Nut House Ramp Up

On my in-laws farm there is an old plantation house called Oak Hurst which means Oak Hill.
They lived in that house until about twenty years ago when they built a retirement cottage they call Acorn Cottage. Soon after it’s naming it became “The Nut House” and still is today.

Time has marched on and it is now time for The Nut House to have a handicapped ramp. I volunteered to try my hand at constructing it. The day I started the visiting nurse left me specifications on the rise and run the ramp had to have.

To meet these requirements the ramp would have been 14 feet long. I was able to meet the requirements by building a landing mid way and ramp up to the porch from the landing and down to ground level. The construction is pressure treated lumber with 2×6 decking, 2×8 joist, 4×4 posts and 2×4 railing rounded over.

I chose to use the 2×8 and 2×6 ramp construction because it allowed me to wrap the brick steps in the ramp, doing little damage to the steps and eliminating the need for the center brace that would have been required if I had used standard decking lumber.

The railings are set at a height suited to the home owners and the second rail is there in the event of a fall to prevent a fall through to the concrete below. The Post are not only decorative but also provide a hold and a place from which to pull or steady yourself. The ramp has two exits, one leading to the parked car and the other to the dogs food and water bowls.

-- TL. Roswell "The only thing that works in an old house is the man who lives there."