Home Improvement Ideas Decks Deck Building How to Build a Ramp for a Deck Make your deck more accessible by installing a ramp or flat stairs. Here's how to do it. By Caitlin Sole Caitlin Sole Caitlin Sole is the senior home editor at BHG. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of interior design expertise. She has vast experience with digital media, including SEO, photo shoot production, video production, eCommerce content, print collaboration, and custom sales content. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on August 2, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Better Homes and Gardens Project Overview Total Time: 12 hours Skill Level: Intermediate Estimated Cost: $35 per linear foot Yield: One deck ramp When building a ramp for a deck to make it more accessible, it can be either an angled deck or flat stairs. The construction techniques for either one are similar. Place the ramp in a location that allows for the most convenient and unrestricted access. Expect to spend 10 to 12 hours building a 10- to 12-foot deck ramp. You'll need to remove sod and install landscape fabric and gravel before you begin. Learn how to build a ramp for a deck with our step-by-step instructions below. How Much Does it Really Cost to Make Your House Accessible? What You'll Need Equipment / Tools Measuring tape Speed square Hammer Carpenter's level Small sledgehammer Circular saw Jigsaw Cordless drill Trowels Concrete tools Materials Lumber Fasteners Concrete Framing hardware Instructions How to Build a Ramp for a Deck Keep the maximum pitch (the number of feet the ramp rises for every foot of horizontal run) to 1 in 12, and if possible, build it 42 or 48 inches wide. (The minimum width is 36 inches.) Have the building inspector review your plans before building a ramp. Construct a single-tiered ramp—one whose entire rise is on a single stringer. Or, to build longer ramps, set posts on footings at equal intervals along both sides of the run. Mark the angle of descent on the posts, and cut and install stringers with angled ends. Install handrails on ramps and landings. Better Homes and Gardens Lay Out Landing Pad Measure the rise of the ramp and adjust the run to comply with pitch requirements. Drive stakes at the location of the landing pad. Lay out the landing pad with a sheet of plywood or batterboards. Remove the sod; excavate, form, and pour the landing pad. 5 Essential Home Design Ideas for Aging In Place Better Homes and Gardens Position Stringers Spread landscape fabric and gravel on the site, then lay out the stringers. Mark the angle of descent on the bottom of the stringer and a 3/4x4-inch notch at the bottom end. This notch will fit over a cleat fastened to the landing pad. Cut one stringer and use it as a template for the others. Better Homes and Gardens Cut Wood Cut a pressure-treated 1x6 to the outside width of the ramp. Then set your circular saw to cut a 5-degree bevel on one edge of the 1x6. Next, reset the saw to 0 degrees (or 90 degrees) and cut an 11/2-inch strip from the bottom of the 1x6. Better Homes and Gardens Square Assembly When the concrete is cured, mark the stringer positions on the joists and fasten the stringers to the joist. Drill 3/8-inch holes in the cleat at the locations for threaded studs and slide the cleat under the stringers. Square the whole assembly to the deck and drill locator holes into the pad with a masonry bit. Remove the cleat, drill holes for the studs, epoxy them in place, and reinstall the cleat with nuts and washers. The 9 Best Cordless Drills of 2024, According To Testing Better Homes and Gardens Screw on Beveled Strip Predrill and screw the beveled strip to the ends of the stringer (wide face to the stringers). Better Homes and Gardens Cut Deck to Length Cut the decking to length allowing a 1-inch overhang, and attach it to the stringers. Space the boards with a spacing jig. Better Homes and Gardens Ease the Transition To ease the transition between the pad and the ramp, brush a latex bonding agent on the existing concrete and trowel on a 6- to 8-inch-wide transition strip at the bottom edge of the decking. Tack scrap from the stringers to the outside edges of the ramp to form the concrete. Force the concrete under the first decking board and trowel the concrete at the same angle as the scrap forms. How to Pour Concrete Steps for a Porch or Outdoor Entryway