Can't help with the ramp, but building permits are not that hard. I was building a shed, replacing my fence.


I had to ask around - where to go? They had all the info I needed at my library. your town may vary. Went to my *public affairs office*, which is where I pay my electric bill lol. Small towns.

Paid 10 bucks. Drew my lot, buildings to scale on their paperwork, answered some questions and turned it over.


Waited about 2-3 days, an audtior came and measured my yard. Stapled her measures to my paperwork, got my permit in a couple days.

Even though my shed was in my back yard and my fence was in the same place as always, the permit came in handy. Made it all legal when the neighbor across the street, who had no business complaining, but did so anyway - he started trouble, I just said take it up with the city. They validated my permit.

There was nothing the neighbor could do to stop my project.

I don't know what his beef was anyway. My shed is really nice, so is the fence. Way nicer than the old one.

None of my adjoining neighbors had a prob with what we were doing.

We have a few of those apparently. No one has had the nerve to come and say anything to me yet. Maybe because before I did anything and was getting to know my neighbors I made it clear that I do not do well with neighbors who try to stop me from doing anything on my property. When they are paying my mortgage they can have that right.

I got lucky with the ones I "click" with. They love what we've done to the house. The "others" mind their own business. Maybe they don't say anything because they see Jim in the wheelchair and don't have the nerve to ask us not to put in ramps and such.

Yes kicker, 1 ft long for ever inch high.

John's bro, John & I built the ramp in two days (and it was hot and exausting). (The place didn't tell his kids that he was to go home, till that week). They did the ramp & I did other stuff, like take old carpet off the porch & lots of digging. It's in the backyard (where he always enters) thus John said we didn't need a permit. It's OK for about 15 ft then turns & makes a kinda steep slope. They didn't want to make it longer cuz to do so they would have to "take up too much yard". I keep telling John to put up rails so his dad can go up without help.

Wow! That sounds great. I will have to check Home Depot. We have one right across the street from Costco.

We had a ramp in Arizona...16 foot and the deck was about 3 feet high from the ground, needless to say, it was pretty steep, but that's what was there
when we moved in.....here in Washington, there was a ramp built in and its a nice long one with a u-turn so its not just straight down....there is a railing which is also nice...only problem is, the ditz who designed it didn't put ANY bracing under it for where the plywood joins the next sheet....now its threatening to buckle right there! We have a 6 foot folding ramp that we have on the front steps and hubby is brave enough to right the scooter down but not me....I walk down the steps beside the ramp and guide it down. That ramp is REALLY steep but it is attached at the top and we'll use it till the wooden one gets bracing under it....the manager said he'd get us some wood but it is up to us to put it in.

We only have three steps to the deck - can't remember the height of the deck - maybe around 24". My husband and a friend put a piece of plywood over the three steps which was beefed up under it with a 2x4 on either side of the plywood. It works great for my scooter. We will remove it in the winter.

Where we live, if it was a permanent thing, we'd have to get a building permit.