Because my friend and fellow outdoor blogger Rich Fabian asked me to, I'm going to explain how to build a simple outdoor ramp in a "down and dirty" way.
I like to do a lot of different things when the weather is nice, but landscaping and gardening are two of my favourites.
Even if I can't do everything myself for these two hobbies, I can usually find a volunteer or pay someone a small fee to do it. Using this method, my family and I have almost completely redone our yard and the front of our house. This week, I finished a project in my back yard that I had been planning for years. Even though it took time, patience, and some creativity, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be.
The task was to build a place to sit under an oak tree in the corner of the house's back yard. It's a great place to chill out and stay cool when it's hot outside. We had some chairs under the tree, but because of the tree roots, the ground was uneven. Since the furniture wasn't always level with the floor, there should have been a clearer separation of space.I decided to build a half-circle retaining wall around the tree's base and then fill it with topsoil to make it level. I chose red bricks that fit together at the hardware store. I bought 46 of the least expensive bricks, which cost 98 cents each.
I needed a wall that was 24 feet long and had bricks that were about a foot long. We dug a 2–3-inch trench to bury the bottom bricks in, and then used a level to make sure they were all the same height. As long as the bottom row of bricks is level, you can build almost any shape you want. The top layer was then put on. No concrete was needed because the bricks fit together and the pressure of the dirt fill keeps them in place. The area where people could sit was raised by about 7 inches by a wall.It was hard for me because the seats kept getting higher. With my power chair, I couldn't get to the cool spot under the oak. At this point, I was tired of building and needed a solution that would work quickly but also last. It should also cost a fair amount.
You can find this item in the phone book or at a home improvement store near you. I looked in a builders' warehouse outlet that was open to the public. I came across one. After a long time of looking, just as I was about to give up, I found the answer. Concrete splash shields that are already made and are 36 inches long and 9 inches wide. You turned them around, and now the surface is just right for a ramp. I spent $38 on two bags of paving gravel and sand, which cost $6 each.Between the top of the new brick wall and the ground, I found the shortest distance. We made a shape, cleaned it up, and then put gravel and sand in it to fill up the slope. After several failed attempts, we finally got both splash guards to work as a ramp by putting them in the right place.
Split them up based on how wide your wheelchair is, and put gravel and soil in the middle. They also sell a splash guard that is 18 inches long if your ramps are longer and you need more splash guards. Make sure the sides are filled with dirt or surrounded by bricks to make a safe and level area for the ramp.This project took three days to finish, mostly because tree roots had to be taken out. The ramp took four hours.ThisAbled, LLC was started by a person with a disability, Javier Robles, J.D., who is also the company's founder. He has been fighting for the rights of people with disabilities for a long time. In 1990, he helped get the Americans with Disabilities Act passed by Congress. While he was still a student at Rutgers University and the Law School, he graduated from Seton Hall Law School and started several groups on campus for people with disabilities.