Concrete ramps ?

SWMBOs mobility is worsening, and getting in and out of the house is starting to be trouble some. Our house is slighly lower than the road by about 12". So we have a (single) paved path leading up to the front door (actually we have 2 front doors). Next to the front door is an externally/ internally accessible space we've been told was originally the coal store.

Stepping out of the front door is a 4' double-slabbed path. Then the front lawn slopes up to meet the pavement.

What are the reasons I couldn't dig up some lawn, throw some hardcore down, compact it, then run 2 horizontal planks from the front door to the pavemen, and pour a shed load of readymix concrete in there, to make a level access from the house to pavement. (assuming there are no silly pipes or cables just under the surface)

If I made it to cover the (former) coal store, then we could keep our wheelie bin in there for when they are finally rolled out across Birmingham.

The only drawback I can see is it would be *very* permanent.

Reply to
Jethro_uk
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If it slopes up to the pavement, you might want to put a drainage channel in front of the door, or risk having water come in every time it rains:

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It might be even better if you can put the channel about a metre out from the door and start with a slight slope down to it. The channel in front of my garage door does not always cope with the heaviest rain.

Are you planning to change SWMBO in the near future?

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

I think you *might* run foul of the regulations about paving over front gardens by more thahn 5 m2. See

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I'm not saying that should stop you. I know some LAs at least have bugger all tiem and money for enfocement of them. But I though you ought to know.

Reply to
Robin

As well as allowing drainage channels and maintaining a modest slope away from the house, ensure that your concrete slab does not bridge the DPC at the door. A narrow gravel filled channel should suffice and can be dug out if you get problems later on.

Reply to
Bob Minchin

Have you considered wood? It has the advantage that it would be less difficult to remove when the time comes. Here's one I made last year. It's been fine so far.

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Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

Thats a very nice job.

Reply to
Yendor

wood's easier to do, but can get slippery in some conditions

NT

Reply to
meow2222

Thank you. It was done in a bit of a hurry but it turned out all right. Luckily I had an out of work graduate to help...

Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

If you look at my pics you'll see the surface is ribbed rubber. The ribs go across the ramp not along it. I tested both options and the second was terrible.

Painted wood is lethal for anything like that.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

Nice job.

As a variant on the "less permanent", perhaps TMH could do you some decking?

Reply to
newshound

I was recommended to use felt but I know from my work that if you walk on it a lot it doesn't last. It's a pity because otherwise it's a good solution.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

I forgot to mention. There are rules and regs about ramps that are classified as 'for the disabled'. You can look them up. But a practical point is that you need to have a dead flat platform just outside the door big enough for the wheelchair. Two reasons: otherwise the chair might roll when the door is being unlocked, and some electric chairs don't have much ground clearance so would bottom on the threshold otherwise.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

I'm told textured extra grippy surfaces can cause falls too. Don't ask me why

NT

Reply to
meow2222

Thanks to all for the replies - *this* is why I like uk,d-i-y !

I would never have run the concrete right up to the house - there would have been a gap so as not to bridge the DPC. Drainage was in my mind, and reading some of the comments here, it would have been a little trickier than I imagined.

However I have been struck by the wooden idea. As a rule (probably because my carpentry skills are rudimentary) I don't immediate think of wood. It's a shit building material - warps, swells, rots etc etc. However, it is easier to work with then concrete, and would have the advantage of being less "final" than concrete (a very important consideration when you are designing for the fairer sex). Also (presumably) it sidesteps any aggro about covering so much of the garden for the council regs. I take the point about their unlikeliness to enforce, but it could be a big PITA if we ever come to sell.

As I see it, I basically need to build the equivalent of my storm porch roof, on the ground.

My one concern is protecting the wood for the actual floor of the ramp. I am assuming that if the floor is properly covering the beams/joists, then they will be pretty well protected from the weather.

The first thought was to felt it, like a roof, but then the rubberised idea sounds good as well.

Over the Xmas break, I shall get some measurements and costings, and start to cost the project.

Thanks again for all your comments.

Reply to
Jethro_uk

In our case the wood floor was thoroughly painted (as was the whole structure). The final coat of paint on the deck had grit sand thrown onto it whilst wet, and pressed in with a roller. When dry the excess sand was brushed off. This gave a good surface for gluing. The rubber sheet was glued down using industrial impact adhesive (sold by rubber sheet vendors). It is essential to do this on a warm day (or at least when the rubber has been kept warm) otherwise in hot weather it will expand and make ripples. I don't know if you can see from the pictures, but on our ramp the rubber covers the whole floor area. It was put down under slight tension. This was done by clamping one edge between two lengths of timber and having someone pull this gently as the rubber was laid. The opposite end of the sheet, the end laid first, was clamped to the deck by aluminium strip. When finished ally strip was fixed all round every piece of rubber.

I got the rubber from Boreham Industrial Services but it's readily available. I used 3mm x 1.2m because I had it left over from a motorhome job. 5mm would have been OK I think. Annoyingly you have to put it down in 1.2m bits because the ribs have to be latitudinal.

Felt is no good if there's going to be a lot of traffic. On the flat roofs of buildings where maintenance people walk regularly the felt soon suffers.

I got the aluminium from

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Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

When I built a wooden ramp for my dad I used anti-slip tape in each decking board. Worked well until dismantled after about 3 years.

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Tim

Reply to
Tim+

You could use decking ribed side up. If you use plain wood, paint it and then scatter dry sharp sand onto the wet paint Malcolm

Reply to
Malcolm

What's OSB ?

Jim Hawkins

Reply to
Jim Hawkins

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Reply to
Andy Burns

It does, it has caused me to stumble a few times. When walking, you naturally expect and rely upon some slippage between your footwear and the surface. If the surface is too grippy, your footwear doesn't slide and you fall over your own feet.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

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