# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/41 "2013-08-20T04:05:01Z")
Don’t you see that aesthetics are not the primary concern here? Given: you and some of your neighbors think the ramp violates some aesthetic standard in the neighborhood. Do you really think that matters AT ALL? I’m really curious about this. How much do you think in **dollars** that the value of your house to a hypothetical future buyer has fallen because there’s a wheelchair ramp in the neighborhood that you think isn’t pretty enough? $50K? $100K? Serious question. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/42 "2013-08-20T04:06:18Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Am I the only one wondering if the OP is one of those displeased neighbors? Or just doing some Monday Morning R. O. ? Click on the OP’s name and then “statistics” then “find all threads started by aceplace57” and you’ll get the picture. ---
**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 20, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/43 "2013-08-20T04:12:42Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Well, I’m clearly on the losing side of this issue. 😉 > > I just don’t see the harm in expecting anything built on property to look as nice as possible. People generally don’t build plain, square concrete block houses. We pay architects a lot of money to design unique homes. Homebuyers expect stone or brick veneer to be added. Or they even clad the outside in painted wood or vinyl. Something to give the home warmth and curb appeal. > > A residential ramp can be fully functional and convenient while still looking good. The railings could have been a nice wrought iron. Shrubby in front. This is a brand new house that probably cost 200k to 350k. Spending a few hundred extra bucks on the ramp isn’t unreasonable. The house in question isn’t exactly a triumph of architecture. We are talking about a cookie-cutter beige suburban ranch house here. IMHO, it’s a pretty ugly house to begin with. Try a Google image search for “wheelchair ramp.” Most ramps are temporary-looking metal (like my grandparent’s) or cheap unfinished wood. That is what a normal ramp looks like, and these are the kinds of ramps that cost a couple thousand dollars to safely install. A solid, permanent ramp like the one in this home is a significantly larger investment, and may be something they saved for some time to install. It’s really in the top ten percent of home wheelchair ramps. In any case, think of the wheelchair ramp like the driveway. Would you install elaborate decorations on your driveway? Some people opt for pavers, but for the most part, we just roll with poured concrete. It doesn’t bother anyone, because we are used to it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/44 "2013-08-20T04:30:31Z")
I agree that after awhile people living close by will get used to it. It’s just more ugly concrete to ignore. That obnoxious neighbor that was threatening to sue will find out quickly that she’s in the wrong. The Fair Housing Act and ADA fully support any adaptive features like ramps or lifts. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/45 "2013-08-20T04:32:57Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > It’s really in the top ten percent of home wheelchair ramps. I had to repress a snerk because for some reason this phrasing tickled my funny bone. Somewhere out there, there’s someone rating home wheelchair ramps and this one is the bees knees. Getting bent out of shape about this ramp is ridiculous. Nobody outside of city laws and possible HOAs has any responsibility to make this ramp pretty. If we’re going to argue aesthetics, I pit all the horribly ugly cookie cutter development homes with vinyl siding; frankly, this house is one of them and far from gorgeous. The ramp is no uglier than the house itself. The harm and unreasonableness in expecting someone to make something “pretty” for YOU is that it costs THEM money. That oh-so-tiny few hundred dollars could be her medication for the next week. Want it pretty? Pay for it yourself. After all, “what’s the harm” right? Only a “few hundred” right? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/46 "2013-08-20T04:45:36Z")
I always kind of wonder where stories like this come from. Nobody in the story is actually quoted complaining about the ramp. The family says their neighbour threatened a lawsuit, but there doesn’t appear to be any evidence that was any more then an idle threat. They don’t appear to have hired any lawyers or filed any paperwork. The story is basically: some random family in Colorado claims that some other person you’ve never heard of (and isn’t even named) said something dumb to them. But for some reason a New York based local paper is reporting that a family in Colorado is claiming their neighbour is being a jerk!? Does the Daily News try to keep it’s readers abreast of every neighbourhood squabble in all 50 States, or are they particularly focused on Colorado for some reason? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/47 "2013-08-20T04:51:41Z")
Such a depressing story. A family with a disabled child installs a nice, sturdy wheelchair ramp, and the neighbors respond not with praise & offers to help, but with criticism for the aesthetics? At least none of the neighbors had the gall to speak to the reporter on record. And I don’t see how this lowers the property value of this or neighboring house. It looks at least as good quality as the rest of the house. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/48 "2013-08-20T04:58:33Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Seriously, your neighbours are dealing with their kid being in a wheelchair presumably for the rest of her life, with all the constant hassle that that entails, and all you can think about is they didn’t pay enough attention to YOUR needs? Not enough rolleyes in the world. Word. > [@](#): > > Also, the ramp looks perfectly fine. Crazily enough, it’s made of the exact same stuff as the patio and walkways around the house I grew up in. Yet somehow no one shit a brick over it. As for beautification, I’ll just note that they’ve already built tiered planters in front of the ramp. I suspect that those planters might have a purpose of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/49 "2013-08-20T05:03:55Z")
I am going to go against the grain here and say this family was full of themselves and didn’t take the feelings of their neighbors into consideration before going way overboard. They didn’t need to ruin the neighborhood with such a garish sight, [when all they needed was something cute like this.](http://disabledaccessdenied.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/bullshit-ramp.jpg)🙂 Everybody wins. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/50 "2013-08-20T05:07:49Z")
I actually like the looks of this one. As said up thread, they are usually a lot uglier. As to the people in the nearby houses, they are one of the reasons I am a bit out of town. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/51 "2013-08-20T05:12:48Z")
