How to Build a Shed Ramp

by Ethan Hagan (email Ethan) | | June 26, 2012 | 20 Comments »

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We have a lot of great information about sheds covering everything from building a foundation to characteristics of a high-quality shed. If you haven’t seen them, here’s a list of the articles:

• Building a post & beam foundation
• Pouring a concrete shed pad
• How to build a shed
• Building storage shelves in a shed
• 8 thing to look for when buying a shed

One aspect we haven’t covered is building a shed ramp so I was glad to help a friend build a ramp for his shed a couple of weeks ago. If you’re looking closely, you’ll see this is the same friend that I helped with the post & beam foundation.

Materials

• (1) pressure treated 2 x 6″
• (9) pressure treated 2 x 4″
• (5) lag screws
• (5) washers
• Paver base
• (7) solid concrete blocks
• Galvanized screws
• 5/4 deck boards
• Concrete screws

Tools

• Shovel
• String Line
• 4′ level
• Tape measure
• Miter saw
• Circular saw
• Drill / driver
• Speed square
• Powder actuated nailer

Step 1: Attach “Ledger” Board

The framing of the shed has a little lip underneath the door, and to begin, we ripped a 2 x 4″ so that our ledger board would mount flush with the face of the shed.

Making sure it was completely level, we anchored the 2 x 6″ ledger board underneath the shed doors with lag screws (and washers). We predrilled all the holes, and you can see we staggered the screws. Thinking back, we should have marked the locations for our ramp stringers beforehand to ensure the lag screws wouldn’t be in the way. Also, we purposefully left room along the lower edge for another support board.

Step 2: Mark and Dig Area for Concrete Block

We used a 2 x 4″ to estimate a comfortable slope for our ramp, and we staked out an area just big enough to fit the concrete blocks. Next, we measured the diagonal distance to the shed to check that it was square. After that, we dug a shallow (~ 4″) hole for the concrete blocks.

Step 3: Set Block

We used paver base to help set and level each block, making sure everything was straight and tight.

Step 4: Attach Support Board

While my friend began working on the ramp stringers, I screwed a 2 x 4″ along the bottom side of the ledger board. The stringers will sit on top of that board for additional support. We could have ripped it to size. However, my friend wasn’t concerned about the bottom overhanging so we left it.

Step 5: Measure and Cut “Stringers”

We measured the distance from the ledger board to the far edge of the concrete blocks and cut our stringers to length. Next, setting the stringer on the support board and using a piece of scrap, we scribed a line for the angle between the stringer and the block.

To determine the angle between the stringer and the ledger board, we set the stringer at the corner of the support board and used a speed square to mark a plumb line.

We secured each stringer with screws into the ledger board.

Step 6: Block In Between Stringers

After setting the stringers, we cut and screwed blocking between them to maintain the spacing.

Step 7: Anchor Stringers

We used a powder actuated nailer to drive a few nails through the blocks into the concrete to prevent any side-to-side movement.

Step 8: Cut Ramp Boards

We cut the deck boards to length, predrilled holes and screwed the boards to the stringers. For the last couple of boards, we drilled through the stringer and into the concrete (using concrete anchors). Also, the very bottom board extends beyond the stringer a couple of inches.

Finished

My friend painted the entire ramp to match his shed, and this has the added benefit of another protective layer. The ramp is strong, and it can definitely handle a riding lawn mower. I think it looks really professional too.