Wheelchair ramp bid calculator

How much to charge to build a wheelchair ramp

A published “$85 a lineal foot” special prices the sloped run. A residential wheelchair ramp is not a run. It is a rise, a slope, a pair of landings at the door and at grade, a rest landing once the rise crosses about 30 inches, a turn landing on a switchback, both-side handrails, and footings. Matching the coupon on a 36-inch wood switchback is how a sold job becomes a two-day loss after the first rest landing.

The number a lineal-foot special cannot see

Take a 24-inch rise at a 1:12 starting slope and a 4-foot width. The run is 24 lineal feet — 96 square feet of sloped walking surface. Two 5-by-5 landings add 50 square feet. That is 146 square feet of walking surface, and the landings are more than a third of it. The coupon still says “24 feet.”

Raise the same opening to 36 inches. The run becomes 36 lineal feet, and a rest landing typically appears. The walking surface is no longer “36 feet of ramp.” It is the sloped run plus three landings. A switchback on a 24-inch rise adds a turn landing the straight coupon never priced at all.

How to price it

1. Measure the rise in inches, from finished grade to the threshold.
2. Convert to run: rise × run-per-rise ÷ 12. Twelve inches of run per inch of rise is the common 1:12 starting point, not a determination that the layout is compliant.
3. Count landings: top, bottom, a rest landing whenever the rise exceeds the interval you are using, and a turn landing when a switchback did not already rest.
4. Add both-side handrails when the rise is above your threshold, footings along the run, stair demo if you are pulling the existing steps, and the permit allowance.
5. Load the wage, add materials and mobilization, mark overhead on direct cost, then divide by one minus the target margin. The walk-away price is total cost.

The wheelchair ramp bid calculator does that arithmetic in the browser from your own hours and invoices. Starting slope ratios, landing sizes, and material rates are ballpark figures to replace, not a catalog or a code table.

What this is not

This is not an ADA determination, a building-code opinion, a permit, a construction specification, or an engineering stamp. Confirm the jurisdiction, the occupant, and a qualified professional before sending a price. The output is arithmetic on the numbers you typed.

No warranty. This free article and calculator are not construction, legal, tax, financial, or engineering advice. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the authors accept no liability for loss or damage from their use.

Common questions

How much to charge to build a wheelchair ramp?

Start from the rise, convert it to run at the slope you are actually building, then add every landing, both-side handrail, footing, demo, and permit. A published $85 per lineal foot special only sees the sloped run.

Why do landings change the price?

A 24-inch rise at 1:12 is 24 lineal feet of run. Two 5-by-5 landings add 50 square feet that never appear in that lineal-foot number. A 36-inch rise typically adds a rest landing as well.

Is this an ADA or code calculation?

No. Slope ratios and landing sizes here are common starting points on residential bids. They are not an ADA determination, a building-code opinion, a permit, or an engineering stamp.