Wheelchair Ramp Slope
The 1:12 rule, the step-count shortcut, and a calculator that turns your porch height into a ramp length. Plus why a 21-foot ramp rarely needs 21 feet of yard.
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How steep a ramp can be, how long yours needs to be, what the standards actually require, and when building one yourself is worth it. Written by the people who install them around Owensboro.
The 1:12 rule, the step-count shortcut, and a calculator that turns your porch height into a ramp length. Plus why a 21-foot ramp rarely needs 21 feet of yard.
Every number that matters, and the distinction most articles get wrong: the ADA governs public accommodations, not your front porch.
A real build guide — footings, framing, decking, rails — and a straight comparison of what building actually costs against renting.
Wood is cheaper on day one. The comparison that matters is year three — traction in ice, upkeep, and what the entrance looks like when the ramp comes out.
Which ramp type fits your parent’s front steps, the things people forget to check at the top landing, and how to raise it without a fight.
Send us a picture of the front entrance and we'll tell you what it takes. You don't have to measure anything first, and you don't have to figure this out on your own. We install throughout Owensboro and the surrounding Western Kentucky counties.