Ramp design first: drawings before demolition

What is ramp design referral?

Ramp design referral is professional planning for a wheelchair ramp before or beside installation - site measurement, alternative layouts, slope and landing studies, and documents for permits or HOAs. It is useful when the yard is tight, multiple entrances compete, or reviewers require drawings. Many straightforward modular jobs fold design into the installer's site visit; complex sites deserve a distinct design step so every bid prices the same geometry, not three incompatible sketches.

How ramp design referral actually works

1. 1

   Capture site data that drawings need

   Rise at candidate doors, grade slopes, obstacles, utilities, property lines, door clear widths and interior turns just inside each entry. Photos help orientation; field measurements decide geometry. Note frost depth expectations and any buried services the household knows about.

   Watch forPretty sketches without verified rise. Fiction prices out as change orders later, and a beautiful plan drawn to the wrong door wastes everyone's time.

2. 2

   Walk the real user journey, not only the elevation

   From vehicle parking or street, along the proposed ramp, through the door and into the first turning space inside. Design that stops at the threshold is incomplete when a chair cannot pass the hall. Note where guests, bins and deliveries still need to move.

   Watch forA front-façade statement ramp that ignores a side door with half the rise and a clearer path.

3. 3

   Generate layout options with explicit trade-offs

   Straight run, switchback, side entry, modular versus site-built wood or concrete. Each option should state footprint, approximate disruption, material implications and what must be true (tree removal, condenser relocate, HOA variance) for it to work.

   Watch forA single "take it or leave it" sketch when the site clearly has alternatives. Options are how households make a decision they will not regret.

4. 4

   Name the accessibility standard used

   Residential and commercial expectations differ by jurisdiction. The design package should state which rules it follows so installers and reviewers share one target. Avoid inventing numbers from memory - cite the standard the package is drawn to and note where local amendments may apply.

   Watch forSilent assumptions. Ask for the standard on the title block or notes, and ask whether residential or public-access rules are in play.

5. 5

   Produce the documents your reviewers require

   Site plan, elevations, details at the threshold, notes on rails, landings and edge protection. Engineer stamps when required for structure or attachments - not decorative stamps on simple kit layouts that the manufacturer already engineered as a system.

   Watch forPaying for engineering you do not need - or skipping it when the reviewer will reject the file. Match deliverables to the actual gate you must pass.

6. 6

   Coordinate HOA, neighbour and funding paperwork

   Some packages need colour boards, screening notes or neighbour notices. Funding programmes may want a scope letter tied to the drawings. Build those into the design schedule rather than treating them as afterthoughts the week materials ship.

   Watch forDrawings that ignore covenant language. A permit-ready set can still fail an architectural review and delay discharge plans.

7. 7

   Hand off to installation bidding on one package

   Send the same drawings and notes to every installer so prices compete on execution, labour and lead time - not on inventing different ramps. Clarify what the designer warrants versus what the builder warrants, and how RFIs during bidding are handled.

   Watch forInstallers who ignore the drawings and re-sketch on the truck. Align before mobilisation, or you paid for design twice.

8. 8

   Define the next step: build, temporary access or hold

   Design is not a ramp. Leave a clear recommendation: proceed to modular, wood or concrete install; rent temporary access while funding clears; or hold until an interior modification lands. Tie the recommendation to the household's calendar (discharge, winter, sale).

   Watch forA finished drawing set with no path to access this month when someone already needs the door.

What does ramp design referral cost?

Design and drawing fees are usually a fixed professional charge far below construction. Engineering, if required, adds another professional line. Straightforward modular installs may include design in the site visit at little or no separate fee - pay separately when complexity or third-party review demands it.

See the full ramp design referral cost guide - by material, size and region →

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