Wheelchair Ramps · Service

A high porch on a small lot — and the run has nowhere to go

Once the rise passes a certain point, a straight ramp stops fitting and the design folds back on itself: two or three runs, level landings at every turn, and a structure that can occupy most of a front garden. Sometimes that is the right answer and sometimes it means the ramp is the wrong device. This page is about telling the two apart.

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In short

What is multi-landing ramp systems?

A multi-landing ramp is a run broken into segments by level platforms, usually turning back on itself in a switchback or an L so that a long ramp fits into a short yard. Level landings are required where the ramp turns, at the top and at the bottom, and they exist so that nobody has to change direction or stop on a slope. The design consequence is the one people are unprepared for: as the rise grows, total footprint grows faster than the ramp length alone, because every turn adds a landing that climbs nothing.

Triggers

Signs you need multi-landing ramp systems

The porch or the front door sits well above ground level — several steps rather than one or two
A straight run laid out on the lawn would reach the pavement, the driveway or the property line before it reached the ground
The house sits on a bank or a slope where the ground drops away from the entrance
A first attempt at a design came back with a slope that was clearly too steep to be safe
A raised or split-level entry, a walk-out basement arrangement, or a raised foundation in a flood-conscious area
A previous quote proposed a run so long the household could not accept what it would do to the garden
The house is on a corner or a narrow urban lot where there is simply nowhere to put a long run

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The job

How multi-landing ramp systems actually works

Measure the rise, then test whether any straight run fits at all

Before any switchback is drawn, establish the total rise and lay the straight-run case out on the ground with stakes and string. Many households discover here that a single run does fit, just not where they imagined it — running along the front of the house rather than out from it, for instance.

Watch for: Jumping to a switchback design because the rise sounds large. A straight run turned ninety degrees along the façade is simpler, cheaper and easier to use than any folded layout.
Survey the whole envelope the ramp may occupy

Setbacks, easements, the driveway, the path to the pavement, mature trees and their roots, the utility connections, the septic field, and where the neighbour's land begins. On a small lot, these constraints usually design the ramp more than the house does.

Watch for: A layout drawn without checking setback rules. Discovering the ramp encroaches after it is built is an expensive way to learn about your zoning.
Lay out the runs and the landings to a named standard

Ramp slope, landing sizes, landing requirements where the ramp changes direction, ramp width, handrails on both sides and edge protection are governed by published accessibility standards and local code, and residential requirements often differ from those for public buildings. The designer should name which standard they are working to.

Watch for: A design that meets the slope requirement by making landings smaller than they should be. The landings are the safety feature; shrinking them to save space defeats the point of the whole layout.
Check the turns with the actual equipment

Turning a wheelchair on a landing needs room, and how much depends on the chair. A large powered chair or a scooter with a long wheelbase turns quite differently from a manual chair. Mark the landing out with chalk or tape and try it with the real machine before anything is built.

Watch for: Landing sizes chosen from a catalogue without reference to the chair. A scooter that cannot complete the turn makes the ramp useless, and this is discovered on the first day of use.
Design for handrails that stay continuous through the turns

A handrail is most needed exactly where the geometry changes. How the rails carry around a landing, whether there is anything to hold at the turn, and whether the edge protection is continuous are the details that separate a good multi-landing design from a merely compliant-looking one.

Watch for: Rails that simply stop at each landing and start again. Someone steadying themselves loses their handhold at the point they most need it.
Think about the structure at height

The upper runs of a tall switchback stand well off the ground, which means real structural loading, proper guarding, and often a more substantial foundation than a low ramp would need. Snow shedding off the upper run onto the lower one is a real and frequently ignored winter problem.

Watch for: A high ramp detailed as though it were a low one. Height changes the guarding, the structure and the consequences of a fall from the side.
Price the honest alternative alongside it

At a high rise on a constrained lot, ask for a vertical platform lift to be priced next to the ramp. A lift takes a fraction of the footprint but needs power, servicing and inspection, and it is a machine that can be out of service. Neither answer is automatically right — but you should see both numbers.

Watch for: A ramp company that will not discuss lifts, or a lift company that will not discuss ramps. Get the comparison from someone who sells both, or get two quotes.
Walk it before you sign, and roll it after it is built

Stake the whole layout out on the ground and live with it for a few days. It is the only way to understand what it does to the garden, the light into the front rooms and the route to the bins and the post.

Watch for: Approving a footprint from a drawing. Multi-landing ramps are consistently larger in reality than they appear on paper, and this is the surprise people report most.

Money

What does multi-landing ramp systems cost?

A multi-landing ramp costs more than the extra length alone implies, because landings, additional handrail, guarding and a taller structure all scale with the rise. On a constrained site it is worth pricing a vertical platform lift alongside it. The Cost Guide sets out ranges by configuration.

