Stairlift Companies Near Me
Stairlift Companies Near Me: Do You Need a Stairlift?
Having limited mobility due to aging, injury, or disability can be a big problem, especially if you live in a two-story house with stairs. Navigating the stairs daily is not only difficult but also dangerous for you or your loved one. Installing a stairlift can be a game-changer for your independent living and mobility in your home. If you are considering buying a stairlift, the first question you should ask yourself is whether a stairlift is right for you. You need to be sure that having a stairlift will make life easier for you. Mobility needs can be complex, and stairlifts are not suited to everyone. But there are many types of stairlifts made by stairlift companies near me to meet different needs.
Most users of stairlifts suffer from arthritis. Many others suffer from non-arthritic joint pain. People living with a disability and those who tire easily, or whose knees find walking up steps to be a challenge due to an injury, also find stairlifts quite helpful.
It’s probably not worth buying a stairlift if your mobility issues are mild and likely to subside within a few months. This is because there are many sunk costs that cannot be recouped if you want to get rid of your stairlift. You can just rent a stairlift to use for some period.
You should also consider whether you need to use the stairs at all – for example, it might be easier to stop using a basement or attic room, rather than purchasing and installing a stairlift. Plus, if you need to use the stairs to get to the bathroom, fitting a toilet in a more accessible location might be a better solution overall. This all depends on the layout of your home – in some houses, a new bathroom might be a lot cheaper than a stairlift.
But, generally, installing a stairlift is often a more practical and cost-effective option, and it means less of a change to your lifestyle, allowing you to carry on living independently in your home.
Once you have decided that a stairlift is a right option for you, it is important to choose the stairlift that will best suit your needs.
Choosing the Right Stairlift
Four Crucial Steps to Choosing and Buying a Stairlift
You can’t just order a stairlift off the peg – it must suit your needs and your home. Stairlift companies’ surveyor or representative will visit your home to:
- talk about what you need and how you will use the lift
- check your stairs and work out how the lift might be fitted
- either give you a quote during this visit or send it to you soon afterward
Note: These visits are made without any obligation – so, don’t be put under any pressure to buy.
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Contact More Than One Stairlift Company/Dealer
Stairlift prices and services vary a lot, so it’s recommended trying at least three companies. Different manufacturers offer different ranges of stairlifts, too, so you may have to try more than one to find the lift that works best for you and your home.
It is best to contact dealers that offer a wide variety of stairlifts so that you will have a wider choice.
Find stairlift companies through:
- the People With Disabilities Foundation
- the Administration for Community Living
- ads in newspapers or magazines
When you contact stairlift companies near me, you may be asked a few simple questions about your stairs and they will arrange an appointment to visit you.
The lifts themselves should meet the relevant US Standard (ASME A18.1- 2003) and conform to ISO 9386 – look for the ISO mark.
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Discuss Your Stairlift Requirements and Options
When the dealer sends their representative to your home, he/she will measure you and your stairs.
- They usually just need to know the length of your leg when sitting, to make sure there is no danger of you grazing your knees as you go up and down the stairs.
- If your stairs have a particularly low ceiling, they may measure your height when sitting down.
- They will also need to know your weight.
- They ought to ask you about your mobility.
- Expect questions that will help you choose the right control, including whether you are left- or right-handed.
The representative should give you full details of their range and tell you about the products that will suit you best.
Think about what you will be able to manage in the future, as well as what you find easy now. Think about the following options:
- Swivel seats – These let you turn to face the landing to get on and off more easily. The swivel locks in place, so there is no danger of the seat moving if you push on the armrest to stand up. Some swivel seats are powered.
- Choice of colors and upholstery – Some lifts have a greater choice than others. Moreover, some dealers can paint the lift any color, and cover the upholstery in any fabric you like.
- Easy-to-use controls – You should be able to choose between right- and left-handed controls. They should provide other choices, including levers that are easy to use even if you have little grip or strength. Check that you will be able to easily hold the control in place for as long as it takes to get up or down the stairs. Some lifts have remote controls.
A good sales representative will have a selection of controls for you to try before deciding.
- Hand-held remote controls and wall controls – You can use these to call the lift or send it back up or down the stairs. This is very useful if more than one person in your household uses the stairlift. Check how many remote controls are supplied – some stairlift companies near me give you two as a matter of course. Remote control and wall controls can also be used by an assistant, who can control the lift for you.
- Safety belt – These are fitted on many stairlifts as standard. Check that you can fasten your belt easily. Can you choose which side it fastens on? If you need more support than a belt will give, many stairlifts can be supplied with a more elaborate harness.
- Comfortable seats – All stairlifts have padded seats. If you can, try them out for comfort before you buy. The manufacturer or dealer should be able to tell you where you can do this – many stairlift companies provide local mobility shops with demonstration models for people to try. Check that the stairlift moves off quietly and smoothly.
- Lock – If you have children visiting and they want to play on the stairlift, a lock is useful to help avoid accidents.
- Footrest raisers – All stairlifts have a platform on which you rest your feet. Both the seat and this platform flip up so that the lift does not take up much space when not in use. If you have difficulty bending to lift the footrest up, look for a model which raises the footrest automatically.
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Compare Stairlift Costs and Service
Think about costs and the service offered. Take into account the after-sales service offered and the length of the guarantee, as well as what the stairlift itself is worth.
Some stairlift companies or dealers will provide a firm quote – you either take it or leave it. Others may be open to negotiation. It may help you to get a better price if you tell the company that you are getting quotes from more than one company.
Think carefully about accepting a ‘special offer’. You may find that a company can offer you a discount or a cheap deal on a particular model. Usually, you must sign up quickly to get this discount. You may be told that a ‘canceled’ order means that a stairlift has suddenly become available that just happens to fit your home and can be offered to you at a reduced cost.
While you will get the stairlift for the promised price, the lift may not be the one that suits you best. Consider carefully if it would be a good choice for you.
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Ask Questions
Here are some questions you may want to ask the representative:
- a) How long will the work take?
You may be surprised by how quickly a lift can be supplied and fitted – often within a week of the first call. Stairlifts usually take only a few hours to install; we usually take less than three hours for a straight stairway.
- b) How much mess is caused by installation?
Stairlifts are attached to the stairs rather than the wall and do not involve any major building work. You can expect our technicians to tidy up the place after the lift is fitted. You shouldn’t have to repaint or redecorate afterward.
- c) What happens if I no longer need the stairlift?
If you move house or rearrange your home so that you don’t have to use the stairs, you may no longer need the stairlift. Some stairlift companies near me will buy the lift back – it can be reconditioned and resold. But the costs of removal and refurbishment mean you will probably only get a fraction of the price back. Ask them:
- How much the company/dealer would offer to buy it back,
- If the price depends on the age and condition of the stairlift,
- What conditions might apply, such as the age of the lift or whether it’s been regularly serviced by them,
- How quickly they would be able to do this, and
- Would they remove it for free and make good any damage to the walls or stairs?
If you think you will only need a stairlift for a short period, you might consider renting one.
- d) What about after-sales service?
- Guarantee – Check the period offered. All stairlifts will have at least a year’s guarantee, but some manufacturers give you a more generous two years.
- Repairs – Stairlifts are fairly reliable, so these should be rare. Ask when the call center is open and how long it takes before a technician will visit. Get details of call-out and additional hourly charges.
- Battery – Check that the maintenance contract covers the battery – many don’t.
- Maintenance contract or extended warranty – You can buy it at the time of purchase or when the original guarantee runs out. The usual deal is that for an annual fee you will get an annual service visit and free repairs. Some manufacturers offer variations such as an annual service plus reduced rates for an engineer’s visit if the stairlift needs repair.
Remember, while maintenance contracts may give you peace of mind, think about whether it would be cheaper to pay for repairs as you go.
Need Help Going Up and Down Stairs?
Our aim at Stannah Mountain West Stairlifts is to provide top-notch mobility solutions for our customers enabling them to enjoy greater independence and more comfortable and active lives. We do this by providing high-quality products and services that guarantee value for money.
We are very proud of our highly skilled team of stairlift engineers. Our engineers provide a service second to none and continually undergo training to ensure they understand all elements of our stairlifts.
We stock both new and reconditioned stairlifts and also have a wide range of stairlifts that can be rented. This is ideal for customers who do not need the lift for a long period.
We will first do a FREE survey and assess which is the best lift to suit your needs, and then quote you a price. You are under no pressure or obligation to buy. If you decide to go ahead with the lift then our engineers will fit the stairlift at a convenient time and with little disturbance. Your lift will normally be fitted in less than half a day!
Stairlift Companies Near Me
We always strive to offer high-quality products, services, and affordable prices for our customers. We want to establish a special relationship with our customers. We don’t want to act and look just like other stairlift companies near me!
Please feel free to call us now at (888) 542-3834 or contact us online to schedule a FREE, no-obligation home survey and get an accurate free quote.
