Wheelchair ramp products

Threshold ramps ($50–$500) solve a doorsill or a single low step, indoors or out. They are the cheapest genuine accessibility improvement most homes can make, and they are frequently the right answer to "my wheelchair won't clear the door." Suitcase and folding ramps ($175–$600) fold and travel, handling a couple of steps or a vehicle. Their limit is length: they cannot deliver the run a tall rise needs at 1:12.

Modular aluminum systems ($1,500–$4,000 installed) are the workhorse for permanent home access. They come as decks, runs, landings and handrails that bolt together, which means the geometry is engineered rather than improvised, and the whole thing can be reconfigured, relocated or sold. Wood and concrete builds are site-constructed: at $100–$250 and $200–$250 per linear foot installed respectively.

Handrails at $20–$50 per linear foot are a required element, not an accessory — ADA §405.8 calls for them on both sides where the rise exceeds 6 inches. Edge protection under §405.9 can be a curb at least 4 inches high, a rail preventing passage of a 4-inch sphere, or a surface extending at least 12 inches beyond the inside face of the handrail. Non-slip surfacing at $5–$20 per foot is the cheapest safety upgrade on the list and the first thing to add on any wood ramp in a wet climate.

Landing platforms are the product people forget to budget. ADA geometry requires level landings at the top and bottom of runs, and 60 inches by 60 inches clear where a ramp changes direction. A switchback configuration is two runs plus a full-size landing, and that landing is a structure in its own right. Any quote for a switchback that doesn't show the landing dimension is incomplete.

How to choose

Start with the cheapest product that solves it

If the barrier is a 2-inch sill, a $50–$500 threshold ramp is the whole answer. Don't let a doorsill become a $4,000 project.

Check the rated capacity, loaded

Rate for the chair plus the occupant plus anyone assisting. Power chairs are substantially heavier than manual ones.

Buy handrails as part of the ramp

At $20–$50 per foot they're a real cost, and ADA §405.8 requires them both sides above a 6-inch rise. Retrofitting later costs more.

Add non-slip surfacing anywhere it rains

$5–$20 per foot is the best safety-per-dollar item in this whole category.

Rent before you buy for uncertain needs

$20–$60+ per week or $80–$200+ per month lets you find out what actually works before committing.