Wheelchair ramp comparisons

Portable vs permanent. Portable ramps handle small rises and short durations. They are not a substitute for a permanent ramp on a large rise — at 1:12, a 24-inch rise needs 24 feet of run, and no folding ramp does that safely. Threshold ramps at $50–$500 solve a single doorsill; suitcase ramps at $175–$600 solve one or two steps. Anything more is a construction problem.

Aluminum vs wood vs concrete. Aluminum ($130–$225 per foot) goes up fast, doesn't rot, comes apart, and holds resale value. Wood ($100–$250 per foot) is the cheapest to build and the most expensive to own — it needs sealing and rots at the ground contact. Concrete ($200–$250 per foot) lasts essentially forever and is the least forgiving of a slope mistake, because you cannot adjust it afterward. Composite sits between at $150–$200.

Modular vs custom-built. Modular kits at $1,500–$4,000 are engineered to hold the slope and landing geometry, which removes the most common source of a bad ramp. Custom builds at $3,000–$7,500 win where the site is awkward — odd grade, tight setbacks, a switchback that has to thread around planting. Modular is the safer default for a straightforward front entry.

DIY vs professional. Materials-only DIY runs $500–$2,000 plus $50–$300 in tool rental, against an average professional install of $2,292. The saving is real and so is the risk. The failure mode is not aesthetic — it is a ramp that is too steep, too narrow between handrails, missing landings at direction changes, or missing edge protection. If you build it yourself, build it to ADA §405 geometry and have somebody who uses a wheelchair test it before you call it done.

How to choose

Let duration pick the category

Weeks: rent or go portable. Years: modular or permanent. Getting this backwards is the most expensive mistake in the category.

Let rise rule out the easy options

At 1:12 with a 30-inch maximum rise per run, a tall porch simply cannot be solved with a folding ramp. Measure first.

Weigh wood's lifetime cost, not its build cost

Wood's $100–$250 per foot is the lowest entry point, but annual maintenance at $50–$300 lands hardest on wood.

Prefer modular where the site is simple

Engineered kits hold slope and landing geometry by design, which is exactly where cheap custom builds fail.

Have the actual user test any DIY ramp

A ramp that feels fine to walk down can be unusable in a manual chair. Test loaded, in the rain if you can.