How to Make a Wheelchair Ramp Over Steps

“Making” a Ramp Usually Means Arranging One

When people ask how to make a wheelchair ramp over steps, they are usually facing a front or back door with a few steps and a wheelchair that cannot climb them. The quickest mental picture is a sheet of board and a saw. In practice, the safest ramps over steps are either ready-made products chosen carefully, or built ramps designed and fitted by professionals. “Making” a ramp, for most households, means gathering the right information, choosing the right route and getting the right people involved.

This page sets out how to do that. It deliberately avoids building steps and measurements: a ramp over steps has to carry a loaded chair and a helper in all weathers, and design decisions belong with someone who has seen the site.

Step One: Describe the Steps Properly

Everything else depends on a clear picture of what the ramp must cross. Before looking at products or phoning anyone, gather the basics:

• how many steps there are, and whether they are the same height;
• the total height from the path to the door threshold;
• how much level ground is in front of the steps, and to each side;
• which way the door opens, and whether there is a lip at the threshold;
• what the ground is made of, and where water runs after rain;
• anything nearby that a ramp might block, such as a gate, a drain or a neighbour’s path.

Photographs from the front, the side and the top help enormously. Professionals and sellers can often tell straight away from good photographs whether a portable ramp is realistic or whether a fitted solution is needed.

Step Two: Think About the Person and the Chair

A ramp that works for one wheelchair user may not suit another. Note whether the person self-propels, is pushed or uses a powered chair or scooter, and whether they will use the ramp alone. Note the width of the chair across its wheels and the combined load of chair, user and helper, taken from the chair’s paperwork. If you are unsure how steep a ramp the person could manage, or whether a ramp is the right answer at all, ask an occupational therapist (OT). In many areas you can request an OT assessment through the council’s adult social care team.

Ready-Made Options for a Few Steps

Portable Step Ramps

Folding, suitcase and telescopic ramps are the fastest route to access. They suit a single step or a low rise, can be stored away and can travel with the user. For more than a step or two, they may need to be too long to handle comfortably. Check the maker’s stated height range and maximum load against your notes.

Threshold and Step Wedges

Solid rubber or aluminium wedges deal with a single low step or a door lip. They are simple and can stay in place, but only for small heights.

Modular Kits

Bolt-together systems of sections, landings and rails can climb several steps. They are fitted by the supplier after a survey and can be removed later.

Our pages on portable wheelchair ramps for steps and step ramps for disabled access compare the ready-made choices.

When Is a Professionally Built Ramp Recommended?

A professionally designed modular or permanent ramp is recommended whenever multiple steps, daily access, or limited ground space require a tailored solution. A professional installer or builder experienced in access work can survey the site, design a ramp with the right landings and rails, and deal with the council over building control or planning if needed. Your OT can then check that the design suits the person. Our guide to the wheelchair ramp for front door steps looks at the main entrance specifically.

Ready-Made or Professional: A Quick Way to Decide

If you are torn between buying a product and calling in a professional, a few questions usually settle it. Will the ramp be used several times every day? If so, a fitted solution tends to be less tiring in the long run. Is there more than a single step, or a turn needed to reach the door? That points towards a survey and a designed ramp. Is the need likely to be short-lived, such as recovery after an operation? A portable or hired ramp may be enough. Is the property rented, or likely to be sold soon? Removable options may suit better than something built in.

It is also fine to do both. Many households buy a small portable ramp straight away for urgent access and outings, while the assessment and a fitted ramp are arranged in the background. The portable one rarely goes to waste: it comes in useful for visiting friends, getting into holiday cottages and crossing the odd kerb for years afterwards.

Questions for an Installer

• Having seen our photographs, do you think a portable ramp could work, or do we need something fitted?
• Will you visit to survey before quoting?
• How will the design handle the door, the threshold and any turn?
• Will handrails and edges be included?
• Do you expect to need building control or planning, and who will contact the council?
• How long would the work take, and what disruption should we expect?

Can the Local Council Help Fund an Access Ramp?

Contacting your local authority can provide valuable access guidance and potential home adaptation grant support for the user’s property. When you contact them, ask:

• How do we request an assessment from an OT?
• Can the council help with the cost of a ramp through a grant?
• Do we need permission for a ramp at this address?
• Are there any local schemes for temporary ramps while we wait?

Before that call, it helps to skim two official sources. Eligibility and the application route for adaptation funding sit on GOV.UK under grants for disabled adaptations, while the NHS overview of adapting your home walks through what an assessment involves.

Why Are Improvised Wooden Ramps Dangerous?

Laying loose timber boards across steps creates significant slipping risks and lacks the structural stability needed for a wheelchair user’s safety. The risks are real: boards can slide off the top step, flex in the middle, become slippery when wet or leave a sharp lip at either end. A helper pushing a loaded chair up a flexing board has very little margin for error. If you need access urgently, a ready-made portable ramp from a reputable seller is a far safer stop-gap than improvised materials, and it will still be useful later for visits and outings.

Temporary Access While You Wait

Assessments, quotes and building work can take a while. In the meantime, consider a portable ramp for the lowest step, a different door with fewer steps, or help from a second person. Our page on ramps to go over steps covers short-term choices. Ask the OT whether an interim arrangement is suitable for the person.

Putting It Together

Making a wheelchair ramp over steps is really about three decisions: what the steps look like, what the person needs, and whether a ready-made product will do or a professional should design something. Collect good information, ask an OT, talk to the council about assessments and funding, and choose an installer who explains their plan. The ramp you end up with will be safer and easier to live with than anything improvised.