Should I install a stair lift or move?
If stairs are the only barrier and you love the house · install. If they're one of five barriers · move sooner than you want to.
A straight-stair lift runs $3,500·$6,000 installed. A curved stair lift (one that follows landings or turns) runs $10,000·$20,000. Both can be installed in a day or two and removed if circumstances change.
The honest framing isn't "lift vs. move." It's "lift vs. moving the bedroom downstairs vs. moving houses vs. moving to assisted living." A lift solves one problem · getting between floors · and only that problem.
A stair lift makes sense when:
- The bedroom is upstairs and there's no good way to convert a downstairs space
- The bathroom is also upstairs and downstairs lacks a full bath
- The rest of the house works · single-level living below would mean significant remodeling
- Your parent can transfer onto the lift safely (this isn't trivial; some people can't)
- Mobility is the main concern, not memory or judgment
A stair lift doesn't make sense when:
- Your parent has dementia and may forget how to use it, leave it parked at the wrong end, or fall while transferring
- Mobility is degrading fast enough that a wheelchair is likely within 2 years
- The house has multiple sets of stairs and you're solving for one
- The bathroom situation requires its own renovation regardless
Cheaper alternatives worth considering first:
- Convert a downstairs office or den into a primary bedroom; add a downstairs full bath or shower
- Move a key piece of furniture (bed, recliner) downstairs and use upstairs only as needed
- Add second-floor laundry if going up and down to do laundry is the actual bottleneck
When the answer is "move":
- The house has multiple barriers · stairs and tub-only bathrooms and narrow doors and a steep entry
- The neighborhood no longer supports independence · no walkable services, no nearby family, isolation
- The house requires $50k+ to make accessible and you'd rather put that toward the next chapter
- The house has stopped making your parent's life better
Most people wait too long to move and not long enough to install. Pick the one that solves the actual problem.