Hello to all,
I have been asked to put a ramp on my MOL house so that both can get in and out more easily. I’d like to know what would be the best type of material for the ramp, the minimum width and slope.
They live in central NH near NewFound lake so it will get snow and ice.
Any info including online references would be appreciated.
KaiserRoo
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Replies
Check local codes and National ADA requirements. I seem to think it is like a foot per inch. So if you are dropping down 16 inches, that is a 16 foot ramp. Most people will go 8 feet, do a landing/turn around and then go another 8 feet. I would put a cover over it if you get snow, other wise how will you clean it? You could install tile or concrete and put an electric ice melter in it. I don't know how well they would work on a plywood ramp. Might be possible. Mix a little play sand in the first coat of paint, and then apply the second without. That should be smooth and yet not slippy.
Make it at least 4 feet wide so it is easy to negotiate and hand rails that are graspable and about 37 inches off the surface of the ramp.
A snow shovel?
What Kirk said.
You can also build it out of PT lumber like a deck.
If you have the room for a lesser slope, then by all means you should do so.
I've watched a six year old wheel herself up and down a 1 in 12 ramp repeatedly with no strain, but I've also seen an adult male be completely unable to get up even a short distance on a 1 in 12.
Here are the ADA guidelines for ramps:
http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#4.8
But if you can go wider with the ramp, you should.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
Yeah, the main thing is that an inch to the foot is the STEEPEST it should ever be. And you should have flat areas every so often as resting places. (Every 8 feet is good.)
Re the ADA rulebook, you should be aware that you need not comply exactly with it (it isn't "code" for residental use unless your local AHJ has said otherwise). However, it does provide some very good guidelines in this area and you shouldn't "bend" them very much without good reason -- they're really "minimum" standards.
Re materials, that would depend a lot on your local conditions, available monies, and the sort of timeframe you're looking at. Treated plywood or cheap plywood siding should hold up well for 5 years or so. You can buy self-adhering "sandpaper" mat material to go on it for traction. (Wood gets slippery when wet!)
I'm thinking another option would be the Hardipanel siding, or cement backer board.
There are also prefab metal ramps available, some designed to be semi-portable.
And I got to wondering if you couldn't improve the traction and durability of a plywood substrate by covering it with thinset or some other sort of thin cement material.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
You would have to staple down some lath along with felt underneath to act as a bond breaker. Plywood and thinset have different rates of expansion and contraction so they will pull apart otherwise.
I was thinking of what they had us do for our upstairs bath many years ago (before floor tile backer was commonly available): Staple down (with fence staples) expanded metal mesh and then go over that with a skim of thinset. Would certainly crack at the joints in the mesh, but that wouldn't hurt anything.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I just finished the attached ramp for a local college dormatory, so the secondary handrails were required. 1/12 pitch is the most you would want to go, less is better. Watch the landings at the doors, the code has some requirements about platform width you should check up on. When I submitted the proposal to the college, I included a detailed list of all codes that were applicable and how I was going to comply with them. They used that list to satisfy the Building Dept when they modified the existing permit. (Dorm undergoing an extensive remodel.)
I used Weatherbest composite decking for this ramp (it's two 7-foot ramps separated by a 7 foot 'resting' platform in the middle) and the school liked it well enough that they want me to redeck a 400 sq.ft. deck in back of the dorm. The stuff isn't cheap, though, at $50 for a 16' piece. The decking alone for this ramp was close to 3 grand.
Ironically, I just spent the entire day under a doctors office wheelchair ramp replacing all the joist hangers with stainless. Winter salt had corroded most of the hangers to dust, and the remaining nails were nearly as bad. I use all stainless hardware and fasteners where available. Last thing I want to to construct a ramp/deck using the ACQ lumber and 5 years from now have to go back and replace it.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Simpson makes a special overlayed plywood called Tuf Tred for decking that makes a very nice slip resistant surface.
slope 1:20
Who is requiring you to put the ramp in? Is it residental or rental? If it's your own private residence, then you can put in what works for you as it doesn't fall under the disability requirements. The following are for multi-family or commercial. Single family rentals I'm not sure about, but the local inspector may require you to meet the commercial requirements.
Changes in level are limited to 1/4". Level changes 1/4-1/2" need to be beveled at a 1:2 slope. 1/2"-6" level changes are beveled at a 1:6 slope. Beyond 6" you have a real ramp. 1:12 is the steepest a ramp can be for any worthy distance. The max rise before a landing is required is 30". A slope which is less than 1:20 is not a ramp and has no requirement as a ramp. Good luck trying to get any height with a 1:20 slope. Both legs of the ramp do not need to have the same slope or run distance.
A ramp needs handrails on both sides. The minimum width between the handrails is 36". A handrail is a grippable surface which is 1.25-1.5" in diameter and is effectively continuous. It needs to be 34-38" above the surface and parallel to the surface. A handrail needs to continue past the end of the ramp 12". The end of the handrail needs to return back so people don't jack themselves on it. There needs to be 1.5" clear between the handrail and a vertical surface.
The minimum landing at the top and bottom of the ramp is 60" in the direction of travel and as wide as the ramp. Landings where the ramp turns must be 60" in each direction. Landing have a minimal cross slope, 1:50 max.
A ramp needs to have a 2" curb on the sides. However, if this is commercial or a rental property, there are other requirements for a 4" high curb. If the ramp is 2' above the adjacent grade, then a guard rail is required. The max spacing between the pickets is less than 4". The railing must be 42" high.
Must have 80" of head room over any part of the ramp. This generally isn't a problem with ramps, but can be a real problem with stairs. Nothing can project more than 4" into the accessible route.
Certified boat fetish.