The Ramp Run Is Arithmetic: Measure the Rise, the Landing, and the Door Swing Before You Buy

Do not eyeball this one. A ramp is arithmetic, and the number that matters most is the height you measure from the top of the threshold down to the ground where the ramp will land, not the number a seller guesses from the porch steps.

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Measure the rise first

Use a long level and a tape. Set the level on the threshold, run it out past the edge of the step, and measure straight down to the grade at the exact spot where the ramp will end. If the driveway or walk slopes, measure where the chair will actually stand. Write the number on paper. Every other number comes from it.

Count the run you need

The ADA Standards for Accessible Design, the federal guideline for accessible construction, use a slope of 1 inch of rise for every 12 inches of run as the standard for new ramps. Multiply your rise by 12 to get the length that meets that guideline. A 24-inch rise needs 24 feet of run. Most houses do not have that room, which is exactly why you check before you buy. A shorter ramp is a steeper ramp, and a steeper ramp has its own load limits and stability needs, so do not accept a shorter product as the same thing.

Read each portable ramp's stated maximum rise and maximum slope on the manufacturer's sheet, then compare those figures to your measured number, not to the photo on the box.

Check both landings

The top needs a flat landing long and wide enough that the chair stops fully on level ground before the door opens. Check the door swing. If the door opens outward over the ramp, the landing has to hold the open door and the chair at the same time. At the bottom, confirm there is flat space to turn and that the ramp does not run into a planter, a post, or a gate that swings inward.

Check the width, the edges, and the rail

Compare the ramp width to the chair, then look at the sides. The ADA guideline calls for handrails on ramp runs that rise more than 6 inches. Ask whether the ramp has edge protection, because a wheel that slides off the side is the failure you are trying to rule out. If you can, test the surface on a wet day, or ask the seller how it grips when wet.

Name who owns it in winter

A ramp is only as useful as the path to it. Who clears snow, leaves, and ice? Who lifts a portable ramp in and out of the trunk or the garage? Who checks the bolts and the surface each month? Write those names beside the ramp in your notes before the delivery date. If the answer is you, count that honestly against the hours you already have.

Ask before the install

Ask the installer or your city building office whether a permanent ramp needs a permit, and ask your HOA if you have one. Ask the company who answers if a part fails, and get the warranty terms in writing. For the other paperwork and programs that go with a home change like this, start with the Sources page.

If the numbers do not fit the house, the honest answer is a different tool or a different entry, not a longer ramp you cannot place. Say that out loud before you order anything.