Schlatter Family Site

Ramp
Page 1

This page and those that follow it describe how I built a wheelchair ramp off the back porch of our new house.  Could not have done it without the help and advice of my son, Joe, III.

First, some background.  Rose has developed arthritis in her knees and walking up or down stairs is a real challenge for her, even the small, gradual stairs leading into our back porch -- which is how we enter/leave our house.  So -- in May  2009 I started construction on a wheelchair ramp.

Code requirements are that a wheelchair ramp have a slope of 1 inch per 12 inches.  Thus, if the starting point of a ramp is 15 inches off the ground, the ramp must be 15 feet long to maintain the drop of 1 inch per foot.  Our back porch landing was 28 inches off the ground, thus, the ramp had to be 28 feet long.  Instead of one ramp 28 feet long, we decided to go out 15 feet from the porch to a landing then turn at a 90 degree angle and go out another 13 feet to the sidewalk that leads to the garage.  All this will make sense as you follow the construction progress.

Our house is 60 feet wide.  On the back is a screened porch that is centered on the house.  You go out of the porch onto a 6-foot X 6-foot landing, shown here:

This picture was taken before we moved in -- no grass on the lawn -- but -- look at the landing coming off the back porch.  Notice two sets of stairs, one going up each side.  We decided to leave those in place and remove the railing on the flat part of the porch.  We will bring the ramp straight out from the house for 15 feet to a landing, then, turn right -- toward the sidewalk -- and terminate the ramp on the sidewalk.

This plan required that I first build a landing with one edge EXACTLY 15 feet from the porch and square to the house.

Here we go with the construction.

These two pictures show the layout scheme.  They don't show up well in the photos but there are pencil lines on the 2X8 rim joist. 

• First, I built a 6-ft X 6-ft square of 2X8; squared it up; screwed 2X4 across two corners to hold it square. 
• Then, with this frame lying on the ground, I squared it up with the porch landing by pulling a tape measure from two corners of the porch and dropping a plumb bob at 15 feet.
• Next I found the center of the porch landing where it joined the house and at its outside edge; pulled a string across those to center marks, and dropped a plumb bob where the center of the frame should be.  In the right-hand photo you see a flag that marks the center line and a pencil line on the 2X8 marking its center.
• With the frame lying on the ground, squared and centered, I marked the inside corners where the 4X4 posts go.  I drove two grade stakes into the ground flat against the frame and made pencil marks where the stakes hit the frame (right photo).  That way, when I slide the frame back in place, all I had to do was match the grade stakes and flag with the corresponding pencil marks and the frame was still square and centered.

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After digging the holes for the corner 4X4's:

•  I put the frame back in place, matching the pencil lines for the grade stakes and the center flag.  Notice the 2X4 cross-members that I put on initially to hold the frame square.  Also notice the 4X4's lying on the ground -- I laid the frame on these to elevate it so I could get to the post holes to put in concrete.
•  Dropped the 4X4 posts in the holes.

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Here's a post being plumbed.  After plumbing each post, I used deck screws to screw the posts to the frame.  After the concrete sets, I :

• Disassembled the frame.  The posts now are plumb and set square and centered on the porch landing.
• Re-assemble the frame one piece at a time, securing it to the 4X4 posts with 3/8-inch bolts that go through the 2X8 and the 4X4.
• When I bolted the frame to the posts, I set the top of the frame 11 inches above the ground -- because:
  •  The porch landing is 28 inches off the ground, so, I need 28 inches of drop.
  •  It's 15 feet from the edge of the porch landing to the edge of this landing, so, I need 15 inches of drop.
  •  Thus, the top of this landing should be 13 inches off the ground.  If I use 5/4 decking lumber and set the top of this frame 12 inches off the ground, then, the top of the decking lumber will be at 13-1/4 inches off the ground.

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And here it is, posts plumb and set in concrete.  My next steps are:

• Disassemble the frame so I have nothing but four posts sticking up.
• Put gravel under this landing. This frame measures 6-feet X 6-feet OUTSIDE DIMENSION.  I will build a square of 2X4 slightly smaller than 6X6 -- probably 5X5.
  • I'll lay that 2X4 frame on the ground inside the square formed by the posts; remove the sod from inside the 2X4 frame; set the 2X4 frame at sod level; lay down landscaping cloth inside the 2X4 frame and cover with 2-3 inches of gravel.
  • That way, I'll have an edge of 2X4 that will keep the gravel contained so it doesn't creep out into the yard.  Also, by making the 2X4 frame for the gravel slightly smaller than the 2X8 landing frame, I'll have about 6 inches of grass under the edge of the landing, which I can trim with the weed eater.
• Re-assemble the frame as described above, bolting the 2X8 rim joists to the 4X4 posts.

May next steps are:

• Remove sod, lay landscape cloth and gravel.
• Set the 2X8 rim joists on my new landing at the proper height above ground and bolt them onto the 4X4 corner posts.
• On the porch landing and on my new landing I need to set the 4X4 posts that will establish the edge of the walkway.
• Determine where the walkway from the new landing toward the garage will land and pour a small pad adjoining the sidewalk so the walkway does not land on the existing sidewalk.
• Install floor joists on the new landing.
• Buy 2X8 joist material: 
  • 2X8X16 feet, four, for the walkway between the house and the new landing;
  • Same thing for the walkway between the new landing and the sidewalk.
  • 2X8 joist hangers, sixteen of them.
  • Do I need to get four 8-foot long 2X8 to cut up for blocking between the walkway joists?