would not want to do that,
As they would have to un do it later, down the road.