I see architects are beginning to give thought into ramp design. There’s some really good ideas here. The ramp on that first Victorian home is very well thought out and integrates well with the house’s design. Looks really good and it’s functional. As our population curve ages handicapped modifications to homes will become more and more common. > **[Wheelchair Ramp Design Specs for a More Accessible Porch](https://www.front-porch-ideas-and-more.com/wheelchair-ramp-design.html)** > > Wheelchair ramp design is vital to ensure access and safety for your loved ones with mobility and climbing issues. We help you calculate rise and run and more. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/52 "2013-08-20T05:13:14Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I am going to go against the grain here and say this family was full of themselves and didn’t take the feelings of their neighbors into consideration before going way overboard. They didn’t need to ruin the neighborhood with such a garish sight, [when all they needed was something cute like this.](http://disabledaccessdenied.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/bullshit-ramp.jpg)🙂 Everybody wins. Ha. I bet you run into that kind of shit all the time. People are so stupid. Like a store near my work that had a step up to get through the door and then a ramp down into the store. Really?? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/53 "2013-08-20T05:16:24Z")
Half of the houses on my street show more “ugly concrete” to the world just by virtue of having porches. > [@aceplace57](#): > > I agree that after awhile people living close by will get used to it. Yep, some people are in wheelchairs, and other people see concrete. But I guess we all have our chairs to wheel. It’s more of a privilege than a burden, really. Every time they go past that ramp, they can hold their heads high and pat themselves on the back for _getting used_ to that girl having access to her own home. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/54 "2013-08-20T05:27:54Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > Maybe they should hide their spastic daughter away, too? > [@davidm](#): > > That doesn’t look so bad. > What is wrong with people? It’s a wheelchair ramp for a 16 year old girl. How do they think their complaints make her feel? Assholes. > [@Ambivalid](#): > > I was most certainly _not_ expecting a ramp of that quality to be the source of the ire here. Shameful. That is a nice fucking ramp. I hate people. You guys said it all, FFS let’s not look at the retards we might catch something.:rolleyes: I think that OP slipped out of a Stepford Wives Convention. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/55 "2013-08-20T05:29:52Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I see architects are beginning to give thought into ramp design. There’s some really good ideas here. The ramp on that first Victorian home is very well thought out and integrates well with the house’s design. Looks really good and it’s functional. > > As our population curve ages handicapped modifications to homes will become more and more common. > > [Wheelchair Ramp Design Specs for a More Accessible Porch](http://www.front-porch-ideas-and-more.com/wheelchair-ramp-design.html) Do you realize how much it costs to have an architect get involved? I’m seriously asking you if you have any idea how much a fancy ramp costs or even a plain ramp. You keep acting like it’s no big deal but around here it’s usually at least a hundred dollars per design hour, whether they tell you that or not. It doesn’t take a mere one hour to do this kind of design work. And that doesn’t even count building the ramp, or paying the city for the permit to build the ramp, or the time spent going to the city board getting the ramp approved, and paying the submittal fee… What I’m telling you is this gets expensive fast. Getting one that’s “pretty” is likely to cost twice as much. Again, if you want to keep harping about how easy and cheap it is to make a pretty ramp, feel free to pay for it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/56 "2013-08-20T05:51:46Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I was most certainly _not_ expecting a ramp of that quality to be the source of the ire here. Shameful. That is a nice fucking ramp. I hate people. It doesn’t blend with the house at all. It’s an architectural mismatch and probably cost a fortune. they could have installed a lift by the door that looks better and more importantly been much easier to use. Wheeling someone up that ramp is not going to be easy. Your idea of nice differs from mine. They probably spent $10,000 on something that lowered the value of the house by the same amount. If the neighbors hate it they can get together and donate the stone work to match the house but the damage is done. ---
**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 20, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/57 "2013-08-20T05:54:11Z")
Not to mention that “pretty ramp” might not be as sturdy for some people’s needs. Boo hoo to the neighbors. “Damage done”? Oh noes, they’re reminded that their need to see pretty things is more important than someone needing special accomodations. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/58 "2013-08-20T06:09:26Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Not to mention that “pretty ramp” might not be as sturdy for some people’s needs. > > Boo hoo to the neighbors. “Damage done”? Oh noes, they’re reminded that their need to see pretty things is more important than someone needing special accomodations. Yes, damage done. People bought into a neighborhood with expectations of not having an eyesore erected within. whether you like it the ramp does not fit the looks of the house. A lift would have been a much better solution and far safer than the ramp. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/59 "2013-08-20T06:10:15Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Your idea of nice differs from mine. They probably spent $10,000 on something that lowered the value of the house by the same amount. Maybe they don’t plan on moving. For some people, a house isn’t an investment, it’s a home. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682/60 "2013-08-20T06:28:08Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Maybe they don’t plan on moving. For some people, a house isn’t an investment, it’s a home. Doesn’t really change the narrative for the neighbors does it? I don’t see the lawsuit going anywhere unless it’s against the city for approving it. I don’t understand why anyone would move into a house that sits up that high when they knew it would be a problem but there’s no law against poor decisions. IMO their best bet would be to take the money spent on lawyers and apply it to the ramp. r [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-complain-about-wheelchair-ramp-in-front-of-home/666682.md?page=4)