Why not build a solid wooden ramp john, that is one that is the full width of the door? You can take it in when not in use and then you don't have to disguise it. If you are not comfortable driving in and can't push it why not rig up a winch?

I could certainly build a solid wood ramp, but I think it would be very heavy and take up too much room in the shed when I put it away.

I think I'd rather go with the permanent ramp; but I'm just a little worried that if I don't do it right, it won't be as permanent as I want it to be.

JT,

You have to think out how you are going to retain it, as Marcinde said. You also have to protect the wood of the shed from contact with either fill material or the base material for your pavement or you will get rot and/or insect damage.

The floor of your shed looks more than 8" above grade to me.

some things to think about.

1) If the shed is on footings, the local building codes will specify how far the ground must be below the top of the footings. Not sure what they would say about a solid ramp - is it 'ground'? If it is, you may not be able to make the type of ramp you are suggesting.

2) I built a wood ramp on my shed - the top was nice and flush with the inside floor. In Winter ice built up on the ramp and locked by doors shut. I now remove the top board on the ramp in winter so there is space below the doors.

3) I do not understand the concern about the wood ramp being heavy. Mine is three, 2x4 on end, covered with pressure treated fence boards. Easy to build, and plenty strong enough for a riding mower.

A paved ramp might look better, but be sure you allow for snow in winter, if you use the shed in winter.

I think the best way to retain the material and build a generally stable base for the pavers will be concrete blocks. If I put blocks down the left and right, across the front, and probably one row down the middle, it should create a perfect base to keep the rest of the fill in place and stable. I'll most likely use some mortar to permanently secure the pavers to the blocks, and the whole thing will be done for well under $100.

The shed is not on footings, and fortunately the local building codes are not concerned with this type of thing.

I think the blocks will take care of the problem with soil/fill touching the wood of the shed. I really don't want the front of the shed to rot out, so that's really useful advice for me to consider.

Thanks again for your comments!

If you're going to have block right against the shed, make sure you install flashing. Water will wick right through the concrete and into the wood.

John, I had the exact same problem with my shed. I set up forms and POURED A CONCRETE RAMP. It goes right up to within an inch of the door jamb. I left that open to allow for air circulation so the wood would not rot. Once the ramp is set up, you can set/mortar stone or brick pavers over it.

To make the forms, I ran string down from the doorway out to the ground at an angle I felt would be gradual enough to allow a safe run up into the doorway. Measure the angle where the string meets the ground, measure the lenght of the string. Be sure to allow for the height of the flagstone you want to set on top.
Transfer the measurements to a piece of 1/2" plywood and cut the forms (2, one for each side). I anchored them by driving in wooden spikes to the outside and set another piece of plywood against the shed to allow for the 1 inch air gap. I removed only the grass and first inch of topsoil to prepare the ground, then laid in a layer of small stones/rocks that I gathered from around my property.
It took me 6 bags of Quik Crete, which I mixed by hand in a wheelbarrow. It was work, but it wasn't really all that hard and the results are GREAT. I have a sturdy permanent ramp that isn't going anywhere and requires no maintenance. And if I take down or move the shed, I'll get somebody to whack it apart with a sledgehammer.

It does seem like it makes a lot more sense to have a concrete base than anything else. I've got the pavers set down where they are eventually going to go, and even though they are just on the ground now, I can see that the permanent ramp is going to look really good.

Once the plantings are done, the ramp is going to contribute a great deal to my efforts towards making the shed look like it's part of the landscape rather than just a white rectangle in the middle of my lawn. The fence you see in the picture is new, and I haven't had a chance to connect the beds around the shed to it yet. I just have to figure out what I want to plant.

On the bright side, I couldn't figure out what to plant behind the shed to break up the flat white wall. It should be evergreen, fairly fast growing, and inexpensive (given that this is for my neighbors to look at, I see no reason to spend a lot of money for something special.) The kicker is that only the most deer resistant of evergreens would survive in that spot. Now that the fence tucks around back of the shed, giving me about 3-6 feet to plant, I can drop in some sort of arbovite or juniper and feel confident that I can block off even the most determined deer from getting at them.