We would never recommend using a homemade ladder for any purpose where you intend to bear weight on it, but desperate times call for desperate measures, like for the inmates at Thane prison in India.  Nine inmates collaborated on an escape plan to flee the jail, with a handmade ladder intended to provide an escape route.  The gang had been building a ladder from iron pipes, believed to have been stripped from the plumbing system, bound together with elastic that had been taken from underwear.  The ladder was discovered in a construction area by prison guards who had been tipped off to the escape attempt.

Also in India, residents in Bedam village by the Konar river collaborated on building a wooden ladder to access a bridge, part of which had been blown up 5 years previously, cutting off several settlements on that side of the river.  Officials had been stalling in their efforts to repair the bridge, so a group of residents decided to take action, building a wooden ladder to span the gap between the riverbank and the bridge.  Vehicles are still stranded, as the ladder is for pedestrian use only, but it will make a huge difference to residents in the area, especially during monsoon season which makes the river very dangerous to cross.  The same group of residents has resolved to construct a bridge across the river that is suitable for vehicle access, rather than wait for the authorities to repair it.

In nearby Sri Lanka locals and wildlife officers constructed a makeshift rope ladder to rescue an elephant that had fallen into a canal and which was being swept downstream by the current.  Making a ladder to take the weight of an elephant is no mean feat, but using thick logs joined by heavy metal chain did the trick.  The rope ladder was lowered into the water in front of a growing crowd, and provided the elephant with underwater foot holds which led it out of the water via some access steps built into the side of the bank.  The exhausted elephant then took off into the forest, no doubt glad the ordeal was over.

In these examples the situation called for swift action and sometimes building the equipment you need is the only way to get the job done.  In the UK we can offer next day delivery on most items (subject to stock levels), so you won't need to build your own ladder to solve any problem, but if you fancy having a go at making a ladder why not try building a decorative one?  You can make an attractive plant stand, bookshelf, towel rail or somewhere to keep clothes by using old bits of wood left over from other projects.  Decking is especially good for this as the grooves in the wood allow water to drain away, vital for a plant stand.  Go for a stepladder type design, but as there is no need for a decorative ladder to fold up for storage you have one less thing to worry about, making this a simple project that anyone can have a go at.

If you want to make a more decorative ladder, perhaps as jewellery storage or something to hang photographs from, then driftwood and dead wood from the forest are ideal.  The interesting shape ensures a one-of-a-kind finish; using plain rope to join them together creates a relaxed, Scandinavian style aesthetic.  For a jewellery storage ladder, smaller twigs can be used, so you're only limited by the size of your materials.