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If you’re currently facing the problem of not being able to get up and downstairs, you may be wondering what your options are. In this blog post we’ve listed a few stairlift alternatives, with estimations of what they may cost.
Stairlift Alternatives
1) Do Nothing
Cost: £0 – Could deteriorate health and quality of life
In our experience, many people put off having a stairlift installed because they believe that they are managing. Struggling up and down stairs or being confined to one area of the house could result in aggravated health conditions. Many often claim that they want to continue using their stairs because they are a form of exercise. However, exercise should never risk personal safety, especially in older age. Stairs is a high risk place for an accident; read more on Avoiding Falls on the Stairs.
We have also experienced people who have declined having a stairlift installed because they have friends or family members to care for them or assist them in and around the house.
2) Altering your home layout
Estimated cost: £10,000 – Could devalue your home
Of course, there is the option of moving all of your living space downstairs. Potentially changing one of your living spaces or a dining room into another bedroom is doable. However, if your bathroom facilities are upstairs, you still want to be able to access. You could alter the ground floor of your home to accommodate a downstairs bathroom, this however, effectively turns your house into a bungalow. Altering your home by installing new plumbing and drainage to create a downstairs bathroom and bedroom could be expensive. At a later date, when the house needs to be sold, the resale value could be affected.
3) Moving house
Estimated cost: £10,210 + additional funds – Emotional stress and upheaval
Moving home is one of the most stressful times in our lives, ranking alongside getting married. Finding single storey dwellings are often a challenge. Finding the house of your dreams may also not suit your budget. After purchasing a new house, there’s the cost of moving, stamp duty, solicitors fees, surveys, estate agents fees, removals people. When deciding to sell, there’s stress involved in packing and perhaps getting rid of treasured possessions if you’re downsizing. Moving house is quite a big hassle and not a pleasant experience.
4) Going into a Care Home
Estimated cost: £955+ per week – Loss of independence
Of course, moving into a care home is an alternative to having a stairlift installed, however it does involve a lot of upheaval. Finding the right Care Home can be very stressful, it also appears on the “stressful events in your life” list. There’s also the emotional stress of finding a care home when the country is running short on beds. If you are able to live independently at home, or with the assistance of carers, in the place you love, staying at home may be the best option for you.
Research has also proven that by having independent living adaptations done to your home, like having a lift installed, can delay going into a care home by 4-7 years! If we take the average cost of going into a care home at the national average of £955 per week and times that by 4 years – you could save an eye watering £200,000!
5) Buy a home lift
Estimated Cost: £15,000+
Some people may consider an home lift as a stairlift alternative. It is a small personal elevator. Generally, they are more aesthetically pleasing however, they are more expensive than a stairlift. You would be looking at spending at least £13,000 and you’d have to have building works to cut a hole in your ceiling for the lift to travel through. This would be a few days of building works in your home and then one to two days installation.
If you needed to sell the property at a later date, a home lift to the right buyer might add value to your home. However, to the wrong buyer it may devalue your home as the lift would have to be removed, ceiling patched over, floor and joists reinforced and new carpets to be laid.
We install home lifts and can help with this option if it were a consideration. If you are a wheelchair user and cannot transfer onto a stairlift then we also offer a Through the Floor Lift which would be suitable with a larger lift platform size than a home lift.
OR – Have a stairlift!
Estimated cost: from £1,000
Of course, this was already on your list of considerations. If none of the alternatives above have resonated with you, maybe a stairlift is the best option. Other than doing nothing, which is free but may impact your quality of life, having a stairlift is a cheaper option than any of the above. You can also read our blog post on how much a stairlift or home lift costs for more information.
Within a few short, hassle-free hours we can have you whizzing up and down stairs. For an accurate price, book a free, no obligation home assessment visit. We will assess you, your stairs and your home to advise on the best options to suit your needs. Call us today on freephone 0800 019 22 10.
Still unsure if a lift is right for you? Come and visit our showroom at:
Porte Marsh Industrial Estate
25 Harris Road
Calne
SN11 9PT
to try some models out for yourself. You’ll be able to have a test drive and see how a lift looks and feels. Book a showroom demonstration visit by contacting us on 0800 019 22 10.
