Ramp Project

An architect, a contractor and a minister walk into bar...

OK...so we didn't walk into a bar, but it does sound like the start of a funny joke.

Saturday, me, Dad, my uncle David and my cousin Jason set out to complete a ramp building project at my grandparents' house. Dad, David and my other uncle Gene had started the framing work last weekend. We started about 9:30 Saturday morning, worked through the stifling heat of the afternoon and finished work about 7:00 PM Saturday evenining just before the storms came. We got everything done but the ballusters on the railing, but at least now my granddad can drive his Hoveround from the house to the driveway! Some photos from the day (click on the image for a bigger view)...

We started out the day getting the ramp framing assembled and in place. David dug the holes, and we started "planting" the posts that would support the ramp and create the handrail.

More post planting and a little better shot of the length of the ramp.

Dad and Jason cutting the decking to length.

Me and David screwing them in place. Would you be surprised to find out that my back was killing me on Sunday?

My granddad tests out the first section of the ramp to get his picture taken with the crew.

Me and David cutting off the posts while Dad runs to Home Depot to get one more piece of deck material that you can see we ran short of. We briefly considered leaving the posts at full height and putting a canopy over the ramp, but my grandmother didn't care for that idea!

Screwing the last toe board into place. Looks like a government job, doesn't it?

The nearly-finished product. All we've got to do now is put the ballusters on and paint! I'm pretty proud of it myself, and if you didn't know any better you might actually think that we knew what we were doing!