Wheelchair lifts are a type of accessibility solution that allow people with mobility impairments to move safely and independently up and down stairs. Wheelchair lifts provide a safe and reliable way for wheelchair users to access the entirety of their house, granting them greater freedom and independence.
Going up and down the stairs when you might have some mobility issues can be a real struggle in your daily routine, so you decide that you might need something that will give you your independence back and start looking into home lifts. Obviously, this can be a big investment and you are not sure about which one to choose.
No worries, we’ll help you! Keep reading with us.
Types of home lifts you can find
There are numerous options that you can find in the market at the moment, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the most popular models are vertical platform lifts, inclined platform lifts and stairlifts.
- Platforms lift: these types of lifts can either be installed inside or outside your home, is mostly used as ground-level lift. They are typically operated using a control panel or a set of buttons, and they usually have a large enough platform that can carry wheelchair users.
- Stairlift: this type is probably the most famous one, even if it’s not a “real” wheelchair lift . Stairlifts are designed to carry people up and down stairs, allowing those with mobility issues to easily access different floors, with the drawback of only carrying a person at the time and not being able to move the wheelchair as well.
- Home lifts: there are the most versatile and premium option for moving between different floors, as they can carry a wheelchair user and their companion as well. These are usually operated electronically with a remote control or smartphone app, being extremely compact and having loads of features that can be useful for any person.
Price of a wheelchair home lift
The price of a home lift can be anywhere within a wide range of money, so there won’t be any short answer to this.
Usually, the starting price of these lifts will be around the 15000€ to 20000€ mark.
But don’t get fooled, to get an accurate price you’ll need to get in touch with a sales surveyor, and book a visit and only then, you’ll know exactly how much the whole process will cost you.
When considering a domestic lift purchase, it is worth noting that all Stiltz lifts costs are ALL INCLUSIVE. This means, in our house lift costs, we include:
- The initial, no-obligation Sales Surveyor visit
- The detailed Technical Survey visit once you place an order
- Standard building work in your home
- Home Lift installation
- Removal of all packaging and building waste
- Liaison with your local authority Building Control Officer.
Extra costs you might need to have in mind
A few extra costs you might not have considered when looking into purchasing a home lift are:
Maintenance: home lifts must have routine service and maintenance to guarantee they’re working as intended. This can amount to a few hundred euros yearly.
Insurance: homeowners will also need to insure their home lifts.
Energy costs: Although this detail is important for many home lifts, it isn’t necessary when you purchase a Stiltz lift. Instead of connecting to an outside power source like some other brands, our home lifts plug into the same socket that powers your other appliances. Not to worry though- even with regular use, our lifts won’t consume any more energy than your TV or fridge!
Customisation: so that the lift will match your place, you’ll have a few options to customize it to your liking. This comes at some extra cost, you can check with your survey about it.
Things to consider when buying a home lift
When installing a home lift, you should consider several factors such as:
- Safety features: as we mentioned before, home lifts come with a number of safety features that help prevent accidents and injuries. Make sure to check what kind of safety features are included in the model you’re interested in and if they meet your needs.
- Dimensions: our smaller home lift has less than 1m2, with a footprint of 1047 mm x 810mm, while our biggest lift, ideal for a full-size wheelchair has a footprint of 1047mm x 1280mm. This will make a Stiltz Home lift very space-efficient and barely unnoticeable when not on the same floor as you.
- Installation: as we’ve seen before, the installation process is much easier than you think. But it’s still important to make sure that the company you’re working with is qualified and has experience installing home lifts.
- Type of lift: you’ll have different types of home lifts and the type that you choose will impact things such as price, dimensions, installation process, maintenance costs, performance and design.
- Price: you should also consider the price of the home lift. Home lifts are a long-term investment so make sure to compare different models and find the one that fits your budget.
- Customer service: to get the best service, you need to choose the best brand. Don’t cheap out on these as having good customer service might be extremely important in the future.
Features of a Stiltz wheelchair home lift
- Small footprint: The smallest wheelchair home lift on the market, taking up just 1.25m² of space.
- Low power consumption: can be plugged into any dedicated 220v power outlet, and won’t consume more than any other appliance.
- Extremely quiet: with a quiet electric self-contained motor, you don’t have to worry about noisy hydraulics or vacuum systems.
- Stylish: it will fit with your room decoration, for sure.
- Safety sensors: out of balance sensors, weight sensor and also an obstruction sensor at the entrance of the lift (that will stop if this barrier is crossed mid-way) will make your journey as safe as possible.
- Safety pans on top and bottom of the lift: if there is something or someone obstructing the path of the lift, as soon as there is minimal contact, the lift will stop by himself.
- Key Switch available: allows the owner to isolate the lift if the need arises. This is commonly used when going away on holiday or when the grandchildren are around.
- Remote control: call and send the lift remotely, and also use it to move heavy or awkward items between floors.
- Emergency button and phone: this button is front and centre for the user in the event of an emergency. Also, you can find a phone inside the lift that you can use to call for help.
Where can you install a Stiltz home lift?
A Stiltz home lift is a great solution for any home or business. It can be installed in almost any area of the house, whether it is a living room, bedroom, or even the garage. It takes up less than one square metre of space, so you don’t have to worry about sacrificing too much of your living space.
Here are some of the ideas you can use to install a home lift in your house:
Standard, stairwell, cupboard, vaulted ceilings, garage, thru-car.
Home lift uses that you might enjoy
A Stiltz home lift can be used for a variety of different purposes. Here are some of the uses that you may enjoy:
- Taking groceries and heavy items upstairs;
- Help you move around with cleaning equipment;
- Moving heavy furniture up and down;
- Bringing laundry upstairs without any help
Basically, it makes your life around the house much easier.