Temporary permanent entrance ramp!!!

[gc100]

Hi,

 

So building control have been around to give me a list of all the things I need to do before completion. One of the items is a ramp up to the front door for wheelchair /general access as the door is currently about 2.5 feet above the original land . Now I have a LOT of landscaping to do but it will take a long time and things need to be done in a certain order. The whole area in front of the frontdoor and garage (which is next to it within the building) needs to be built up and landscaped but I cannot do that until I sort out the rear of the house other wise I cannot get good access with heavy machinery. I really want to get the house signed off within the next 3 months incase HMRC try and reject my VAT reclaim because we are living there.

Talking to BC the entrance ramp/access needs to be permanent and the finished article. But logistically I cannot do that for at least 6 months if not more. I asked if I could built up a hardcore bank/slope but he seemed to think that was not acceptable so I need to surface it as well. (He wasn't bothered about access to garage or any other landscaping.)

 

Whatever I do, I will need to pull up and redo the whole area as part of landscaping and then put down the final surface in one go (including access to garage and drive).

 

Does anyone have any suggestions that would be quick and cheap to implement?

 

[recoveringbuilder]

If you’re paying council tax you can make your vat reclaim with that otherwise why don’t you get a temporary habitation which you could use for it. Seems pointless to make a temporary ramp which you’ll need to pull apart later down the line.

[Russell griffiths]

Lay down hardcore, cover with plastic, 50mm thick concrete ramp to correct specifications. 

Get it signed off then smash the ramp up with a sledge hammer and turn it into a bit more hardcore, the plastic prevents it sticking to the hardcore so it breaks up easily. 

[nod]

4 minutes ago, gc100 said:

Hi,

 

So building control have been around to give me a list of all the things I need to do before completion. One of the items is a ramp up to the front door for wheelchair /general access as the door is currently about 2.5 feet above the original land . Now I have a LOT of landscaping to do but it will take a long time and things need to be done in a certain order. The whole area in front of the frontdoor and garage (which is next to it within the building) needs to be built up and landscaped but I cannot do that until I sort out the rear of the house other wise I cannot get good access with heavy machinery. I really want to get the house signed off within the next 3 months incase HMRC try and reject my VAT reclaim because we are living there.

Talking to BC the entrance ramp/access needs to be permanent and the finished article. But logistically I cannot do that for at least 6 months if not more. I asked if I could built up a hardcore bank/slope but he seemed to think that was not acceptable so I need to surface it as well. (He wasn't bothered about access to garage or any other landscaping.)

 

Whatever I do, I will need to pull up and redo the whole area as part of landscaping and then put down the final surface in one go (including access to garage and drive).

 

Does anyone have any suggestions that would be quick and cheap to implement?

 

Quite a lot of us have been in the same situation While the house is bang on the drive and landscaping is nowhere near 

This what I made Exact dimensions and fall with a 1200 LEVEL platform 

LA Were quite happy to sign off with a foot note saying Adequate TEMPORARY disabled access ramp 

[gc100]

Just now, nod said:

Quite a lot of us have been in the same situation While the house is bang on the drive and landscaping is nowhere near 

This what I made Exact dimensions and fall with a 1200 LEVEL platform 

LA Were quite happy to sign off with a foot note saying Adequate TEMPORARY disabled access ramp 

 

I asked about a wooden ramp and he said no way as it can be removed. Obviously your BC are more flexible than mine!

[ProDave]

I have a permanent wooden ramp created with concreted in posts, treated timber joists and wooden decking. The decking planks used on the sloping part are the non slip ones with a non slip material embeded in 2 of the grooves of each plank.

 

BC seem to have accepted this.

 

 

[nod]

10 minutes ago, gc100 said:

 

I asked about a wooden ramp and he said no way as it can be removed. Obviously your BC are more flexible than mine!

I quoted the regs to him 

and he brought his boss down 

From memory it says something like Preferably  or ideally concrete or Asphalt Both conceded that as long as it wasn’t removable 

(Both tried) and the gradient was correct Also nonslip It would be fine 

His boss suggested bumpers on the level platform 

We used LA so won’t be swayed like many private companies 

 

I do hate it when BC state there preference rather than sticking to there own rules 

[nod]

6 minutes ago, ProDave said:

I have a permanent wooden ramp created with concreted in posts, treated timber joists and wooden decking. The decking planks used on the sloping part are the non slip ones with a non slip material embeded in 2 of the grooves of each plank.

 

BC seem to have accepted this.

 

 

Love it 

No bumpers ?

I think the bumper thing was a way of telling me that I was only half right 

[gc100]

2 minutes ago, nod said:

I quoted the regs to him 

and he brought his boss down 

From memory it says something like Preferably  or ideally concrete or Asphalt Both conceded that as long as it wasn’t removable 

(Both tried) and the gradient was correct Also nonslip It would be fine 

His boss suggested bumpers on the level platform 

We used LA so won’t be swayed like many private companies 

 

I do hate it when BC state there preference rather than sticking to there own rules 

 

Thanks nod. Interesting - however if it states 'not removable' surely a wooden ramps remove-able so why did they allow it?

[ProDave]

Nobody mentioned bumpers to me.

 

I did wonder if they would want a handrail up the left hand side, closest to the house where the drop off is higher, but that only seems to be a requirement if the drop is greater than 600mm.

