Stairlifts, homelifts, home elevators and platform lifts from Stannah

If you’re living with limited mobility and stairs are becoming an issue, you may already be thinking about or looking for home accessibility solutions. However, as you’ve probably realised, there are many different options to consider. Between stair lifts, home lifts, home elevators and platform lifts, there are a wide variety of options! So, which one should you choose? 

In this article, you’ll learn about the different types of accessibility equipment that Stannah can provide, as we answer your most pressing questions about home accessibility options. 

• What is a stair lift?
• What is a home lift?
• What is a home elevator?
• What is a platform lift (commercial wheelchair Lift)?

Each of these solutions has a specific purpose, and a few considerations can help you decide which sort of lift is most suitable for you or a loved one. 

The mobility of the user, space constraints, the architecture of the house and price are all key factors to consider. In this article, we’ll talk about the main features of each option, as well as factors you might have to bear in mind if you decide to opt for one over the other. 

A stair lift is a lift that takes a person up and down the stairs while sitting on a chair. Operation is straightforward: you sit on the chair, push the controls in the direction you want to go, and it carries you up the stairs comfortably smoothly and safely. One of the key benefits of a stairlift is that it allows you to move around your home freely.  Stairlifts are a great solution to be able to travel up and down the stairs safely. With no building work required, nor significant home alterations, a stairlift can be installed on practically any staircase. 

 There are a lot of different stairlifts on the market, and while they might all seem quite similar, there are quite a few differences between them: 

• The look of a stair lift – is the stair lift designed to match your home decor?
• How it is controlled – is the hand control designed for accessibility?
• Comfort features – whether it has a cushioned seat and if the footrest is long enough
• Safety features – how easy is the seatbelt to fasten? What happens if there’s something in the way of your stair lift? Does it have safety edges?
• Stairlift quality - not all stairlifts are created equally with Stannah stairlifts well known for their high quality engineering.

There are lots of things to consider before you choose the right stair lift. Do some research online and read customer reviews – see what other people are saying about each company to make sure you choose one you can trust. 

If you can hold yourself upright in a chair, you can use a stair lift (you need to be sure you’re securely in the chair all the way to the other end). If you use a wheelchair, the ability to transfer from chair to chair is also critical. This can be done with or without assistance, depending on your situation. 

You can even use a stair lift if you find it difficult to bend your knees and hips, as we have different chairs in our range, each one built to meet different needs. Stannah’s Sadler chair is the perfect blend between a perch seat and a chair, and if you find it difficult or painful to sit back into a chair, and get back up again, it’s exactly what you need to carry you up the stairs. The seat of the Sadler tilts back, supporting your weight as you sit back into it, taking the pressure off your knees, as you glide up the stairs in near-standing position. Then, when you reach the other end of your stairs, it tilts back up, gently helping you out of the chair. 

As mentioned earlier, you can even use a stair lift if you use a wheelchair, but if you want to use your stair lift independently, you need to be able to get in and out of your wheelchair, and in and out of your stair lift, by yourself. A stair lift also can’t carry a wheelchair, so you may need to have another one waiting for you at the other end of the stairs. As long as you can hold yourself upright in the chair, the standard safety features of each one of our stair lifts – from our ergonomic seatbelt to a footrest fold button – make sure our stair lifts are safe and easy to use. You might also like to consider seeking expert advice from a medical professional, such as an Occupational Therapist, for further guidance on this if you are a wheelchair user.  

A stair lift is installed on your stairs. They can be installed on the vast majority of staircases, whether they’re long or short, wide or narrow, indoors or outdoors, straight or curved. Stair lifts are fitted onto your stairs (whatever they’re made of), not your walls. That means that installing a stair lift doesn’t require any building work, and installations are quick (take less than a day) and clean. As long as you have a power outlet near your stairs, a stair lift can be installed easily – and can even be fitted to carry you up multiple staircases, and multiple floors. 

• Cheap to run
• Quick to install
• Extremely quiet
• Comfortable to ride
• A cost effective solution
• No building work necessary
• Folds away neatly when not in use
• Can be removed easily if necessary

• You can’t choose where you install it (must be on a staircase)
• Is more conspicuous than a home lift
• Can’t carry heavy cargo (e.g. a wheelchair)

A homelift, or through-the-floor lift is a compact lift that travels between two floors. It can carry up to two people, depending on what size you purchase and if you use a wheelchair. The cabin fits neatly in the aperture when ‘parked’, leaving the rest of the room free to enjoy.  

Homelift prices start at around £15,000 (not inclusive of building works that may be required).  

Anyone and everyone can use a homelift.  

Our compact homelifts have self supporting structures which means they do not require supporting walls. Therefore, you can pretty much have a homelift installed anywhere within the home. 

• Safe and convenient. 
• Practical. 
• Easy to use and maintain. 
• Can be used for carrying people and also objects such as suitcases or a vacuum cleaner too. 

• Homelifts are more expensive than stairlifts. 
• Homelift installation takes longer than stairlift installation but can still be completed in one day. 
• Installation requires an aperture being cut in the ceiling which can seem daunting but can be rectified if the homelift was ever removed.

You can speak to our homelift experts direct and free of charge via the number displayed on our website. Alternatively, you can complete a form on our website, and we can call you back at a time that suits you.   

You can find more detail on the straightforward homelift buying process on this page. 

A home elevator, also known as a residential or domestic lift, or vertical lift, could be the solution you immediately jump to when you think of making your home more accessible. After all, home elevators tend to increase property value and are often seen as a smart investment – especially if you have reduced mobility and are finding it difficult to get around in your home. 

The easiest way to understand the difference between a homelift and a home elevator is to know that a home elevator or residential lift is a lift that travels in a purpose-built shaft and can travel between more than one floor. Whereas a homelift doesn’t require a purpose-built lift shaft and travels between only one floor through an aperture cut in the ceiling of the ground floor / floor of the first floor. 

The main things to consider when thinking about getting a home elevator or residential lift installed in your house, are: 

• Where you’ll install it – do you have room to build an elevator shaft and pit? Could you get a home elevator that doesn’t need a shaft or pit? Do you have the space even a small elevator would require?
• How much it’ll cost. Home elevators tend to be more expansive than stair lifts and platform lifts, and, as well as the elevator itself, you need to consider the building work that must be done to accommodate the elevator.
• How long will it take to draw up the plans and actually install your home lift. What is your timeline? How  urgently is this needed?

Anyone and everyone.

However, home elevators come in lots of different shapes and sizes. For that reason, you should think about exactly what you want and need while you’re exploring your options. Do you need your home elevator to:

• Carry a wheelchair?
• Carry heavy loads?
• Have automatic doors?
• Go up more than two floors?
• Carry more than one person?

All of these variables could alter the price and type of elevator you’re looking for.

Other things to consider if you’re thinking about buying a home elevator are:

• Where you’ll place your home elevator to get the best use from it.
• Where the drive unit will be placed – will you be able to hear it when the elevator is being used?
• Home elevators often need yearly maintenance to make sure they’re working as well as they can be.

Unlike when you buy a stair lift, when you buy a home elevator you’re not limited by where you can put it. Depending on what your home is like, you can maximise the use of your home lift by having it installed exactly where you want it. You should enlist help from professionals to work out what’s best/feasible in your home but buying a home elevator gives you a lot of possibilities and choice in the matter. 

• Cheap to run
• Comfortable to ride
• Can carry heavy cargo
• Adds value to your house
• Doesn’t alter your staircase
• You can choose where you want to install it

• Requires building work
• Can’t be removed easily
• Longer time to complete project
• Depending on where the drive box is installed, can be noisy when in use
• More expensive than a stair lift or home lift

Our home elevators are provided by our specialist lift business. You can contact them directly to start talking about your home elevator requirements by visiting their website here.  

A platform lift, or stair riser is a platform that moves along a rail that’s attached to the stairs, giving you access to multiple floors in a commercial setting (ie public building). In some cases, the platform will raise straight up, rather than on an incline. These are called Vertical Platform Lifts (VPLs) or, sometimes, “porch lifts”. In either case, the platform can transport a person in a wheelchair, a person who is standing up or a person seated on a flip-down seat. It’s the ideal solution for transporting people and/or cargo up and down stairs. 

Anyone can use a platform lift. Whether you use a wheelchair or not, a platform lift can carry you smoothly up your stairs. An added benefit of a platform lift is its capacity to carry heavy cargo, meaning you have an easy solution to carry heavy goods up and down your stairs, without putting yourself in danger. 

Like a stair lift, most platform lifts need to be installed on steps; however, since they rise up vertically, VPLs can be installed next to a staircase, bringing you from ground level to the next floor. The good news is that whatever your steps are like – whether they’re long or short, indoors or outdoors, straight or curved, a platform lift can be installed on them. However, due to the size of a platform lift, when it is unfolded for use, it can’t be installed on very narrow staircases, as it needs space to be able to travel all the way up. But, when it’s not in use, a platform lift folds up neatly, leaving plenty of room on the steps for anyone who wants to use them. All you need, is to have a power outlet by your staircase for a platform lift to be fitted, to get you moving on your stairs. 

• Cheap to run
• Quick to install
• Extremely quiet
• Can carry heavy cargo
• A cost-effective solution
• No building work necessary
• Folds away neatly when not in use
• Can be removed easily if necessary

• Can be less comfortable to ride
• Not suitable for some staircases
• Is more conspicuous than a home lift and a stair lift

Our platform lifts are provided by our commercial lift business. You can contact them directly to start talking about your home elevator requirements by visiting their website here.

That all depends on what you want to get out of it. Are stairs a problem? Do you use a wheelchair? How long do you plan to stay in your house? What is your budget? These are all questions you should ask yourself before moving ahead with a lift purchase. You may be unsure of some of  your answers and that’s OK! We’re always just a phone call away. Our team of experienced professionals will be happy to guide you through the different types of lifts, so you can make the best decision for you and your home.