If you’re wondering if you can still use the stairs with a stairlift installed, this post is for you. Most stairlift installations will allow plenty of room for other household users to get past. In certain situations, and with very narrow stairs, a separate parking point can be designated to create the space. This means the stairlift can be parked anywhere on the rail, so it causes less of an obstruction to other household users.
Here’s a couple of stairlifts which are on their parking points so as to cause less of an obstruction. The stairlift can also be called from a remote control when it is needed.
Stairlifts also fold up to take up less space when they are not in use.
Can I Still Use The Stairs With A Stairlift Installed?
So if you’re wondering whether other people can still walk up and down the stairs the answer is a definite yes. Some rare situations present more of a problem however, but it can usually be resolved. Take for example this particular installation. This was an unusually narrow staircase with very little space. Fortunately we specialise in stairlifts for narrow stairs, and are well equipped to help people with difficult/awkward stairs.
With this installation the door needed to be removed to allow the stairlift to get to the bottom of the rail. It was a very narrow staircase. With another non-stairlift user sharing the house, we had to find a solution whereby they could still get past the stairlift. With a park point on the corner bend and the stairlift folded up, it allowed space to pass the lift.
How Much Room Does A Stairlift Take Up?
This depends on the model of stairlift used on your particular staircase. With most stairlifts we install, you’ll have plenty of room to get past if you’re a non-stairlift user. Only in unusual circumstances do we choose a specialist stairlift, like the one above, for very narrow/awkward stairs.
Here’s a reconditioned stairlift we installed to a straight staircase (left). As you can see, in the folded position, even when parked on the rail, there’s still room to get past. Also the stairlift can be parked away from the stairs, like in the picture on the right.
What If The Staircase Is Very Narrow?
If a staircase is very narrow, we can use adaptations to help create space for other household users. In this particular case, we had a very narrow staircase and only the Flow X stairlift was suitable. However, there was also another household user who needed access to the stairs. You can in the picture on the left, even when folded up, the stairlift would have blocked the staircase when parked on it. So we extended the rail to allow parking away from the stairs at the bottom.
At the top of the stairs was also a problem so we extended the rail into the bedroom to allow it to be parked out of the way of the stairs. This left the staircase clear for the other non-stairlift user. You can read more about this one in our case study – “Why the flow X was the only solution”
Can I Still Use The Stairs With A Stairlift Installed – Walking Past A Stairlift
In most situations you can walk past a stairlift because they can be folded away when not in use and parked in a specific place to avoid becoming an obstruction. This is always considered in the survey phase of a stairlift installation where your situation and staircase is carefully considered before deciding on a particular course of action.
So, even in our extreme situations which we have shared in this article, a non stairlift user should be able to use the stairs. If another household user has poor mobility, this is considered at the survey phase and a suitable solution will be explained before commencing the installation.
Here’s another example of a stairlift on very narrow stairs with a narrow corridor. However, when folded there’s still room to pass. So the staircase can still be used by other household members.
See some of our stairlift installations on our YouTube channel here.