The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: doganjo on September 05, 2019, 11:43:58 am
-
Hope someone has some advice and perhaps photos. Looking for ideas for a ramp for my new house to avoid having to climb a load of steps to the front door.
At the back there are only 4 steps so I'm intending decking a part of the rear garden with a ramp to both sides and chicken wire over it to avoid accidents
But there are a lot more at the front and i want to future proof my house for my old age.
Attached photo shows most of them but there are another 4 steps up to the long path. Plenty ground to work with though
-
Trouble with slopes is the get slippy in winter :( .
I would leave the steps, swing your slope right over and round to the right, coming along the front of your window, everyone else will use the steps, so privacy shouldn't be an issue.
That's what my parents neighbours did when he needed a wheelchair.
Which way does this face Doganjo? North, South etc?
-
I had a flight of stone steps up to my first floor flat, which we dug out when we were extending the ground floor of the property.
They built me a wooden ramp with handrails and a “platform” deck, also with handrails, as a temporary measure, but I love it so much I am keeping it and have applied stock fencing along the sides of the ramp and around the deck for safety. (Some would prefer wooden slats, I prefer stock fence :) )
It absolutely does get slippy when wet, as does all decking. So it needs cleaning every year (as does all decking), plus I use road salt in icy conditions and am planning to wrap the ramp part with chicken wire or stick roofing felt onto it or something to provide better grip when wet. (Mind it will be two years this November, and I am still living with it for now - as you do. ::))
All of which said, phb’s suggestion sounds good too :)
-
Depends how infirm your planning on being. Slopes are always a hazard of their own so wide low steps may be safer. Looking at that house makes me wonder if you could install a lift at the back of the garage and put self opening doors on the outside...
-
Going from my own experience of needing slopes to wheel up to a house, I think PHB's idea is exactly what I would go for.
-
I have decking at the back door just now and my son put chicken wire down the middle - it's as safe as houses - in all weathers. It's what all the big estates do over burns and rivers
I'm going to do the same at the back door but with a ramp to the garden instead of the steps that I have now.
The driveway/car parking area is at the front so i was thinking of something to the front door, although it would be easy to extend the drive round to the back of the garage so there would only be a few yards and a very slight incline up to the back door decking. I know ther are regulations on angles/degrees etc
I also thought like phb about taking a ramp from a platform level with the front door, alongside the steps, sloping down to the right, then a level bit, then a bit more slope etc on a zig zag down to ground level.
But I just don't know what medium to use or whether tio do anything at all - don't want it to look too utilitarian. I want it to look attractive, to enhance my home.
-
A few low growing shrubs would soften it and hide the lines?
Something like hebe that doesn't need much maintenance, flowers are good for bees?