Ramp prices depend on the overall length, the number of landings, the materials (wood or aluminum), and whether you build it yourself or hire a contractor. You can build one yourself for a materials price of about $35 per lin. ft., or hire a ramp contractor to build it for you in a day or two for about $100 per lin. ft.
Prefabricated aluminum sections cost about $100 per lin. ft., and you can assemble the sections yourself. But they take a while to order and ship. Or you can hire a company to design and install an aluminum ramp for about $150 per lin. ft. You can get ramp design advice, contractor referrals, help from community volunteers and even financial assistance from more than 350 nonprofit organizations nationwide. Just search online for ‘ramp project (your state)’ to find them for your location.
We’ve seen some pretty scary DIY ramps, so we contacted the experts at the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living, publishers of the booklet ‘How to Build Ramps for Home Accessibility’ (get the booklet and DVD). They referred us to Warren Moe Construction, a ramp contractor in Minneapolis. Warren walked us through the basics of building a wood ramp and let us know the most common DIY ramp-building mistakes. With basic carpentry skills and a miter saw, router, drill, level and framing nailer, you can build your own ramp. Here’s the process.
Start by measuring the distance from the threshold to the ground at the Installing a handicap ramp most accessible exterior door. Then determine the preliminary ramp length. A gentle 1:20 slope (1 in. of rise requires 20 in. of run length) is best for ease of use but requires a longer, more expensive ramp. If your yard isn’t large enough to accommodate that length, add switchbacks and landings or build a ramp with a slightly steeper grade (the steepest ramp slope allowed is 1:12). Follow ramp-building guidelines and adjust the ramp length and slope to account for grade changes in your yard.