Threshold ramp installation

The step that stops a walker is almost never the front steps. It is the half inch of aluminum at the bottom of a door, or the two-inch lip into a garage, and it is the thing that turns a house into an obstacle course for somebody using a chair, a rollator or a cane. Threshold ramp installation clears those in a single visit, and it is one of the fastest wins inside our door repair service.

The obstacle that gets overlooked

Families planning for a parent moving in, or for a return home after surgery, tend to focus on the bathroom and the stairs. Then somebody arrives with a wheelchair and cannot get through the back door because of a threshold nobody had measured. It is the cheapest problem on the list and the one most likely to be discovered on the day it matters.

Metal ramps against a built wooden ramp

A metal threshold ramp is a manufactured wedge, sized to the rise, set and secured in place. It suits rises up to a few inches and it can be moved later. A built wooden ramp is carpentry, shaped to the opening, and it suits a larger rise, an awkward landing or a situation where a permanent solution is wanted. We fit both, and the rise decides which conversation we have.

How the rise decides the length

Ramp length is driven by the height being climbed, and a gentler slope is always easier to push than a short steep one. A caregiver pushing somebody else needs less slope than a person self-propelling. We measure the rise at the threshold, look at what is at the top and bottom of it, and size the ramp for the person who will actually be using it.

What sits at the top and bottom of the ramp

A ramp is only usable if there is somewhere flat to stop at each end. A landing that slopes away, a storm door that swings into the ramp, or a doormat that shifts underfoot will each undo an otherwise correct installation. That is why we look at the whole approach rather than just the threshold, and why storm door handing sometimes gets changed at the same time.

• Interior thresholds between rooms and at exterior doors
• Garage entry steps, which are usually the tallest rise in a house
• Metal ramps secured at the sill, removable later if needed
• Built wooden ramps shaped to the landing and finished
• Transitions checked against the door swing and any storm door

Doors that need more than a ramp

If the chair does not fit through the opening, the ramp solves nothing. Standard interior doors in older houses are often too narrow, and the fix is doorway widening rather than a threshold. We check the clear width at the same visit and tell you plainly whether the ramp on its own will do the job.

Where this sits against a full modification project

A threshold ramp is a single item. A house being prepared properly for someone with limited mobility is a project, covering bathrooms, grab bars, lighting and clearances throughout. That larger scope lives on our accessibility modification page and under aging in place modifications. This page is the visit you book when you need one obstacle gone this week.

Coming home from hospital on short notice

The most common version of this call is a discharge date three days away. We keep the scope tight, do the threshold, the grab bars and the clearances that matter, and leave the rest for later. That work is grouped under hospital discharge home prep, and a threshold ramp is almost always on the list.

What the Americans with Disabilities Act does and does not cover

The Americans with Disabilities Act governs public accommodations rather than private homes. No ramp, package or product we fit makes a house compliant with a federal standard, and nobody should tell you otherwise. What we can do is build to the dimensions that make a home usable for the person living in it, which is a different and more useful goal.

• Rise measured at the threshold, not estimated from a photograph
• Landing checked for slope, drainage and clear space
• Door swing and storm door handing checked against the ramp
• Surface chosen for traction in ice and wet leaves
• Fasteners set so the ramp cannot shift underfoot

Ice, leaves and the Michigan version of this problem

A ramp that works in July can be a hazard in January. Slope matters more here than in milder places, and so does the surface. We favor traction surfaces on exterior installations and we position ramps away from downspout discharge wherever possible, which sometimes means a small change to the downspout drainage at the same time.

Veterans and grant-funded work

Veterans and their families sometimes fund this work through federal programs that pay for home adaptation. We describe what those programs cover and we do not determine eligibility or act as an accredited representative. More detail sits on our veteran home modification page, and the practical work is the same either way. Families often pair it with grab bar installation in the same visit.

What a visit looks like

Most threshold ramps are a same-day fit. We measure, set and secure the ramp, then watch the person who will use it make the trip in both directions before we leave. If it does not work for them, it is not finished. A built wooden ramp takes longer and usually spans a single day.

Garage entries, which are usually the worst step in the house

The step from an attached garage into the house is commonly the tallest rise anywhere on the ground floor, and it is the one people use most. It is also the hardest to ramp, because the landing inside is often small and the door swings across it. Solving that sometimes means a ramp, sometimes a small platform, and sometimes rehanging the door to swing the other way so the landing is usable.

Renting a ramp against buying one

For a recovery expected to last weeks rather than years, a rented or temporary ramp is the sensible purchase and we will say so rather than selling a build. For a permanent change in mobility, a fitted ramp costs less over time and looks like part of the house rather than equipment parked at the door. The honest answer depends on the timeline, and we ask about it first.

Interior thresholds between rooms

Inside the house, the culprits are the raised strips between carpet and tile, the saddle at a bathroom door and any transition left over from a flooring job done in stages. Low-profile transitions solve most of them. Where a bathroom threshold was built up to contain water, the fix belongs with the bathroom rather than the door, and that is bathroom repair work.

What we need to know when you call

Tell us the height of the step, whether a wheelchair or a walker is being used, whether somebody is pushing, and when the person arrives home. Those four answers let us bring the right ramp on the first visit. A photograph taken from the side, with a tape measure held against the rise, is worth more than any description.

Book threshold ramp installation

If somebody in your household is due home soon, call first and we will tell you what can be done before they arrive. View our Portfolio to see the work our crews sign off on, then contact us now for a free quote. Households doing several of these items at once should look at home repair packages.