 

The only comment they made if for completion they expect the detail at the bottom of the ramp to be correct, That part f the driveway is not finished yet and at the moment there is a bit of a step at the end of the rap, that has to be a level transition.  Easy to fix.

[gc100]

I think I need to lookup and find the building regs around this.

[nod]

1 minute ago, gc100 said:

 

Thanks nod. Interesting - however if it states 'not removable' surely a wooden ramps remove-able so why did they allow it?

I don’t think it even says that 

I think it was his way of putting me in my place In any case it was far to Harvey to move and I had anticipated this and knocked two stakes in and screwed the  Bearers to them before boarding 

[gc100]

1 minute ago, nod said:

I don’t think it even says that 

I think it was his way of putting me in my place In any case it was far to Harvey to move and I had anticipated this and knocked two stakes in and screwed the  Bearers to them before boarding 

 

Thanks. I'm going to find the guidance on this and see what it says exactly. I could concrete the posts in as well with postcrete which would be super quick and definitely make it more permanent/hard to remove on the face of it.

[Onoff]

42 minutes ago, gc100 said:

about 2.5 feet above the original land .

 

How about stacking a couple of pallets of lightweight concrete blocks in a ramp shape then covering in concrete to form the slope? As @nod said, cover the top of the blocks in a sheet of DPM. You could break it off later and sell / reuse the blocks. As for handrail...3x3 timber posts banged in the ground? 

[gc100]

3 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

How about stacking a couple of pallets of lightweight concrete blocks in a ramp shape then covering in concrete to form the slope? As @nod said, cover the top of the blocks in a sheet of DPM. You could break it off later and sell / reuse the blocks. As for handrail...3x3 timber posts banged in the ground? 

 

I do have piles and piles of broken up concrete and bricks here, so I could make a slope out of them and cover with concrete. I was hoping to avoid putting down concrete as its expensive and not good for the environment especially if temporary. I might have to BC dig their heals in though. Some aspects of building really don't make any sense when I am actually trying to finish with the correct outcome.

[gc100]

I can't find anything about if the access needs to be permanent in Part M though everyone seems to say it must be to  comply with the these regs - however I cannot find them  (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/540330/BR_PDF_AD_M1_2015_with_2016_amendments_V3.pdf)

 

HA hahah . Just measured how high the threshold is currently - if I need to do a 1:20 ramp, its going to be 13meters long. Arg - kill me now and put me out my misery.

 

I'm going to email BC and see if they will accept access to the property from slider glass door/windows the other end of the house which is basically at ground level.

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by gc100

[TonyT]

https://www.diy.com/departments/angara-grey-composite-deck-tile-edge-l-0-4m-w-200mm-t-45mm/3663602613299_BQ.prd?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImeSqr7H77gIVoejtCh1XCQU2EAQYAyABEgJ7gvD_BwE
 

to finish off the decking/ground transition

[nod]

As I’ve previously stated Two friends of ours have recently completed there third self build 

Unlike the other two this one is completely turnkey There builder is going to build a ramp out of hardcore and compact it As the front will be ripped up in the summer for a resin bonded drive 

 

I think there builder is pushing it 

But I will put some photos up as so as 

[gc100]

3 hours ago, nod said:

As I’ve previously stated Two friends of ours have recently completed there third self build 

Unlike the other two this one is completely turnkey There builder is going to build a ramp out of hardcore and compact it As the front will be ripped up in the summer for a resin bonded drive 

 

I think there builder is pushing it 

But I will put some photos up as so as 

I was considering hardcore but BC said it needed to be surfaced ! 

[Barryscotland]

On 21/02/2021 at 09:11, ProDave said:

I have a permanent wooden ramp created with concreted in posts, treated timber joists and wooden decking. The decking planks used on the sloping part are the non slip ones with a non slip material embeded in 2 of the grooves of each plank.

 

BC seem to have accepted this.

 

 

Your lucky if you got away with that. We had shown Access ramp down to gravel driveway with gravel grids forming a path to a parking space and a path to the main footpath out side the drive using a different type of gravel on the gravel panels to show the solid footpaths but building control wouldn't accept it so now have a maze of paving slabs footpaths to put in. Maybe Scotlands regs are different in the disabled access area

[ProDave]

1 hour ago, Barryscotland said:

Your lucky if you got away with that. We had shown Access ramp down to gravel driveway with gravel grids forming a path to a parking space and a path to the main footpath out side the drive using a different type of gravel on the gravel panels to show the solid footpaths but building control wouldn't accept it so now have a maze of paving slabs footpaths to put in. Maybe Scotlands regs are different in the disabled access area

They have accepted the ramp but not the detail where it ends (to be fair there is a big step there at the moment)

 

Eventually that will be tarmac, when we get around to it and can afford it.  It is likely I will try for completion with iy just being gravel and levelled out.

 

Plenty of houses here have concrete ramps ending at gravel and are passed.

[Barryscotland]

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

 

 

Plenty of houses here have concrete ramps ending at gravel and are passed.

 

 

Is there a set of guidelines UK wide or is it different rules Council to Council as its one point I would argue if there was a chance of winning it. The way PKC want it I am going to be driving over two paved paths to get to my parking area which wont survive long if I take a truck home.  Tar mono block etc are not an option due to cost.