If you’re considering a DIY stairlift, you’re probably quite handy with Do It Yourself projects! If you own your own home, there’s no end to the DIY projects that can keep you busy and save you some cash! We found a couple of DIY stairlift projects on YouTube, but they looked a little “Heath Robinson” – and even potentially dangerous!
A Heath Robinson picture – William Heath Robinson (31 May 1872 – 13 September 1944) was an English cartoonist, illustrator and artist
DIY Stairlift – Why We Don’t Recommend!
We like the idea in principle; it’s fun doing DIY projects and nice to have a focus! However, we don’t think it’s a good idea for a number of reasons:
- A DIY stairlift can be much more dangerous! – Modern stairlifts are fitted with a number of safety features, so the stairlift will stop should there be a problem! DIY lifts are not!
- Modern stairlifts have automatic cut offs when something gets in the way of the chair while it’s travelling – such as a pet or your leg! Stairlift motors are powerful and could drive straight over the obstacle without their safety features in place stopping them!
- Audible warnings – stairlifts beep and they do this to warn you of a problem. With a DIY lift, you don’t have this. You could easily come a cropper due to lack of awareness of a potential problem. An example is a low battery warning which could mean the stairlift cuts off mid-flight if it’s not sorted out quickly!
- A DIY stairlift is more likely to have a problem later, after years of use (assuming it lasts that long!). We use professional engineers to install our stairlifts so they are safe for years. We also recommend regular servicing too to help avoid any problems down the road. With a DIY lift, no professional body will touch it with a service in case they become liable for problems later!
DIY Stairlift – What We Recommend Instead
Rather than creating your own DIY stairlift, we always recommend getting a stairlift professionally installed. Even with a professional installation there are problems when it comes to stairlift installation. Even our highly trained engineers are met with various stairlift problems when it comes to obstacles to overcome like radiators and doorways.
With a DIY lift, you’re going to experience a lot of problems! Especially on a curved staircase which is a much more complicated installation.
At UK Stairlifts we specialise in reconditioned stairlifts which means our customers save quite a bit of money on them, compared with a brand new one. Here’s a quick price comparison which shows how much you can potentially save when looking for a stairlift.
A stairlift for a straight staircase (brand new) starts at £1,850. A brand new curved stairlift starts from £4,990.
However, looking at reconditioned stairlifts prices you can see the savings immediately. A straight stairlift (Reconditioned) starts at £1,250 and a curved Stairlift (Reconditioned) from just £2,950
DIY Stairlift – Easiest Stairlift For DIY
If you were to go ahead and do a DIY stairlift, a straight stairlift would be much easier to install than a curved one. With a curved staircase, it is much more technical and difficult creating a rail (and a lift) which turns around corners. Although we would still recommend getting one of our team in to install a stairlift for you, the straight stairlift is a much simpler task.
Here’s a time-lapse video of one of our engineers installing a stairlift on a straight set of stairs.
As you can see, the rail installation is the main consideration.
Before You Go!
We don’t recommend a DIY stairlift for safety reasons – a stairlift is a piece of machinery you come to rely heavily on. If it’s not right in any respect it can be potentially hazardous, particularly as it (and its owner!) ages. We take your safety on the stairs seriously and we highly recommend using our expertise for your stairlift installation! After all, we have over 20 years of experience of looking after people in their homes and improving their mobility.
Before you go do checkout our YouTube channel and have a look at some of our stairlift installations. We are available for help and advice with stairlift installations throughout the UK. Give us a call on 0800 046 3438 or visit our contact page here.