Are you looking for stair lifts for your home, or the home of a relative? Here at UK Stairlifts, we specialise in fitting stairlifts for houses and homes in the UK. While some stairlift installers focus on outdoor stairlifts or industrial type stairlift fittings, we stick to what we know best – fitting stairlifts in the home.
So whatever the layout of your home, we have a stairlift to fit! Here’s some of the considerations you’ll need to take on board when considering a stairlift installation.
Stair Lifts For Home – Curved Or Straight
The first thing to consider when fitting a stairlift in your home is the type of staircase you have. Is your staircase straight or is it curved? A straight stairlift is the simplest type of stairlift for a couple of reasons. With a straight staircase, you only need a straight rail, which makes things considerably easier. Plus, the chair which moves up and down the rail only needs to travel in a single plane. This is why straight stairlifts are much cheaper than curved stair lifts.
A curved stairlifts will often require more measurements in order to fit the rail. The rail itself may need to be custom built and the chair has more complicated workings. It needs to travel round bends unlike a straight stairlift.
Awkward Staircases
In a smaller home, such as with a terraced house, you can expect there to be less room on the staircase than in a larger house. This just means that stair lifts for terraced houses often need to be specially chosen to fit. Modern stairlifts can fit almost anywhere, too. For example, the Thyssen Flow 2 stairlift can fit staircases as narrow as 61 cm wide. See also minimum width for a stairlift.
Here’s an awkwardly narrow staircase which has been fitted with a Thyssen Flow stairlift (below right). The Thyssen Flow stairlifts can face downwards saving much needed leg room. Outward facing stairlifts are limited in that the leg room is the biggest obstacle for narrow and awkward staircases. See also stairlifts for awkward stairs.
Stair Lifts For Home – Do You Need A Heavy Weight Stairlift?
If you’re heavier than average, you might even consider a bariatric, or heavy weight stairlift. Most stairlifts are capable of carrying a load of between 17 stone and 25 stone. So if you’re heavier than this you might consider a heavy duty stairlift which carries up to 30 stone.
If you’re at the top end of a standard stairlift weight’s capacity, it’s worth considering. Especially if you think you might gain weight over the lifetime of your stairlift. You can also consider any equipment you might be carrying on your stairlift too. Some stairlift users carry oxygen tanks if they are needed for breathing issues or low blood oxygen levels.
Heavy weight stairlifts are great if you’re larger than average. The downside of a heavy weight stairlift is that it is often less manoeuvrable than a standard model. So if you have a very narrow or difficult staircase, a heavy weight stairlift might not be suitable.
New Stairlift Or Reconditioned Stairlift?
Here at Uk Stairlifts we know how important your mobility is to you, especially in your own home. It’s important to stay mobile and keep your independence if you can. We offer new and reconditioned stairlift installation in the UK. If you’re on a budget, our reconditioned stairlifts are some of our most popular products.
That’s because we only choose the best stairlifts to refurbish and all of our stairlifts are backed by a 2 year no quibble guarantee. All parts, labour and call out charges are covered for 2 years. Reconditioned stairlifts are refurbished to a very high standard and batteries are replaced to extend their life for as long as possible.
Only after our used stairlifts are thoroughly refurbished and tested do they go out for sale.
Give Us A Call
If you want to learn more about what’s involved in stairlift fitting, and how much a stairlift might be for your home, give us a call on 0800 046 3438. We can often give you a quote over the phone or in some instances we will need to visit your home to measure up for a stairlift first.
We offer new and reconditioned stairlifts to suit your needs.
You can also visit our contact page to drop us a line.