This wood structure has brought my family even closer during COVID quarantine while also resurfacing memories of my childhood growing up in Carlsbad.
In the mid 80’s after buying me my first skateboard from Witt’s Surf Shop, my dad would take me to all the backyard ramps from Garfield to Taco Land, and every ramp in between. Some of my favorite memories are watching my dad’s his tan shirtless body gliding across the summer-baked coping while his sweaty feet desperately clung to his cheap 7-11 flip flops.
I always knew that one day I would start a family—and when I did—we would build a ramp together. We would tame the transition together, we would cheer each other on and we would overcome barriers together.
For a local Carlsbad family, this structure of wood, nails and piping has become our hub for gathering, our place of storytelling… our family “fireplace.”
The project began with a trip to Home Depot where I purchased an initial stock of lumber, bricks and plywood to get the project started.I used one cut transition to trace the remaining side of the ramp. This process was duplicated again on another piece of plywood, ultimately producing four identical transition pieces.1.5″x3.5″ pieces were measured and cut for the side of the 36″ flat bottom edges.After leveling bricks into the designated space, we began setting the four transitions and initial horizontal 1.5″x3.5″ pieces.Henry and Stella helped level the ground under the ramp.I added all the 1.5″x3.5″s were including the middle flat bottom section.Two layers of 11/32 in. plywood was applied.2″x6″s were installed at the flat deck up against where the coping will be installed.Henry and Stella jumped on the clean canvas.And then the record-breaking storm came bringing 6in.+ of rain over seven straight days.I setup a large tarp over the unfinished ramp.I dug trenches diverting rain which was pouring under the fence that divided our property from the neighboring flooded parking lot.Water flowed around the ramp and down the driveway for a week straight.Diverting water from the neighboring parking lot was not enough. I also syphoned water from the neighboring parking lot through the fence, over the ramp and down the the driveway.The syphon drained water over the ramp for a week straight.After a water-logged week, I managed to keep the ramp, and the soil beneath, dry.I saved the ramp and quickly continued the construction with the top deck. The top deck was installed using one layer of 1/2 in. plywood.Holes were drilled though the top and bottom of the 1.5 in. diameter metal coping at 4 evenly spaced locations across the pipe. The coping was screwed into the 2×6 in. wood using a screw with a head larger than the drilled hole.A small step was cut into the top of the transition to set the coping.I applied a single coat of water proofing wood deck finish.Two coats of primer followed the waterproof stain.Two layers of blue satin stain exterior paint concluded surface.I masked geometric shapes on both flat decks.We painted the vertical walls and rails with a satin exterior green paint.Brushes and rollers were used to apply the paint.I spray painted within the shapes of the masking tape.We removed the tape leaving clean white lines between each colorful shape.I spray painted the coping red.A strip of synthetic grass installed to reduce dust.
‘The Quarantine’ aka ‘Snyder’s (nickname due to the flooding that nearly destroyed the ramp two days away from completion) began construction on March 28, 2020 and was completed on April 15 during the COVID-19 quarantine.
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