Sure. Making up Jesus sayings is a hobby of mine.
Did a ramp murder Magiver’s parents or something?
I think they were crushed at the end of a ramp by a runaway 800 pound invalid in a gurney.
Either that or he works for a lift company on commission.
Except in case of a fire – when they tell you to use the stairs.
(I worked at the Carnegie Science Center, actually, and there were no stairs – just a big spiral ramp leading up to each floor.)
You’re silly. The lift is, as others have said, truly HIDEOUS, especially in comparison with the ramp. Nearly invisible? No, it’s not.
It didn’t go over my head at all - I think the engineering aspect of it went over yours. Many things have both (a) more utility and (b) more complexity than others. The point is that the more reliable, less complex option usually gets built first, as a backup measure in case the newfangled doohickey fails. Then you install the fancy bits, but you still have the basic functionality even if the fancy bits shit the bed.
You seem to be under the impression that the only possible failure is of power. What if it seizes and just won’t move? What if the freeze-thaw cycle in Colorado weakens the metal to the point that a critical piece breaks? What if corrosion from salted roads gums up the mechanics? What if windblown snow beneath the platform prevents it from going all the way down? What if it ices up and doesn’t move at all? None of these things is a problem with a ramp.
The other thing that went over your head is that this family chose the ramp. I suspect they might have a bit more experience than either of us with both choices, and I’m not going to second guess their decision.
I still don’t see how the lift is immune from weather. If it snows on the ramp it snows on the lift. Meanwhile, if she is in a mechanized wheelchair, she can use either on her own. Maybe the daughter prefers a ramp. If she cannot use her wheelchair without being pushed then the lift does not make her any more independent.
Somebody contact the family and ask whether a lift in addition to the ramp would make a difference. If so, we can divide up the cost and all pitch in to buy one.
How do you figure a lift that is 3 ft square with almost no visible parts is hideous compared to a 30 foot ramp made of concrete? The lifts come painted?
A lift can be covered like you would cover an outdoor grill. You could also put heating elements into the ramp so that option is available. No idea of the cost but technically it should be pretty easy. Lots of people have heated driveways.
what if one of her parents slips and breaks a hip. You can play what-ifs all you want but wheelchair lifts are not newfangled doohickeys. they’re specifically built for wheel chairs. If they break down you fix them just like you would fix a car or any other conveyance routinely used by the handicapped.
<golf clap> Well done, sir! Very well, done!
A hobby you’ve obviously practiced at. 
A+
Damn! Wished I had thought of all that. 
Which would make it pretty difficult for a handicapped person to use. And those are things which would signifigantly add to the cost of a lift.
Her parents can use the ramp, also.
Again, an added cost to the price of a lift.
A ramp won’t ‘break down’, which precludes the need for any ‘routine’ repairs.
Magiver ain’t budging on this one, y’all.
Yeah, yeah… I know I promised I wouldn’t say anything more on the subject!
I just couldn’t resist, though. And NOW, I’m done.
<walks away, shaking head and mumbling>
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think it’s a fine looking ramp. It appears top be safe, secure and well built. I seriously doubt it will bring down the property values in the neighborhood.
As far as moving it somewhere else, I suppose the depends on the layout of the house- the driveway, the interior, etc.
I could not build a wheelchair ramp at my front door because of the way the exterior entry and foyer is (are?) designed. Putting the access there would require about 5 different left and right turns in a small space to get to the living room. The only easy access would need to come through the garage. Fortunately, I don’t need a ramp, I just wanted one so that a wheelchair bound neighbor could visit.
Wouldn’t a lift be noisy for the neighbors? Especially late at night or early morning?
Whether lifts or ramps are uglier is strictly a matter of opinion and is going to vary from person to person.
You’d be surprised how many people can’t manage simple repairs. Yes, a lot of people really do need to hire someone to fix anything with a motor. Parents caring for a disabled child likely don’t have the time or energy to learn yet another new skill.
Lifts WILL break, sooner or later. They are motor-driven and contain moving mechanical parts. A ramp, on the other hand, requires no more “surface maintenance” than sidewalks and driveways, which have to be done anyway in inclement weather and I suspect one reason for choosing concrete is to allow the parents to use the exact same “maintenance” on the ramp as on the driveway as a way of simplifying things.
