Ramp slope and types of ramps

[Tomswife]

I aplogize for all my postings! This is about ramps. The technition from AMRAMPS came yesterday. They use the ADA spec of 1 foot to one inch slope. But I have read that for a residence you can do 1 foot to 2 inch slope.
We have a small yard. We cannot do ADA spec slope. We can handle more slope.
We can fit a lift on our porch. Due permits with town, laying concrete foundation. Etc that would be ready February maybe.
Has anyone done 1ft to 2 inch slope?
Someday. I may be able to help others on this forum.
Thanks.

 

[ShiftKicker]

I can't help you with the ramp question, but wanted to make sure you knew ALL your questions are welcome here. It can be totally overwhelming to try to cover everything or anticipate changes, so having a large well of knowledge and support to tap can make a big difference for you. Please don't hesitate to keep posting your questions.

*And, you are definitely contributing- all the answers you get will be accessible for people coming here in the future looking for the same info.

 

[lgelb]

Yes, since it will be a power chair (and I would always presume attendant control since that could be the case at some point -- max weight on the ramp should reflect that), you can go as steep as ~12% slope if needed. This presumes you have enough "running room" to get the entry point angle/position right. Otherwise, a shallower slope is needed. And obviously you don't need 36" width. But when you determine necessary doorway width and turns inside your home, again, make sure you adjust for running room.

Don't forget to make sure water doesn't build up and that the material or lining gives enough traction. The more slope, the more rainy/icy conditions can be an issue. The same considerations apply to the "running room" ground, path, or driveway leading to the slope.

 

[Mary2]

Just dropping back to the power wheel chair discussion for a minute. We never discussed the type of cushion with the power wheel chair sales rep too much. What we got was suppose to be great. A cushion that was Roho (rubber bladders filled with air) surrounded by a hard material made by another company. It didn't work for my PALS. We had to order a 100% Roho cushion later on. Maybe others on the forum could comment on what cushion works for them.

 

[MJT]

Tom's wife- we don't have a ramp except for a rubber one I ordered online to get down a tiny curb. We luckily moved into a condo with an elevator 3 months before we were diagnosed.
Mary- my husband has a Roho cushion, but I went to a fabric store and got foam to cut and shove into the crack between the back and the seat because he could feel a bar in that space, which was bothering him. He is very thin, and I think that makes him more sensitive. He also developed tiny ingrown hairs on the backs of his legs from the chair. I hate to include that detail, but at the same time, I'd love to help someone avoid that discomfort.

 

[Tomswife]

We are moving forward with ramp. Lift will take too long. Our carpenter is going to build a layer on top of existing porch to raise it up to the door. Then AMRAMPS will attach there metal ramp to it. The ramp will be ADA compliant.

 

[Mary2]

I am pretty sure we used AMRAMPS. They did a nice job for us. Ours is in the garage. I don't know how slippery it would be in wet weather but the slope we have is pretty good.

 

[Tomswife]

My advice about ramps is...if your house is elevated and you have a small yard, start the ramp process early. If you have a slope down away from the door, start the process early.
We ran into a lot of issues.
1) the deck - patio door would need to be replaced by wider door and ramp on the deck would make the deck and yard inaccessible.
2) the porch - ramp from our side porch which is 42" high. This resulted in a 65 foot long design that blocked 2 garage doors and went smack down the middle of the driveway
3) ramp at front door. No cant be done. Not enough room.
4) vertical platform lift at porch. There is a delay and you need several permits....assume 3 to 6 months. And you dont have enough room.

All of the above was AMRAMP. I ended up calling 2 more ramp firms.


Result. Williams Lifts and National both said Yes you Can put a ramp at the front door with switchback on lawn. There is room. DO NOT DO the other ideas. (Above list)

We will have a ramp next Wednesday. It was like a part time job for me for several weeks to get to YES and it is only because I gave up on AMRAMPS.

 

[affected]

squeaky wheel and all that

 

[Mary2]

Sorry you went through all this!