# 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:** 11
**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, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/201 "2013-08-23T02:59:32Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Have you ever pushed a wheelchair up a ramp? It’s pretty gosh darn easy. yes I have actually. ---
**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 23, 2013, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/202 "2013-08-23T03:46:09Z")
All I know is that I have two elevators in my building, and on any given week, at least one will spend some time out of order. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/203 "2013-08-23T04:08:47Z")
I would barely even notice that ramp. It certainly isn’t any uglier than a concrete porch or driveway. I read the whole thread before looking at the picture and I pictured something much taller and uglier. I think it would be an almost nonexistent percentage of homebuyers who would consider that ramp when bidding on a neighboring home. I don’t think they would even notice. As far as buying a house with a rise to the first floor, depending on the climate and soil, zero step entry homes are often impractical. I wouldn’t choose a zero entry home in a place that gets multiple feet of snow accumulation. It’s nice to have a couple feet between the ground and the threshold. If the family wants a basement there’s going to be a rise to the main floor, and as someone said above new houses are often purchased pre-built. The lift option, some of the lifts looked like there was not much room for error in parking the chair or allowing for accidental movement while it’s being raised or lowered. The girl’s dexterity and ability to see exactly where all the parts of her chair are could be limited. I also can’t see that it would be practical having a lift in a climate that gets any kind of snow accumulation. Seriously. Some people have too much free time. ---
**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, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/204 "2013-08-23T04:11:50Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > All I know is that I have two elevators in my building, and on any given week, at least one will spend some time out of order. Well that’s fine but these are not elevators, they’re chair lifts. Do you think the world is full of disabled people stuck in chair lifts? We’re talking about something that lifts between 2 and 3 feet, has battery backup and can be manually operated were it to ever to fail. Do your elevators have that? If their daughter can operate a motorized wheelchair then this extends her radius of freedom. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/205 "2013-08-23T04:13:42Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > Oh my goodness! Have the neighbours nothing better to do than complain about that? It’s a ramp… it’s for a person who can’t use stairs. How shallow and mean-minded does one have to be to find that offensive to look at? For neighbours to complain that it brings down their property values shows them to be nothing more than selfish low life scum ( IMO ). Actually, calling them scum is an insult to scum. If they are so concerned about the appearance, why don’t THEY offer to pay for fancy stonework or some such. I can’t say how angry this thread made me, but let’s say it’s just as well I don’t live in the neighbourhood. For starters, I’d get all the wheelchair using and disabled people I could find to have a gathering at the front of the house every weekend, and escalate from there. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/206 "2013-08-23T04:23:21Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The lift I linked to was designed as stated. So if you own one of these then yes, you can operate it if the power fails just like any other device designed with power backup. > > If you don’t have such a lift then you can, I don’t know, use a generator? Are you really going to tell me it’s necessary or safer to drag someone up a ramp in the winter? Have you ever pushed a wheelchair up a ramp? Doesn’t sound like it. Machinery ALWAYS fails- ramps don’t. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/207 "2013-08-23T04:44:42Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Well that’s fine but these are not elevators, they’re chair lifts. > > Do you think the world is full of disabled people stuck in chair lifts? We’re talking about something that lifts between 2 and 3 feet, has battery backup and can be manually operated were it to ever to fail. Do your elevators have that? If their daughter can operate a motorized wheelchair then this extends her radius of freedom. If lifts are so cheap and reliable, then why do I see so few at public building? It’s almost all ramps. ---
**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, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/208 "2013-08-23T04:58:10Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > Have you ever pushed a wheelchair up a ramp? Doesn’t sound like it. > Machinery ALWAYS fails- ramps don’t. couldn’t be bothered to read the thread or the article. Yes to your question if I’ve every pushed a wheelchair up a ramp. The lifts in question have backup systems for power and mechanical failure. Ramps have to be maintained in the winter. And your rage against the world would be better served if you looked at the house in question. The owners landscaped around the ramp. It was never a story to begin. All this righteous indignation is going to waste. ---
**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, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/209 "2013-08-23T05:00:40Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > If lifts are so cheap and reliable, then why do I see so few at public building? It’s almost all ramps. If elevators are so expensive and prone to failure why do so many buildings have them? ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/210 "2013-08-23T05:08:37Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > couldn’t be bothered to read the thread or the article. Yes to your question if I’ve every pushed a wheelchair up a ramp. The lifts in question have backup systems for power and mechanical failure. Ramps have to be maintained in the winter. And your rage against the world would be better served if you looked at the house in question. The owners landscaped around the ramp. It was never a story to begin. All this righteous indignation is going to waste. The thing that I’d argue - If the girl is in a motorised chair, a ramp may well be easier to use than a lift, a ramp can also be used to get other things into and out of the house and further, perhaps the ramp was subsidised in one way or another when the lift wouldn’t have been? It’s very easy for me to imagine that a local tradesman may well install such a ramp for material cost only, or maybe the owner had access to cheap cement or any one of a lot of other reasons that may well make a ramp significantly cheaper than a lift. