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Choosing A Ramp For Your Single Family Home
I spoke with a customer earlier this week who had a good question: they live in a single family residence and wanted to know what the right ramp length for them is?
Unfortunately, this is a very complex question. Every situation is unique with several factors that must be considered when determining the length of a ramp. This question is so complex, that instead of cramming all the necessary information into one long post just won’t do it. Besides, your eyes will plead to stop reading after the 3rd paragraph.
We at Handi-Ramp, based in the Chicagoland area, decided to devote a series of stories that will review the various factors that must be taken into consideration. The seven part series will review the following subjects:
Ramp Basics 101
1) What is the ramps use or purpose? Will it be utilized for a front door? Sliding door threshold? Maybe for a vehicle?
2) What is your rise? What is a rise? What is the run? How does surrounding landscape and the home layout effect the rise?
3) What types of equipment can be utilized on the ramp? Will there be someone assisting the person using the ramp? What are their physical capabilities?
4) What ramp capacity is required? What material will the ramp be made of?
5) Are there alternatives to ramps? What about a lift or stairglide system?
6) How often will the ramps be used? (Is this an “everyday use” or “only when grandma comes to visit”?)
7) Ramp accessories – handrails and other home accessories
After reading the above subjects, you need not be overwhelmed. Each blog covers one topic at a time. It will allow us to provide more detailed information that will, we hope, ultimately allow you to make a decision based on what you’ve learned.
We Want to Hear from You
If at any point a question pops in your head about something we’ve covered, please do not hesitate to contact us. The biggest reason an unsatisfied customer returns a ramp is because it was the wrong length. We don’t want that to happen to you. This is why we created this tutorial because we believe that the best customer is an educated customer.
I’m glad that you recommend determining how the yard ramp will be used for, such as going to the front door or for a vehicle. Knowing this could help as you research the various manufacturers and models to figure out which one is best for how you want to use it. You could even research custom yard ramp systems to determine if that will better suit your purpose so that you can prevent accidents and problems.