Consider an incline as an attractive option
If you or your loved one has mobility issues and wants to live out the twilight years at home, installing a ramp—or building an incline—to a residence is a sensible and popular option.
Bay Village, which has about 18 percent of its population over 65 years of age, is a typical community that has various examples of housing, ranging from low to high, with most in between. Thus, in any community, it makes sense to evaluate your home to determine if a ramp or incline is the best choice for you.
While certain materials and style may add to the cost, ramps range from $1,000 to $4,000, according to HomeAdvisor.com, a service that tracks home renovation prices and offers recommendations. Here are some ramp solutions for aging in place in Bay Village.
One of the top considerations is how much room you have for a ramp or incline. You’ll want to follow federal ADA ramp guidelines if you ever sell the home and want to use that as a selling point. These guidelines call for a maximum of 30 feet before there is a turn or rest platform. The ADA maximum height for each length up to 30 feet is 30 inches.
Bay Village city regulations set the maximum ramp length as no more than 8 feet, with at least a 3-foot side yard setback.
Another major consideration is how urgent is the need for the ramp or incline. If there is sufficient time to consider a long-term improvement such as an incline, and if your budget allows, why not go for it? However, if you view the need as temporary and plan to remove the ramp in the future, the decision is yours as well.
Wood is the most popular material for ramps, followed by aluminum. Prefabricated aluminum is the least expensive, but often ranks more in utility than appeal. Wood adds an aesthetic look, but can be slippery and needs regular maintenance to prevent deterioration.
Rather than a short-term solution, you may want to consider building a permanent incline that is a straight line, slight curve, or a switchback. The walkway can have a concrete or paver brick surface, and can be much longer than a traditional ramp for access to the house. It can also achieve more height since it is a longer distance.
ADA guidelines require at least a 36-inch width and a 1:12 ratio for the rise. For example, if you need go up 1 foot to reach the door, the walkway should be 12 feet (for every inch of height, there should be 12 inches of length).
With a brick or concrete walkway, there are many options for attractive planting areas and masonry features. In short, it will look like it is part of the home, and can be accented with mulch and attractive plantings. You’ll probably want to stay away from a cobblestone finish since that may prove challenging for those with mobility issues. But many options are available for brick surfaces, including colors, shapes and sizes.
Giving some thought to these matters begins the process of helping you or your loved one remain independent with comfortable access to the home.
There are several options available to make the home accessible yet attractive as part of ramp solutions for aging in place in Bay Village. Sciarappa Construction’s professionals will help in your plans and build your project to your complete satisfaction. Contacting us at (440) 930-2882 or by email at info@sciarappaconstruction.com will get the project rolling. We’re located at 32961 Oak Pkwy., Avon Lake, OH 44012, and our general contracting crew has more than 40 years of combined experience in remodeling homes within the Avon, Avon Lake, Bay Village and Greater Cleveland, Ohio areas. We are a family-owned and operated full-service construction company.
Sciarappa Construction offers services including new home construction, subdivision, development, apartment, and existing home rehab, plus general contracting and construction management.
Website: https://sciarappaconstruction.com.
