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Discussion Forum

Appropriate exterior walk grade??

RustyNail | Posted in General Discussion on October 6, 2004 12:36pm

Can someone give me some guidance as to what an appropriate grade is for an exterior walk… so that it isn’t so steep it seems like a wheel chair ramp?  Long story, but I’ve just done a paver walkway that I’m shaking my head over and will be redoing… it has a slope of 1 3/8″ per foot, which I was afraid would look like crap.  And of course… I was right.

Also… The plan now is to add a landing and steps to break up the grade.  The question is… should the landing try to match the grade of the rest of the walk?  To be more specific, when you exit the house you’d step down three steps, hit a small landing (approximately 3 1/2 ft long), step down two steps, then hit the rest of the walk that goes out to the sidewalk.  Should the small landing be of similar grade to the rest of the walk, or be close to level with a slight grade for drainage?? 

Thanks in advance for the input! 

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  1. JonE | Oct 06, 2004 12:58am | #1

    Inch 'n three eighths per foot?  That's a LOT.  Even a wheelchair ramp, by code, is only allowed an inch per foot maximum.  I'd try for 1/4" to 3/8" per foot, maybe up to a half, and see how it looks.  Landing should be pitched a quarter, maybe an eighth, per foot for drainage.

  2. WayneL5 | Oct 06, 2004 01:39am | #2

    Landings and steps should be level, with only a slight slope for drainage.  About 1/4" per foot is good.

    Whether to do a steep ramp or steps depends somewhat on who will be using the walkway.  For wheelchair use, of course, you can't have steps.  Wheelchair ramps can be no steeper than 1:12, with 1:20 being preferred.  But for people walking, steps are often safer.  Slopes are more hazardous in icy weather than steps with a handrail are, because on flat steps your feet won't slide out from under you.  (You didn't say what your climate was.)

    Elderly people find shallower steps much easier than normal height steps, and depend on a handrail for strength and balance.  Many find short steps preferrable to a ramp that's a little too steep.

    You could reduce the slope of the walkway by lengthening the path.

    If the walkway will be used by older folks you have to do your best work in prepping the base and installing the pavers so they don't move around and settle over the years.

    1. RustyNail | Oct 06, 2004 04:37pm | #3

      Thanks for the input everyone.  It's a long story behind how I ended up in this mess, but essentially what I think I'm going to have to do is add a landing, two more steps, and then have the balance of the front walk.  See, the problem is I have a fixed distance between a sidewalk and the front of the house, so I can't push the sidewalk out to lessen the slope.  Before, the front walk had a non-linear slope, best described by the following: 

      At base of front stoop: 1/2" / ft

      At mid-walk: 7/8" / ft

      At sidewalk:  1 1/4" / ft

      If I make the walk taper linearly (as it does now, and unlike the original), with the two steps and a landing I'd be at a little under 1"/ft slope.  I think that that slope is pretty manageable, compared to the 1 3/8"/ft I'm at now...

      Just for some background... the reason I don't have more steps leading to the stoop is due to the code reqmt of handrails for 4 or more risers.  The retaining wall system that I've used is really not conducive to attaching handrails in a secure manner.  This project has been the biggest headache of anything I've ever worked on.  :-( 

      1. User avater
        bobl | Oct 06, 2004 06:57pm | #4

        have you considered stretch of walk, one step, stretch of walk, one step...

        type of walkway_____________________________

        bobl          Volo, non valeo

        1. User avater
          BillHartmann | Oct 06, 2004 07:39pm | #6

          "have you considered stretch of walk, one step, stretch of walk, one step..."

          I hate those. Seems that the step is never in right place in my stride.

          And I don't care for 2 step steps either.

          I would like to see a minimum of 3.

          But overall grading might not make that work out.

          1. RustyNail | Oct 06, 2004 09:03pm | #7

            Just so I'm clear... I don't want this to be a wheel chair ramp!! ;-)  Right now it just looks like one... :-(

            I've considered the one step, stretch of walk, one step, but I agree with Bill... I don't really like it.  It does make the walk kinda uncomfortable. 

            Just for S&Gs, I'll tell ya how I got into this mess.  Original stoop had three steps, then the landing... thus four risers.  Also, the old rise/step was about 7 3/4".  New stoop was dropped to three risers (to eliminate need for code-driven handrail), but the retaining wall system being used only allows for 6" rise for each step.  So, combine the two, and it creates a problem.  I've actually already lowered the stoop a little from its original placement but it only helps so much.  Oh, wrt to the handrail, I figure trying to attach one to the retaining wall system would not make local inspectors happy.  They're very picky, and honestly, I don't really disagree with them in this case.

            Then the question is asked... why didn't I just rebuild as was built before?  (Brick/concrete pad on top).   Well... the footer is only about 36" deep.  Code is now 42".  So, I would have been tearing out the existing block, footer, and digging down the extra depth, and starting all over... footer, wall, etc.  The house was only built in 1942 and the portion of the wall underground (from what I inspected) shows no signs of heaving/cracking/settling after all these years.  But, you know how inspectors can be...

      2. jarcolio | Oct 06, 2004 07:02pm | #5

        go to the ADA website and get the specs for wheel chair ramps -- use to be 5% grade and needed a landing every 200 ft if it was longer than 200ft

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