# Neighbors complain about wheelchair ramp in front of home. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 20, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682 "2013-08-20T01:32:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/181 "2013-08-21T22:40:17Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Easily would depend on the person. Do you walk everywhere because your car might break down in a bad area at night stranding you? > > The child in this instance is assisted by her parents. The benefits of a lift outweigh a ramp on a daily basis and the outdoor units are designed with power backup. So then, why do you think they passed on the lift? ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/182 "2013-08-22T02:15:37Z")
Am I the only one who thinks that lifts are much uglier than the ramp? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/183 "2013-08-22T02:43:54Z")
It is uglier. Not to mention: - It is expensive. It looks to me like an outdoor one is 4-10 k. - It requires maintenance by a skilled technician and occasional unexpected and costly repairs - When it does malfunction, it leaves the user stranded and dependent until a skilled technician can make it out for repairs - It will need to be replaced periodically at great expense, as opposed to a ramp that will last the lifetime of the house I really can’t see any advantages to them for most people. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/184 "2013-08-22T04:01:30Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > It is uglier. no, it’s not evenly remotely as ugly as a massive concrete ramp. A lift is almost invisible in comparison. > [@even\_sven](#): > > Not to mention: > > - It is expensive. It looks to me like an outdoor one is 4-10 k. the ramp is expensive too. > [@even\_sven](#): > > - It requires maintenance by a skilled technician and occasional unexpected and costly repairs Really? a skilled technician? it has a motor and a drive unit. By that logic a garbage disposal requires a skilled technician. That’s if it breaks. The ramp WILL require someone to maintain it’s surface in inclement weather on a regular basis. > [@even\_sven](#): > > - When it does malfunction, it leaves the user stranded and dependent until a skilled technician can make it out for repairs > - It will need to be replaced periodically at great expense, as opposed to a ramp that will last the lifetime of the house. The user in this case are her parents. > [@even\_sven](#): > > I really can’t see any advantages to them for most people. well we’re talking about a specific case but the advantages are ease of use and safety. It has all the complexity of a garage door opener with battery backup. If she has control of her wheel chair then it allows her to independently enter and exit the house which adds to her personal safety in the event of a fire. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/185 "2013-08-22T04:12:31Z")
> [@Silvorange](#): > > Plenty of parents would have trouble getting a teenager and her wheelchair up/down a couple of feet. I’ve done a lot of pushing, pulling, and lifting of people and their wheelchairs. I would have a ramp on my house over a lift. I have had one, in fact. > > If my car breaks down, I can still walk. If a wheelchair lift stops working, there’s no easy way to get the wheelchair user in and out of the house. The first lift I [clicked on](http://www.wheelchairlift.com/images/PDFs/2013%20Ascension%20brochure%20-%20low%20resolution.pdf) says it has a hand pump if the unit fails. Again, you’re betting a possible failure against snow and ice which is far more likely problem to deal with. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/186 "2013-08-22T04:22:44Z")
Again, I think this story is nothing but news fodder designed to sell ad space. I seriously doubt anybody intends to sue and one person was probably upset when this ramp was first poured and ran his mouth. The pictures show the owners are just as conscientious about the appearance of their new home as anybody else. Why they chose this over a lift is their business. Maybe they got a good deal on the ramp. I don’t know and I’m not really exercised about their decision. I’ve poured enough concrete over the years to know what I would do but that’s me. I build stuff to suit my needs and when I work for other people I don’t brow beat them into doing it my way because it’s not a profitable business model. I render an opinion and that’s that. If they asked me I would consult someone I know in a wheel chair and give them options which is hopefully what they did. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/187 "2013-08-22T12:32:49Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > no, it’s not evenly remotely as ugly as a massive concrete ramp. A lift is almost invisible in comparison. > > the ramp is expensive too. > Really? a skilled technician? it has a motor and a drive unit. By that logic a garbage disposal requires a skilled technician. That’s if it breaks. The ramp WILL require someone to maintain it’s surface in inclement weather on a regular basis. > The user in this case are her parents. > well we’re talking about a specific case but the advantages are ease of use and safety. It has all the complexity of a garage door opener with battery backup. If she has control of her wheel chair then it allows her to independently enter and exit the house which adds to her personal safety in the event of a fire. Well. This post is almost too screwed up to respond to in a legible fashion, but I’ll _try_… The ramp is ‘expensive, too’? According to **even sven** $4k-6k for a lift. I’ve been a General Contractor for going on 25 yrs now… Ain’t NO WAY a ramp (like the one pictured) should cost more than $2,500-3,000, MAX! A ‘lift’ _ **will** _ have periodic, maintenance/upkeep/repair costs! A ramp _ **will not** _. “The ramp WILL require someone to maintain it’s surface in inclement weather on a regular basis.”? 😕 Oh, you mean sprinkle some salt on it, or sweep the snow off of it, _ **occasionally** _? :rolleyes: “It has all the complexity of a garage door opener with battery backup.” Which is _ **MORE** _ complicated? A _ **ramp** _, or a ‘garage door opener, with battery backup’? :dubious: “If she has control of her wheel chair then it allows her to independently enter and exit the house…” Unless of course, the ‘lift’ _ **malfunctions** _, in some unforseen way. :eek: And “in the event of a fire”, even if the ramp were covered in snow _ **and** _ ‘iced over’… I would be willing to bet that you could _ **still** _ manage to force a wheelchair _ **down the ramp!** _ (thus, affecting an escape a _hell of a lot quicker_, than with a ‘lift’) Seems like plain old common sense to me. 😉 Of course, YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/188 "2013-08-22T13:18:14Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Really? a skilled technician? it has a motor and a drive unit. By that logic a garbage disposal requires a skilled technician. That’s if it breaks. A concrete ramp is _much_ less likely to break down than an electric lift. Surely you don’t disagree with that. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/189 "2013-08-22T13:29:47Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > That was indeed the situation. It was a new housing development. I don’t know the specifics in their case, but typically when you buy a house in a new development, you don’t get to go to the builders with specialized architectural plans and have them build you whatever you want. You get a choice of floor plans (in my sister’s development, there were four to choose from, all slightly but not excessively different) and maybe some choices about what color of tile to put in the bathrooms, etc. You don’t get to say, “Hey, throw in a lift for us.” My sister wanted an outdoor patio. Outdoor patio wasn’t a choice in any of the four available floor plans, so after their home was built they paid a separate contractor to come and build one for them. ---
**Author:** ![alexandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@alexandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/190 "2013-08-22T14:13:07Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Any other helpful advice for families of disabled people? I am thinking > > - Forget about unsightly lifts and ramps- just have the butler do the lifting. > - Save on trips out by installing a home bowling ally and movie theater. You won’t need to go back in if you don’t have to go out! > - In a pinch, you can use a pony to get up a difficult stairway. Make sure to build the stables near the front door. 😃 The neighbours sound like busybodies deluding themselves that their street looked that nice in the first place ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/191 "2013-08-22T14:43:04Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Am I the only one who thinks that lifts are much uglier than the ramp? [Nope](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16589738&postcount=132) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/192 "2013-08-22T14:46:51Z")
Buncha jerks. That being said, faux stone finishing would make it look a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/193 "2013-08-22T15:44:41Z")
The thing that is driving down property value is that the neighborhood is full of assholes. I would not want to live there. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/194 "2013-08-22T17:39:44Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I don’t know the specifics in their case, but typically when you buy a house in a new development, you don’t get to go to the builders with specialized architectural plans and have them build you whatever you want. You get a choice of floor plans (in my sister’s development, there were four to choose from, all slightly but not excessively different) and maybe some choices about what color of tile to put in the bathrooms, etc. You don’t get to say, “Hey, throw in a lift for us.” My sister wanted an outdoor patio. Outdoor patio wasn’t a choice in any of the four available floor plans, so after their home was built they paid a separate contractor to come and build one for them. They’ll also build “spec” houses, which can be in various sages of completion, from “got the foundation poured” to completed and ready to move into. For any of those, you’d have a choice of basically _one_ house plan. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/195 "2013-08-23T00:39:40Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The first lift I [clicked on](http://www.wheelchairlift.com/images/PDFs/2013%20Ascension%20brochure%20-%20low%20resolution.pdf) says it has a hand pump if the unit fails. Again, you’re betting a possible failure against snow and ice which is far more likely problem to deal with. Yeah, throwing down some salt and getting out a shovel, what a burden! I believe the girl has cerebal palsy. I doubt the hand pump is going to be much help to her. :rolleyes: For all you know, hey looked into getting a lift, and decided the ramp was more practical. Is it a little mismatched with the rest of the house? Perhaps. But the purpose is obviously, and it’s not THAT bad. Their property looks neat, well-maintained, and if the ramp looks a wee bit, well, “utilitarian” as opposed to decorative, oh well. (And what do you wanna bet if they did get a lift, the neighbors would complain about THAT?) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/196 "2013-08-23T01:48:43Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > No one is questioning the need for the ramp. But there are ways of incorporating it so that it doesn’t bring down property values. Right now it’s very stark and commercial looking. Would you spend 350k for a new house across the street from this one? I sure wouldn’t… Then don’t buy a house that doesn’t come with an HOA. > [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > I’d start escalating if I had neighbours like that. For every complaint about the ramp I get: a pink flamingo goes on the front lawn. Now see I was thinking more along the lines of statuary as erotic as the local laws will allow. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/197 "2013-08-23T02:03:46Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > A concrete ramp is _much_ less likely to break down than an electric lift. Surely you don’t disagree with that. Not really. As I pointed out there are electrical and mechanical backups to lifts. Ramps are a PITA every single time they are used and that’s on a good day. If you have to shovel it off and salt it (actually salt will break down the concrete) then it’s very time consuming and dangerous if it’s not completed properly. Their daughter now has to wait until the process is finished. Even if a lift breaks it would take less time to pump it up than to shovel and salt the ramp. So which one is more likely to break down? The ramp due to weather. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/198 "2013-08-23T02:09:49Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Yeah, throwing down some salt and getting out a shovel, what a burden! pushing someone up a ramp is a burden. Every time. Shoveling it and salting it has to be done so it’s not slippery or it’s very dangerous for all concerned. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > I believe the girl has cerebal palsy. I doubt the hand pump is going to be much help to her. :rolleyes: She’d have more use of a lift than a ramp with an electric wheel chair. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > For all you know, hey looked into getting a lift, and decided the ramp was more practical. could be. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Is it a little mismatched with the rest of the house? Perhaps. But the purpose is obviously, and it’s not THAT bad. Their property looks neat, well-maintained, and if the ramp looks a wee bit, well, “utilitarian” as opposed to decorative, oh well. already addressed by the owners before the story came out. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > (And what do you wanna bet if they did get a lift, the neighbors would complain about THAT?) I dunno, $1,000? ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/199 "2013-08-23T02:46:51Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > pushing someone up a ramp is a burden. Every time. Have you ever pushed a wheelchair up a ramp? It’s pretty gosh darn easy. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/200 "2013-08-23T02:58:09Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > The ramp is ‘expensive, too’? According to **even sven** $4k-6k for a lift. I’ve been a General Contractor for going on 25 yrs now… Ain’t NO WAY a ramp (like the one pictured) should cost more than $2,500-3,000, MAX! I estimated on the $3000+ side for the ramp with footers and railings. The lifts I looked at were $3600 installed for the smaller ones. Add in landscaping for the ramp. Add in a small deck for the lift. I think the costs are pretty close to each other. IMO the lift’s advantages and convenience far outweigh use of a ramp. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682.md?page=11)