Several years ago I spent much of a summer helping to repair garage doors and openers – again, you’d probably be surprised at how many people can’t do that without outside assistance. Perhaps the parents choose a concrete ramp because taking care of/managing a concrete ramp is already within their skillset.
If she has a motorized wheelchair she can get up and down the ramp without assistance as well. As a bonus, if her motorized wheelchair did break down it wouldn’t leave her stranded in the air.
All of which have to be maintained and periodically fixed. It’s no timesaver.
So? Elderly people have to wait “until the process is finished”. My spouse isn’t even in a wheelchair but has to wait inside until I finish shoveling between the door and our vehicles to go anywhere in winter. Being disabled is inconvenient no matter how you slice it, travel is never as easy and care free as when you’re able-bodied, and it’s not a matter of avoiding all inconvenience but choosing which ones you’ll put up with.
If you’ve got a walk-clearing routine it’s actually not that time consuming, and better yet, the supplies are available at any and every big-box store. It’s also a heck of a lot easier to hire someone to clear your walk in winter than service your wheelchair lift. By the way – even if they do have a lift they’ll still need to get their porch/walk/driveway cleaned off so they’ll be dealing with that anyway, extending the process to a few additional square feet of ramp is trivial.
And who, exactly, is going to be using the hand pump? The disabled person? Aging parents?
It’s not about what YOU will find most convenient, it’s about what works for them.
No, but I think that’s largely because I see wheelchair ramps installed, not lifts.
If their daughter has a motorized wheelchair she can get up and down the ramp on her own.
I’ve pushed quite a few wheelchairs up and down ramps in my time. With a well designed ramp it’s not an issue for a person of normal strength to do this. Even outside, if the ramp is at the proper slant even a little rain or snow isn’t an insurmountable problem, the surfaces don’t have to be pristine for this to work out. If you found pushing a wheelchair up a ramp a trial I have to ask if the person you were pushing was hugely bigger than yourself, or if the incline was too steep.
Why do you assume the daughter is incapable of independently using the ramp? Just because she has cerebral palsy doesn’t mean she’s completely helpless even if she can’t walk.
If they’re so superior why don’t all disabled people have them?
NO. A lift would be 100% AWESOME. Everyone should have a lift. Even if they are not disabled. Ramps are like Darth Vader and lifts are like Luke Skywalker except less whiny. THERE ARE ZERO NEGATIVES TO HAVING A LIFT. EVERYONE KNOWS THIS.
In part because people have different aesthetic taste. I like clean lines and function - so I find that wheelchair ramp to be very attractive. I’m not terribly fond of a lot of detail or scrollwork. Nice wrought iron, imo, would have looked incredibly tacky. On the other hand, my late grandmother very likely would have painted it gold and made sure it was adequately covered with “lawn art” before she was satisfied with it.
Once the garden in front of the ramp grows a little, it should be more “acceptable” to someone who doesn’t have my taste in wheelchair ramps.
Also, because the important thing when building a wheelchair ramp is that you get the function. It MUST be sturdy. It MUST be long and gentle enough to be safe. It MUST hold up to the weather. By the time you get those things done, its an expensive proposition - and most people with kids in wheelchairs already have a lot of extraordinary expenses.
(By the way, when buying the lift, don’t forget to factor in maintenance into the cost comparison, machinery must be maintained - concrete last for years with pretty much zero maintenance.)
I’ve got the same problem in my neighborhood. Everyone has like three to five of these pug-fuggly concrete and brick horizontal monstrosities infront of their house. The first couple are usually kind of small, not much more then a foot in depth really, but the top one is WAY bigger.
I hate to think what it does to property values when a buyer sees that the whole neighborhood is filled with invalids who can’t jump a mere three feet or so into their front door, or an open window.
You know, garbage trucks will reach out with a metal claw, grab a can, lift up the garbage and toss it back into the pile.
Why can’t people use something like that?
Put a trap door in the roof of their house to get dumped into and their good. It’s not like it’s newfangled technology, garbage trucks have been using it for years. And seeing how I think it’s a better solution there’s no excuse not to do it that way.
Yeah, I thought it looked fine. It looks like they have some stuff planted in front of it but it hasn’t had time to grow yet.
This why I will never stop worshipping you.
My bold.
Hey! Jumping three feet in the air flat-footed is hard! I’ll bet some of them could jump three feet if you gave them a running start…oh, wait… :smack: