Stairlifts vs. Home Elevators: Which One Should You Choose?

If you struggle with reduced mobility that makes navigating the stairs in your home a hazard, it’s important to find an accessible modification that will provide you with more independent movement. Most homeowners will either settle on installing a stairlift on their staircase or putting in a residential elevator to move between floors in their home. But which of these 2 options is right for you? Keep reading to get a comparison between home elevator installation and wheelchair lift installation.

Understanding Stairlifts

Because stairlifts are the most common choice for today’s homeowners, we’ll start with a detailed analysis of this option. If you’re not familiar with these devices, a stairlift is a motorized chair that travels along a rail mounted onto your stairs. This offers a safe and convenient way for those with reduced mobility to ascend and descend between floors. They’re ideal for those who struggle with navigating stairs, but who may not yet need a mobility aid like a walker or wheelchair.

As we stated above, stairlifts are currently the most common option for improved mobility in multistory homes, and there are many good reasons for that. Here are just a few of the benefits that make this choice so popular:

1. Cost-Effectiveness: By and large, affordability is the greatest benefit that stairlifts offer over elevators. They are much more affordable, and offer an economical solution to people’s accessibility issues in their homes.
2. Easy Installation: Installing a stairlift—especially one on a straight staircase—is typically straightforward and quick. Most installations can be completed within a day, and sometimes in as little as a few hours, causing minimal disruption to your home and your routine.
3. Space-Saving Design: Stairlifts require a minimal amount of space and don’t usually require any structural changes to your home. They run right along your existing staircase, and can even be designed with a folding seat to keep the chair out of the way when it’s not in use. This makes them a good choice for homes with limited square footage.
4. Versatility: Every home with multiple stories has stairs, which means a stairlift is going to fit in just about any home that needs one. They can be customized to fit virtually any staircase configuration, including straight, curved, and spiral staircases. This versatility makes it possible to use them in a wide range of home layouts.
   
   

Of course, there are certain drawbacks to keep in mind if you’re considering a stairlift. One of the primary issues with a stairlift is that it doesn’t allow the user to bring any type of mobility aid with them. If you already rely on a walker or wheelchair, using the stairlift means leaving your mobility aid behind; you would need 2 separate mobility aids, one for each floor of your home, in order for a stairlift to meet your needs. If you rely only on a cane, this can often be laid across the lap when using a stairlift. However, it’s important to consider how your mobility may change, and whether or not a walker or wheelchair is a possibility in the future. If it is, could a stairlift still meet your needs?

Understanding Home Elevators

Home elevators are a far less common choice, but are rising in popularity due to the declining cost of installing this technology in the home. As the name implies, a home elevator is simply a smaller version of the elevators you see in commercial buildings. They come in various styles, from traditional hydraulic elevators to space-saving pneumatic vacuum elevators. These elevators offer numerous benefits of their own to homeowners:

1. Aesthetic Appeal: While stairlifts are often seen as an eyesore, elevators actually add a touch of luxury to a home. They’re viewed as an upgrade rather than a simple mobility modification and can be customized to match your home’s décor with various materials, finishes, and styles available.
2. Functionality: Unlike stairlifts, home elevators can accommodate both the user and their mobility device, whether that be a wheelchair or a walker. This makes them much more practical for users who already rely on mobility aids.
3. Multiple Uses: Home elevators aren’t just for those with reduced mobility needs. They can be used for moving heavy objects between floors, or simply for the luxury and convenience of not climbing the stairs after a long day. After all, who wouldn’t see the appeal in never having to lug your heavy suitcases back upstairs after a trip ever again?
   
   

All that luxury does come with a price, though. Home elevators are much more expensive to install—not just the equipment itself, but the installation as well. Installing a home elevator requires extensive planning and construction, and may also involve structural modifications to your home.

If you’re still trying to decide whether a stairlift or home elevator is right for you, we encourage you to reach out to us. K N Enterprise, LLC, is one of the top elevator companies in Louisiana, and we can survey your home to provide you with an accurate quote on installing an elevator or stairlift so you can make a decision that fits your budget and needs. Call now to schedule your consultation.