See the full multi-landing ramp systems cost guide — by material, size and region →

Straight answer

When multi-landing ramp systems is the wrong call

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

A vertical platform lift genuinely fits better. At a high rise on a small lot, a lift occupies a fraction of the space. It needs power, maintenance and sometimes inspection, and it can break down — but it does not consume a garden. Get both priced before deciding.
The compliant layout does not fit the lot, full stop. Some rises on some lots cannot be ramped within setbacks and remain usable. Building a shortened, steeper version anyway is the worst outcome available, and it is what a household under pressure often ends up agreeing to.
Nobody can self-propel a run this long. A switchback is not just steep, it is far. Someone who tires on a short ramp may not manage a long one at any slope, and if a carer must push every trip, the design conversation should start from that rather than end there.
Another entrance has a much lower rise. A garage floor a step above the driveway, or a back door at grade, can eliminate the whole problem. It is worth walking the entire property before accepting a switchback at the front.
The footprint would make the house unsellable or unliveable. A structure covering the front garden, blocking windows and dominating the approach is a real cost. Stake it out and look at it for a week before you commit.
The rise could be reduced instead. Regrading the ground at the bottom, or reworking a landing at the top, sometimes takes enough off the rise to turn a switchback back into a straight run. Ask whether earthworks were considered.

Your options

Types of multi-landing ramp systems

Modular ramp installation

Switchbacks assembled from stock parts

Concrete ramp construction

Permanent switchback structures

Assessment and planning

Working out what the home actually needs

Universal design approaches

Designing the whole entrance, not just the ramp

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Before you sign

What to check when hiring for multi-landing ramp systems

Will you stake the full footprint out on the ground before we sign anything?

Multi-landing layouts are always bigger in reality than on the drawing. Seeing it on the lawn is the only reliable way to know what you are agreeing to.
Did you test whether a straight run fits anywhere on this property?

A straight run along the front of the house is simpler and easier to use than any switchback. You want to know it was considered and why it was rejected.
How big is each landing, and will you mark one out so we can try the chair on it?

Turning space depends on the specific chair or scooter. Chalk on the driveway answers in five minutes what a catalogue cannot.
Do the handrails stay continuous around the turns?

The turn is where a handhold matters most, and it is the detail most often dropped when a design is value-engineered.
Have you checked setbacks, easements and the property line for this footprint?

On a small lot the ramp will approach at least one boundary. Finding out afterwards is the expensive version of this conversation.
What happens with snow and rain coming off the upper run onto the lower one?

Stacked runs shed water and snow onto each other. Nobody mentions it in summer and everybody notices it in February.
Can you price a vertical platform lift alongside this?

On a constrained lot the lift is the genuine alternative. A contractor willing to put both numbers in front of you is one worth listening to.

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Local pros

Multi-Landing Ramp Systems near you

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Related work

Often done at the same time

Modular Ramp Installation

Platforms and turns from stock parts

Concrete Ramp Construction

The permanent switchback

Wheelchair Ramp Installation

Measuring the rise first

Commercial Ramp Installation

Where landings are prescribed

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FAQ

Multi-Landing Ramp Systems — questions people ask

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Why does my ramp need landings in the middle?

Level landings exist so that nobody has to stop, turn or rest while on a slope. They are required at the top and bottom of a ramp, and where the ramp changes direction, because turning a wheelchair on a slope is where control is lost. On a long run they also give somebody self-propelling a place to pause safely. The specific sizes and the maximum run between them are set by published accessibility standards and by your local code, so ask your designer which standard governs your project.

How much of my garden will a switchback ramp take up?

More than the drawing suggests, which is the single most common surprise in this category. The footprint is not just the ramp length folded in half — each turn adds a level landing that climbs nothing, the runs need space between them, and handrails and edge protection add width on both sides. The only reliable way to understand it is to have the contractor stake the whole layout on the ground and then live with it for a few days before signing.

Would a vertical platform lift be better than a long ramp?

Sometimes, and it deserves a serious comparison rather than a dismissal. A lift takes a fraction of the space, which on a small lot with a high porch can be decisive. Against that: it needs an electrical supply, it requires servicing and in some jurisdictions inspection, it can be out of order, and it is a mechanical device that has to be operated. A ramp always works and never breaks down but may consume your garden. Price both from someone who has no stake in which you choose.

Can a switchback ramp be built from a modular system?

Yes, and it is one of the most common uses for them, because platforms and turns are catalogue components in most systems. The advantages carry over: quick installation, the ability to reconfigure, and the option to rent while the situation settles. The thing to check is that the platform sizes available in the system actually suit the chair or scooter that will use them, and that the layout does not become so many pieces that a site-built structure becomes the cheaper answer.

Is a long ramp harder to use than a short one?

For someone self-propelling, distance matters as much as gradient. A long switchback at a gentle slope is easier per metre but there is much more of it, and fatigue is real — a person who manages three metres comfortably may not manage fifteen. This is exactly the case for landings that are usable as rest points and for having the person who will use the ramp try a comparable one before the design is finalised. If a carer will push on every trip, say so at the design stage; it changes what a good layout looks like.

Can we reduce the rise instead of building a bigger ramp?

It is always worth asking, and it is asked far too rarely. Building up and regrading the ground at the bottom of the run reduces the rise directly, and on sloping sites this can take a switchback back to a straight run. Reworking the top landing or the threshold detail sometimes takes off a little more. Earthworks bring their own considerations — drainage away from the foundation above all — but a landscaper and a ramp builder looking at the site together will sometimes find a much smaller project than either would alone.