Dad said yes to a ramp. Good. Do not buy lumber yet.
The decision is not whether you own a circular saw. It is whether the route can be made usable without turning the porch, doorway, drainage, or emergency exit into a second project. A short rise can require a surprisingly long run once landings and a manageable slope are included. The International Residential Code treats the slope, landings, handrails, and required exit as separate parts of the job, not decorative options (International Residential Code, Section R311.8).
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Your first move is to measure the trip Dad must actually make. Start where he sits inside. Continue through the door, across the landing, down the proposed ramp, and onto a stable sidewalk or driveway. A ramp that ends in grass, loose gravel, a steep cross-slope, or the swing path of a car has not finished the trip.
Mark the route before choosing the builder
Use painter's tape, stakes, or chalk to mark the proposed ramp edges and landings. Record the vertical rise from the lower walking surface to the finished threshold. Do not measure only to the porch deck if another lip remains at the door.
Then check five places:
First, open the door fully. The person using the ramp needs a place to stop while the door moves. The landing cannot exist only when the door is closed.
Second, walk the marked route carrying groceries or a laundry basket. Look for downspouts, hose bibs, utility meters, basement windows, gate latches, and air-conditioning equipment that would become blocked.
Third, find where rainwater goes. Posts, curbs, and solid ramp edges can trap water against the foundation or send it across the walking surface.
Fourth, locate the stable surface at the bottom. Write down who owns it and who clears it when leaves, ice, or snow arrive.
Fifth, check whether the proposed route serves the door the household relies on for exit. Residential codes place particular requirements on ramps serving a required egress door (International Residential Code, Section R311.8.1). Ask the permit office which door is the required egress door for this house. Do not guess from the door Dad usually uses.
The legal line is local
The federal accessibility standards people quote for businesses are not automatically the construction rule for a house used only as a private residence. The Department of Justice explains that a private home, by itself, is not a place of public accommodation under the relevant part of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Local building rules can still control the ramp (Department of Justice, ADA Title III regulations and technical assistance manual).
Call the building department for the exact municipality where Dad's house sits. A St. Louis mailing address does not settle which government has jurisdiction. Give the clerk the property address and describe the work plainly: an exterior residential ramp attached to, or independent from, the house.
Ask:
Does this ramp require a building permit? May the homeowner perform the work? Are drawings required? Are frost-depth footings, guards, handrails, or inspections required? Does the ramp affect the required exit? Are there setback, historic-district, floodplain, or right-of-way reviews? Must a contractor hold a local license?
The City of St. Louis describes a building permit as legal authorization to begin covered construction and asks for the property address, authorization from the owner when needed, and project plans (St. Louis Building Division, building permit guidance). County municipalities may run their own process. Keep the name of the office, the person contacted, and the answer with the project papers. The site's Sources page identifies the public authorities used for these checks.
If Dad rents, lives in a condominium, or belongs to a homeowners association, stop before drilling or digging. Get the owner's or association's written approval and find out who must remove or repair the ramp later. Permission to use a ramp is not necessarily permission to alter a porch.
When the job still fits DIY
DIY remains a reasonable lane when the permit office allows homeowner work, the route is simple, the ramp is a listed modular system or a straightforward plan accepted by the inspector, and no structural member, utility, drainage path, or public sidewalk must be changed.
You also need a competent person who can lay out the entire run, prepare a stable base, make secure connections, control gaps and abrupt edges, and complete the work without leaving Dad a half-built entrance. Count the whole crew. If one person can build but nobody can safely move long sections or hold posts while they are fixed, the job does not fit the crew.
Before buying material, take the proposed plan to the permit counter. Ask the reviewer to identify the inspection points. Some work must remain visible until inspected. Photograph concealed connections before they disappear, but do not assume photographs replace an inspection.
For a manufactured ramp, read the installation manual before ordering. Confirm the total rise, usable width, landing modules, turn direction, anchoring method, handrail configuration, surface, weight limits, missing tools, and whether field modifications cancel the warranty. A box of compatible parts is not yet a route.
When to hire the structure out
Hire a contractor when the ramp attaches to the house, changes a porch or stair, needs excavated footings, crosses a drainage path, requires a retaining wall, turns around a tight landing, or leaves little room for error at the property line. Hire it out if the permit drawings or inspections exceed what you can competently manage.
A useful bid describes the same finished route every time. Give each bidder the measured rise, proposed start and finish, door swing, photographs, known permit requirements, and Dad's preferred walking line. Ask each bidder to state:
Who obtains the permit and schedules inspections? What foundation and attachment method will be used? What are the clear width, slope, landing dimensions, handrail details, edge protection, surface, and bottom transition? How will drainage and snow clearing work? What porch, stair, railing, landscaping, or siding will be removed? Who restores it? Can Dad use another safe entrance during construction? What documents close the job?
Do not accept a bid that says only accessible ramp. That phrase does not identify the governing code, the dimensions, or the work included. Ask the bidder to name the standard used and confirm it with the permit office.
Verify any license the jurisdiction requires through the issuing government. Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage where applicable, then contact the listed insurer or agent to confirm the policy information. Put permit responsibility, inspection corrections, cleanup, and final payment conditions in the written agreement.
The useful split job
You do not have to choose between doing everything and hiring everything. A clean split is often possible.
You and Dad can clear the route, measure the rise, photograph obstacles, contact the building department, and compare proposals. A contractor can handle plans, footings, structural connections, guards, and inspections. You can take ownership of routine sweeping and weather checks after completion.
Write the split down. If you remove shrubs, old railings, or steps before the contractor arrives, identify exactly what must be gone and what must remain. If you plan to stain or seal wood later, confirm when that can happen and whether it affects the warranty. Nobody should discover at the final inspection that a supposedly separate task was required for approval.
Do not finish at the bottom of the ramp
Before final payment or the first solo use, walk the whole route with Dad. Use the mobility aid he will actually use, if any. Check the approach, threshold, door operation, turning space, handrail continuity, surface movement, protruding fasteners, abrupt transitions, and stable destination at the bottom. This is a practical acceptance check, not a substitute for an inspection or professional assessment.
Collect the approved permit, inspection record, drawings, product manuals, warranty, contractor information, and photographs in one folder. Assign one person to inspect the route after severe weather and to handle leaves, snow, loose hardware, surface damage, and drainage problems. A ramp without an owner becomes outdoor furniture.
Tonight's next move: measure the total rise and mark the complete route, including both landings. Tomorrow, call the building department for Dad's exact address and ask whether that marked plan may be owner-built or must enter the permit and contractor lane.