Also a very recent install I sold and installed was for a “little” person. This was a big challenge, no pun intended, because, well the customer is small! She stands less than 4 feet tall but stair lifts are designed for normal size people.
Since I can install just about any brand name, the question was not about any particular brand name, but which one worked best for the customer.
Let me tell you about the customer’s stairway. There are about 8 steps, goes into a landing, stairs makes a 90 degree turn to the right, and on up another 11 or so steps.
Orginally her husband (who is also a little person) suggested it to be on the right hand side of the stairs which means the stair lift would have to make a reverrse 90 degree turn. But the problem with that is the way their stair is configured, the steps continue past the wall, so the stair lift rail would have to make a steep slope to go up and over them. but it would keep everything against a solid wall.
The other solution was to put it on the opposite side which we had a bansiter. But at the bottom the stair lift rail would have to be out beyond the stairs a few feet.
Our other problem was the customer herself. She is less than 4 feet and at the time had just come out of the hospital and on a walker. (she is now walking with a cane) But her feet are too short to reach the footrest on most stair lifts. In order to swivel the seat, you have to push around with your feet. I suggested a Power Swivel option. Most all the stair lift companies offer a power swivel option. But the power swivel only works at the Top of the stairs, so I also had to figure out a way to get her off at the bottom. I decided to get the stairlift in first and deal with that problem later!
The next question is what brand name of stair lift. Once again it wasnt about any particular brand name, since this is a custom made stair lift. Question was, which works better for the customer. She measured from head to toe 45 inches standing straight up, but at the time she was on a walker, so she walked bent over a little.
I called every brand name of stair lift, including some I am not a dealer for but knew the local dealer and asked the all important question – what is the lowest her custom made curving stair lift will go. Just about all the manufacture is the same in seat adjustment – the can be made to go higher, but about the lowest they can go is roughly 22 inches. The chairs my customer sits in is 14 inches! Finally one manufacture suggested there could be lowered to 20 inches! Every inch counts so we went with that manufacture – Handicare sometimes called Sterling, or Handicare Sterling.
The regional manager for Handicare meet me at the customers house to show me how to measure with their camera system, which is 100 accurate, if it gets manaufacture and does not fit correctly they will buy it back! Good deal! So it took about an hours to snap the pictures (that sure beats the old fashion way of measure each and every tread and risers and the landing)
The reginoal manager also suggested a way to get her off the stair lift at the bottom of the stairs, she could simply manually swivel the seat at the bottom by grabbing the rail and turn herself to the 1st step. Everyone agreed that may work. I also contacted a friend who is a general contractor and explained the problem to him. So he build a custom made removable double step so she could get on and off at both top and bottom (just in case nothing else worked!)
Everything was set, we placed the order and it took Handicare approx 2 weeks to manufacture and ship the lift.
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