Do it yourself

Quote: Evenbob

20 sq ft is nothing, use the treated
wood they use for decks. And don't
put the sandpaper stuff down, it's
crap. Buy a gallon of the liquid and
you'll have enough to recoat it for
years. Will there be a handrail?

Probably no handrail but thinking of a "foot rail" along the edge so if you are walking near it you wander back. 8" IMHO does not justify a handrail. I figure something with a 2-3" rise if that around the perimeter. Just enough so if your foot wanders you wander back.

I bet you'll change your mind. I had
a ramp for years and without a rail
you can lose your balance very easily.
Especially older people, very easy to
fall even on a slight incline because
it screws with your center of gravity.
People use canes more for balance than
for leaning their weight on it, and it's
the same with rails.

Quote: Evenbob

I bet you'll change your mind. I had
a ramp for years and without a rail
you can lose your balance very easily.
Especially older people, very easy to
fall even on a slight incline because
it screws with your center of gravity.
People use canes more for balance than
for leaning their weight on it, and it's
the same with rails.

Will see how it feels but logistically it isn't going to be practical. 8" of drop over 48".

Quote: AZDuffman

Will see how it feels but logistically it isn't going to be practical. 8" of drop over 48".

lol, I know, it sounds unneeded. But ramps,
especially in the dark or in the winter, no
the matter incline, screw up your center of
gravity enough that you can easily stumble.
The same with stairs. Old people fall down
their home stairs that don't have rails all
the time because they lose their balance.
There's a point on ramps and stairs that
you have the entire weight of your body
balanced on one foot. It's different than
walking because the weight is distributed
unevenly.

Quote: AZDuffman

Will see how it feels but logistically it isn't going to be practical. 8" of drop over 48".

That's a one in six slope, which is a little steep, fine for the able-bodied, but would be too steep for a wheelchair. I wouldn't want to run up a long 1 in 6 incline, but 4 foot isn't a marathon. You know your parents abilities best, of course.

Quote: TheCesspit

That's a one in six slope, which is a little steep, fine for the able-bodied, but would be too steep for a wheelchair. I wouldn't want to run up a long 1 in 6 incline, but 4 foot isn't a marathon. You know your parents abilities best, of course.

No wheelchair involved. The driveway is several times the slope and he and the dog walk it all the time. The issue is the
ooomph needed to get up a step.

I live on a hill and deal with incline
walking all the time. Summer is fine,
winter I always use a walking stick
for balance.

Quote: AZDuffman

No wheelchair involved.

Indeed, not yet.

Quote:

The driveway is several times the slope and he and the dog walk it all the time. The issue is the
ooomph needed to get up a step.

As I said, you know your dad's abilities better than us :) Just adding to Bob's comments that a slope can add to the difficulties of balance. The driveway must be pretty steep then... I need one like that, good for interval runs.

Quote: TheCesspit

The driveway must be pretty steep then... I need one like that, good for interval runs.

Hills all over my old neighborhood. Heard the old joke about school being "uphill both ways?" Well it was no joke!

Second thing, I always set the parking brake when I park my car. It is from habit when I was younger.

It is not the steepest in the neighborhood but it is probably steeper than most here would be used to.

Quote: Evenbob

I had
a ramp for years and without a rail
you can lose your balance very easily.

Getting old is a bitch, eh? =)

Quote: AZD

FACE: yes, "joist" means "frame rail" but what is "twain cut?"

Ye olde English. Cut in twain = cut in two. I get archaic sometimes =p

Never used the plastic stuff. Never even seen it, but of course would question it once it has packed snow and ice on it.

My pressure treated ramp has literally no labor into it. I didn't stain it, didn't seal it, didn't paint it, didn't wrap it. It has zero protection, not a bit of shade, not a bit of awning. Other than being a bit bleached from the sun, it's exactly the same as it was when I build it three years ago. And I'm dragging the snowblower up and down it, the lawn mower, etc. And the woodchuck that lives under the pad, who was the reason I built it because he ate the last one, hasn't touched it. It's not cracked or splintered or even all that scratched up. If you end up going that route, remember to wear a mask when cutting and/or sanding, and don't burn the scraps. Arsenic or something in it. You probably knew that.

I wonder about the handrail. Needed or not, it might be code. Of course, I'm NY, so everything is code and permits. I dunno how free States do things =p