John Pollman
Member
- Messages
- 1,338
- Location
- Rochester Hills, MI
Hi folks!
Getting back into woodworking has been the best thing for me. It has helped me a lot. But as I try to get a shop set up in the basement, another hurdle pops up. I've had trouble with stairs for a long time due to my medical condition. But lately it appears to be progressing faster than I had hoped. I had never even considered it until a couple weeks ago, but my mom called one morning and we talked for a while. She mentioned something about me getting an electric stair lift. That thought had never entered my mind. I told her that it would be too expensive and insurance doesn't cover it because it's considered "home modification", not medical equipment. Later that afternoon on the day we talked, I went out for an hour or so to run some errands. When I left, I inadvertently left the TV on. When I came home and came into the family room, there was an ad on for Acorn Stair Lifts. That was too weird and I think someone was trying to tell me something. I picked up the phone and called. They came out a couple days later to measure and give me a quote. As I thought, it's about $3,000! That's not in the budget at all but figured at least I have a goal to shoot for.
A few days ago I decided to do some more research and I found another company that has a very comparable lift. It's actually rated at 350 lbs as opposed to the original I got a quote on that was only 300 lbs. It's an AC powered unit so it makes it less expensive and I don't really care for the DC powered units anyway. I can get one delivered to my door for $1950.00. That's still not in the budget, but if I can get a few of my pieces sold I'll put that money toward the lift. This morning I looked on CL and saw one for sale not far from me. It's only 2 years old and is the same model that was $3K. They're only asking $800 and I can't be positive, but from the picture they posted it looks like it might fit my stairway. (I think they have the same number of stairs I do) I found another one for sale for $800 but it was on a 10 stair set and mine has 12. Modification is too expensive so if a used one has to be modified, I'll just buy new with a warranty.
The sales rep brought up something I hadn't even thought about. When he saw the work I've been doing, he said that I could easily make a caddy that would rest on the arms of the chair and I can use that to get materials/tools up and down the stairs. That's a great idea! That would make my life a whole lot easier. Going up and down the stairs 20-30 times a day takes a lot out of me. I'm hoping to find the cash some way to put in a lift sooner than later. It will be a lot easier AND SAFER for me.
Getting back into woodworking has been the best thing for me. It has helped me a lot. But as I try to get a shop set up in the basement, another hurdle pops up. I've had trouble with stairs for a long time due to my medical condition. But lately it appears to be progressing faster than I had hoped. I had never even considered it until a couple weeks ago, but my mom called one morning and we talked for a while. She mentioned something about me getting an electric stair lift. That thought had never entered my mind. I told her that it would be too expensive and insurance doesn't cover it because it's considered "home modification", not medical equipment. Later that afternoon on the day we talked, I went out for an hour or so to run some errands. When I left, I inadvertently left the TV on. When I came home and came into the family room, there was an ad on for Acorn Stair Lifts. That was too weird and I think someone was trying to tell me something. I picked up the phone and called. They came out a couple days later to measure and give me a quote. As I thought, it's about $3,000! That's not in the budget at all but figured at least I have a goal to shoot for.
A few days ago I decided to do some more research and I found another company that has a very comparable lift. It's actually rated at 350 lbs as opposed to the original I got a quote on that was only 300 lbs. It's an AC powered unit so it makes it less expensive and I don't really care for the DC powered units anyway. I can get one delivered to my door for $1950.00. That's still not in the budget, but if I can get a few of my pieces sold I'll put that money toward the lift. This morning I looked on CL and saw one for sale not far from me. It's only 2 years old and is the same model that was $3K. They're only asking $800 and I can't be positive, but from the picture they posted it looks like it might fit my stairway. (I think they have the same number of stairs I do) I found another one for sale for $800 but it was on a 10 stair set and mine has 12. Modification is too expensive so if a used one has to be modified, I'll just buy new with a warranty.
The sales rep brought up something I hadn't even thought about. When he saw the work I've been doing, he said that I could easily make a caddy that would rest on the arms of the chair and I can use that to get materials/tools up and down the stairs. That's a great idea! That would make my life a whole lot easier. Going up and down the stairs 20-30 times a day takes a lot out of me. I'm hoping to find the cash some way to put in a lift sooner than later. It will be a lot easier AND SAFER for me.