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

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.

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

Seeing something not on this list? Browse wheelchair ramps problems by symptom →

How multi-landing ramp systems actually works

1. 1

   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 forJumping 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.

2. 2

   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 forA layout drawn without checking setback rules. Discovering the ramp encroaches after it is built is an expensive way to learn about your zoning.

3. 3

   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 forA 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.

4. 4

   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 forLanding 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.

5. 5

   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 forRails that simply stop at each landing and start again. Someone steadying themselves loses their handhold at the point they most need it.

6. 6

   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 forA 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.

7. 7

   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 forA 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.

8. 8

   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 forApproving 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.

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 →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →