Greetings all:
I need to make or buy some kind of a very thin handicapped entrance ramp – actually more like a wedge shaped mat for the H/C entrance of a model home. The H/C entrance is via the exterior garage service door (which is H/C compliant), and then through a 3-0 outswing steel door with a “public access” threshold that goes from the garage to the house. The garage slab is about 3/4″ below the house slab, then add the 1/4″ thickness of the metal door “public access” threshold and I have a roughly 1″ lip at this threshold. The accessibility code allows no more than 1/4″ transitions in flooring materials.
So I need to install some kind of a “ramp” that is maybe ~4’x~5′ and is ~1″ thick on one end and then goes down to nothing on the other end.
My only idea at this point is to get some kind of regular entrance mat like one of these or better still just rubber one with tapered edges, and then build up the ~1″ end by simply laying down regular 3 tab asphalt shingles on the floor. See attached sketch. I’m thinking the asphalt shingles might be about 3/32″ thick each… Kind of a kluge though…
Anyone got any other ideas? Or better still if there was something I could buy…
Edited 2/11/2007 8:23 am ET by Matt
Replies
having a little getting the sketch to be the right size... let me try again
Matt, there should be a durable medical equipment co. They should have exactly what you are looking for in a graduated "ramp". Perhaps you just need the starter strip for their aluminum ramps.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
as an example.
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http://www.portable-wheelchair-ramps.com/A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Thanks Calvin. When I googled before I used "handicapped ramp" and "accessible ramp" and didn't get anything. "Wheelchair ramp" gets me lots of choices...
Wheelchair - duh!!!!
I've done some work for folks in chairs and have luckily been exposed to some of the sources available. Believe me, in 10 years quantum leaps have been made in both technology and supply. Some day we'll actually be able to say we've done something to help.
Don't know the situation exactly but good commercial door suppliers might have a threshold that would be big enough to ramp up to the top of an existing threshold. Might be special order but they've got several ht's and widths.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
From looking at those web sites it would almost seem that I could even get something fabricated, like a simple piece of aluminum sheetmetal with some kind of a traction pattern - like diamond plate - and just have the edges bend up to form curbs and give some extra rigidity something like this:
[____________________________]
I might have to put some shims of some type under it to give a bit of support.
To tell you the truth I have my doubts as to if this thing would ever actually get used. I mean how many handicapped people are going to be looking at a 2 story model home anyway?
When I did the apartment project last year I learned a bunch of stuff about accessibility code, etc, some by the burn and learn method. :-) After the complex was finished it did make me feel really good to see a severely H/C guy come in the rental office to rent a unit.
Further as worn out as my feet and ankles feel at this tender young age ;-) I might not be getting around too good some day myself.
I am building a ramp now out of treated wood using concrete pavers as the surface. The low threshold on the door lays fairly well at the top, but I had to chip out a slab at the bottom to slide the pavers into. Wish I had known about the transition pieces.
A problem we are seeing here is Seniors using their scooters on the ramps and getting stuck on the landings where the ramps switch back. Living in a place people like to retire to has its own menaces.
FLA?
Wouldn't hurt to put a bit of info in your profile. You aren't a "newbee" around here.
Done
How about a piece of tapered insulation with a hard surface over it. Otherwise, it'll probably be just as easy to make a small ramp out of plywood.http://www.firestonebpco.com/roofing/insulation/tapered/
Matt,
Pemko makes both rubber and aluminum ramps that can be assembled in any number of ways to gain the height you need.
http://www.pemko.com/assets/literature/documents/PemkoRamps.pdf
Having just done an "accessible" retrofit for my mother-in-law, this is the best place I found (after a LOT of searching):
http://www.discountramps.com/
For rubber ramps:
http://www.discountramps.com/EZ-edge_threshold_ramps.htm
These not only come in a variety of heights, they can be cut, sanded, power-planed, etc. to fit. They look great, and in my applications at least, they didn't even need to be siliconed in place! Their weight, and the friction of the rubber on concrete, seems to be sufficient.
For aluminum ramps:
http://www.discountramps.com/thresh_ramps.htm
These build up in 1/2" increments. They can be adjusted a little for height by sanding or shimming. They are, of course, noisier than the rubber ramps, but there are some places where the aluminum look is more appropriate. I damped mine down a bit by shooting some expanding foam under them just before screwing them down (and blocking off the sides, of course!
(I know this sounds like a plug, but I get nothing from these guys. They just had all the products I needed, were friendly, and got them to me quickly.)
George
George and PanicMecanic:
Thanks a bunch. Those really look like the right solution, as in exactly what I need.
Thanks for the links, I'm getting ready to put ramps in at my in-law's house. You sure saved me a lot of searching.
From: http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#4.8
4.8.2* Slope and Rise. The least possible slope shall be used for any ramp. The maximum slope of a ramp in new construction shall be 1:12.
Run a 2x12 thru a bandsaw.
SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
This is one area where I found the ADA rules a bit confusing, until I looked at it from the perspective of a person in a wheelchair.
Apparently, SHORT "ramps" (like a door threshold) are acceptable in greater than a 1 in 12 rise. In fact, single obstacles (pieces that go straight up) are acceptable, as long as they are 1/4" or less in height.
The idea here is that a person who is using their arms to power their wheelchair can handle a SHORT ramp or threshold which is, let's say, 1 in 4 (rise 1" over 4" of run), just like most walking humans can handle a few stairs without too much problem. However, if you extend that out to a situation where the person in a wheelchair needs to rise, say, five feet (like the front door on many older houses), a 1-in-4 rise would present a real challenge (if not plain impossible)! Much like having 10 flights of stairs to reach your bathroom. Therefore, the 1-in-12 standard for longer ramps.
Some of the ramps I employed from DiscountRamps DO have slope greater than 1-in-12. However, I believe they are still ADA compliant. If you are building for a commercial purpose (i.e. a business, or a home for resale), SOMEONE should consult an ADA compliance expert to make sure you're toeing the line. There are a lot of little things that would not be apparent to a normally-abled person, but which jump right right out for a mobility-challenged person (or an expert in such things.) I don't know if it would be the contractor's responsibility to do this, or the owner of the property; this responsibility may vary from state to state. In my case, we didn't HAVE to have full ADA compliance, since it was an existing structure, and my mother-in-law does not operate her own wheelchair (she is moved by whoever is attending her.) It was still a very interesting process to learn about the various standards and techniques. Some day when I have time (hah!), maybe I'll do a post about "grab bars." There's a lot THERE that's not obvious.
George
Try looking around this site... I didn't have much time to search, but did find a hard rubber transition that might work. I think these guys have large tapered aluminum thresholds or extensions as well - just didn't get to them yet.
http://www.pemko.com/index.cfm?event=products.productListing&searchName=Lookup+by+Category&openFilter=loadCategorySearch&ratingIds=&categoryId=900&subcategoryId=973&productMaterialId
Good Luck - Gotta go get on a swing stage in NYC before the snow/rain starts flyin'
edit - Sorry for the repeat link - just read the rest of the posts more careful...
Edited 2/13/2007 11:04 am ET by KevinH