Wheelchair Ramps

Today, HZG was at an energy sales call when the topic of wheelchair ramps came up. The client was interested in weatherizing their home for the summer's air conditioning needs (yes, weatherization works year round). Their parents were moving in with them due to a disability, and they wanted the home as comfortable as possible.

While the client was talking, they mentioned that they were going to have a wheelchair ramp built on their deck. Being extremely inquisitive (a.k.a. nosy), I asked where they were going to put the ramp. She showed me - and I asked if the ramp was going to be code in the location she pointed out. Bewilderment. I explained that in the location she was looking to have the ramp, the slope would be 1:4 at best - and that the person in the wheelchair had better be an ex-bodybuilder.

The average code around the country is 1:12 for wheelchair ramps. The higher the second number, the better. The "1" stands for the rise, the "12" stands for the run. What does this mean? For every one unit of height (inch) you need twelve units (inches) of run. The slope is the line that connects the two. So you can see that a 1:4 is a SERIOUS slope.

Sooooo...if you don't know, ask somebody that does. Or leave the door open for an INQUISITIVE person...