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/211 "2013-08-23T05:11:13Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If elevators are so expensive and prone to failure why do so many buildings have them? Ramps are impractical for multi-story buildings. There are usually more than one elevator. Repair cost is borne by the owner/corporate owner of the building, who most certainly has more money than a private family. Also, wheelchair lifts are not elevators and work by a completely different mechanism. ---
**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, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/212 "2013-08-23T05:20:35Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > The thing that I’d argue - > > If the girl is in a motorised chair, a ramp may well be easier to use than a lift, a ramp can also be used to get other things into and out of the house and further, perhaps the ramp was subsidised in one way or another when the lift wouldn’t have been? > > It’s very easy for me to imagine that a local tradesman may well install such a ramp for material cost only, or maybe the owner had access to cheap cement or any one of a lot of other reasons that may well make a ramp significantly cheaper than a lift. Well that’s all possible. No argument. I just think the lift has more utility value. Some people like to walk up stairs, some like elevators. They built what they wanted built and the Sun rises just like it always does. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/213 "2013-08-23T05:53:17Z")
Jesus christ sucking on the vinegar sponge, drop it with the lift already. The family chose that ugly ass ramp and there isn’t a damn thing that bunch of assholes can do about it. If it drops their property value, too damn bad. Be that way, sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/214 "2013-08-23T10:07:13Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Well that’s all possible. No argument. _ **I just think the lift has more utility value.** _ Some people like to walk up stairs, some like elevators. > > They built what they wanted built and the Sun rises just like it always does. (bolding mine) Just out of curiosity, (because it’s obvious that we’re not going to be able to convince you that a ramp is superior to a ‘lift’, in _ **numerous** _ ways) in _ **what ways** _ does a lift have ‘more utility value’, than a ramp? 😕 It’s not like you can use one to move furniture or large heavy appliances into and out of the house. :dubious: At least, none of the ones that I’ve looked at closely, (or installed) were suitable for that purpose. IIRC, most of the ‘residential’ models warn against being used in that way, although I’m sure that some of them are _ **capable** _ of being used in that fashion. But for the most part, they aren’t _designed_ for that. And thats the last that I’ll have to say on this subject. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/215 "2013-08-23T11:57:40Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Jesus christ sucking on the vinegar sponge, drop it with the lift already. This. Seriously, this. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/216 "2013-08-23T12:59:33Z")
My parents added a ramp to their retirement home. It extends to a large deck used for sunning and entertaining (my brother’s band plays July 3rd). We originally had the lift we had at my childhood home. But due to its age and the effects of the salt air, the ramp/deck was constructed. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/217 "2013-08-23T13:46:02Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If elevators are so expensive and prone to failure why do so many buildings have them? Have you ever been in a building that had an elevator, but no stairs? I’ll give you a hint - the answer is no. But there are any number of buildings with stairs and no elevator. The more reliable option always gets first priority, and installations with no moving parts are just plain more reliable than mechanically operated (even with hand cranks and battery backup) installations. ---
**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, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/218 "2013-08-23T16:17:41Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Have you ever been in a building that had an elevator, but no stairs? > > I’ll give you a hint - the answer is no. But there are any number of buildings with stairs and no elevator. The more reliable option always gets first priority, and installations with no moving parts are just plain more reliable than mechanically operated (even with hand cranks and battery backup) installations. Again, the lift has more utility value than the ramp. it allows for independent use and it compensates for the elements. If they didn’t have utility value nobody would buy them. That this non-story gets so many people’s panties bunched up is amazing but that appears to be the purpose of publishing it. The owners already took aesthetics into consideration before the story went to print. > [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Jesus christ sucking on the vinegar sponge, drop it with the lift already. The family chose that ugly ass ramp and there isn’t a damn thing that bunch of assholes can do about it. If it drops their property value, too damn bad. Be that way, sometimes. No need for Jesus to suck on anything but feel free to do give it a try yourself if you think it will work. It’s not the end of the world if someone disagrees with you or has an opinion about something. That goes for everybody else who can’t dial back the vitriol. Ramps are not the answer to universe and neither are lifts. ---
**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, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/219 "2013-08-23T16:23:34Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Have you ever been in a building that had an elevator, but no stairs? > > I’ll give you a hint - the answer is no. But there are any number of buildings with stairs and no elevator. The more reliable option always gets first priority, and installations with no moving parts are just plain more reliable than mechanically operated (even with hand cranks and battery backup) installations. well that went over your head. The reason buildings have elevators is because an elevator has utility value over stairs and people prefer this. But unlike an elevator a wheelchair lift is designed to take into consideration power and mechanical failure. In this specific case that involves a lift of about 30 so the maximum distance that needs to be overcome by her parents is half the distance or 15 inches in the event of a mechanical failure. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/220 "2013-08-23T16:53:41Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Jesus christ sucking on the vinegar sponge… I’m stealing this for personal use. Hope that’s OK with you. I whined enough about it here last year (and earlier this year) about my husband getting catastrophically ill with West Nile. He’s still in a wheelchair. His father built a sturdy wooden ramp to go up the front steps to the door. It looks nice enough, but … it is what it is, which is a wheelchair ramp. If any of our neighbors had the cojones to complain about how it looks, I believe Mr. Shoe would come out shaking his fist and rolling after them, and he can build up some speed! Instead, our neighbors brought food and arranged for lawn care for us. (We may have to replace our washer and/or dryer soon, and I suspect the ramp will come in handy then, too … ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682.md?page=12)