Can my home take a lift? A checklist you can do yourself

A stair lift lives on the staircase, so look at the stairs first.

• Straight or not. One flight with no turn is the simple case. A turn, a landing or two flights makes it a curved lift, with a rail made to measure.
• Width. Measure the width of the treads. A stair lift leaves less room to walk past, so it matters. We don't publish a minimum, because published figures are for specific models. One manufacturer's US page says 26 inches for its straight model, and that is no guide to yours.
• Parking space. Where can the chair fold up at the top and the bottom without blocking a door?
• A plug. A normal plug nearby for charging the battery.
• Inside or outside. Outdoor steps need an outdoor unit.

Suppliers say a stair lift is fixed to the treads, not the wall, and needs no structural change or major electrical work.

A home lift needs a place to sit on every floor it serves.

• Floor space. One South African supplier publishes 0.8 square metres for a two-person shaftless lift and 1.3 square metres for a three-person one that carries a wheelchair. Another publishes a footprint of 1,047 by 810 mm for a two-person model.
• Stacked space. The lift needs the same spot on each floor, one above the other. Look for a cupboard, a corner of a room or a spot in the stairwell that lines up.
• Shaft or no shaft. Shaftless models say they need no shaft, pit or motor room. Enclosed platform lifts need a shaft and a shallow pit.
• Floors. More floors need a longer travel. One two-person model says 4.5 metres, and an enclosed platform lift 1.6 to 15 metres.
• Power. Suppliers say a normal 220V plug is enough for the shaftless models.

We don't publish a headroom figure, because we could not confirm one from a supplier page. Ask whoever quotes.

• Building work. A stair lift usually needs none. A home lift can need none, as with some freestanding models, or more, where a shaft, pit or new opening is needed.
• Plans. The lift regulations say a lift has to follow the national building regulations where they apply. We could not confirm from a source whether a home lift needs municipal plan approval. Ask your municipality or whoever quotes.
• Permission. If you rent or live in a complex or estate, check your landlord, body corporate or estate rules before any work.

South African lift regulations apply to a lift in a private home. The owner has to have it examined and maintained by a competent lift service provider and inspected at intervals. See lift service and maintenance. Ask any installer who will do this and what it costs.