Fourteen houses on Auburn's Main Street — Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival — are old enough to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and they were framed decades before anyone built a one-story ranch in this city. Homes from that era came with narrow, steep staircases as a matter of course, not a design choice a builder made. Add Auburn's hills above Lake Auburn and the Androscoggin River, and you get a housing stock where a second floor is normal and a stairlift question comes up constantly, not occasionally.
Why a stairlift installed in Auburn, ME is planned around the way this specific community lives, not stamped out from a one-size-fits-all template.
Auburn covers 65.74 square miles (59.33 land, 6.41 water), sits in the foothills of Maine's Western Lakes and Mountains region, and is drained by the Androscoggin and Little Androscoggin Rivers, with Lake Auburn forming a large reservoir along its western side.
Source ↗Auburn's Main Street Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, contains fourteen single-family houses built between 1825 and 1925 spanning Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles, meaning many of the city's oldest homes are multi-level residences from an era predating one-story ranch construction, with original narrow staircases.
Source ↗Health Care & Social Assistance is Auburn's largest employment sector (1,930 workers), ahead of Retail Trade (1,414) and Educational Services (1,239), reflecting a regional economy oriented toward medical and support services relevant to an aging population; Wikipedia's 2020 Census figures further show 20.7% of Auburn residents were age 65 or older.
Source ↗Every home is different. Here are six recent installs from Androscoggin County. Tap any project to see the full gallery, tech specs, and the story behind it.
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(800) 965-0350 Call Now. It's FreeFrom the Victorian and Italianate mill-era homes along Court Street and Main Street near downtown Auburn to the triple-deckers and worker cottages that define New Auburn south of the Little Androscoggin River, our crew has measured staircases across this city. East Auburn features Cape Cods and 1960s-1970s ranches on larger lots with standard straight-run stairs. North Auburn stretches toward Lake Auburn with newer colonials on wooded half-acre parcels. Stevens Mill retains its compact mill-village layout — narrow lots, steep interior stairs, raised foundations. Danville, west of the turnpike, mixes older farmhouses with newer subdivisions. Marston Corner rounds out the rural edges with farmsteads and exterior entry steps that ice over from December through March.
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Compare Our Auburn Stairlifts
Select a stairlift on the leftabove to see full specs, pricing, and how it compares to the alternatives.
Stairlift Types
Bestseller · From $2,800
The go-to for Auburn's Cape Cods, ranches, and three-decker mill-worker homes. Over 70% of the rails we bolt into Androscoggin County treads are straight runs — the standard layout in East Auburn, North Auburn, and along the New Auburn riverbank.
vs Curved: 3x less expensive and installed in one visit. vs Home elevator: 10-15x less cost and no construction. vs Moving bedroom downstairs: Keeps your home exactly as it is.
Custom-Built · From $9,000
Custom-bent for the L-shaped and 90-degree landing turns in Auburn's Victorian and Italianate homes along Court Street and Main Street. The rail is manufactured to your staircase's exact geometry, laser-scanned on the first visit.
vs Straight with landing break: One smooth ride instead of transferring seats. vs Home elevator: Half the cost, no construction permits, no shaft needed. vs Moving: A fraction of what selling and relocating costs.
Weather-Tough · From $4,000
Sealed against Maine freeze-thaw cycles, ice, and the road-salt drift Auburn plows kick up every storm. Every outdoor unit carries an IP55-rated motor housing and corrosion-protected hardware — built for raised front entries from November through April.
vs Standard stairlift outdoors: Won't rust, seize, or void its warranty. vs Exterior ramp: No permits, no concrete work, no lost yard. vs Home entry renovation: Installed in a single day.
600 lb Rated · From $5,050
When comfort and capacity exceed the standard 300 lb limit. The reinforced frame handles up to 600 lb with a 22-inch padded seat — wider than any standard model, common across Auburn's North Auburn and Danville homes with broader-shoulder riders.
vs Standard stairlift: Extra capacity and wider seat for maximum comfort. vs Custom furniture lift: A fraction of the price with faster install. vs Home elevator: Much lower cost with the same weight confidence.
When you call All American Stairlifts, you'll speak directly with a licensed installer who lives and works in Androscoggin, ME.
Auburn Stairlift Specialist · 15+ years of experience
(800) 965-0350 [email protected]Proven local experience. Licensed. Insured. No surprises.
The kinds of staircases and installs we see across Auburn's older and newer homes alike. Drag to scroll, or use the arrows and dots below.
We live in a Victorian on Court Street that has been in the family since the 1950s. The staircase has 16 treads with a 90-degree landing turn halfway up. Two other companies told us it would require two separate lifts. All American scanned the whole run and bent one curved rail. My father rides it from the parlor to the upstairs bedroom without stopping. Five months in with zero issues and Luis answered every question.
I served 20 years in the Marines and my back is shot. The Lewiston VA Clinic on Challenger Drive wrote the HISA prescription and All American prefilled VA Form 10-0103. The grant covered $6,800 and I was riding the lift four weeks after my first call. Luis made sure the swivel-exit angle worked for my left-side limp. No runaround.
Our New Auburn triple-decker has steep narrow stairs between the first and second floors — 28 inches wide on original oak. The slim-profile rail takes up 11 inches folded and my mother rides it every morning and evening. The grandkids walk right past it on the way upstairs without a problem. Battery held through a January ice-storm outage.
Dad lives alone in a split-level in East Auburn with carpeted stairs. After his knee replacement at Central Maine Medical Center the stairs were off-limits. All American measured Monday, installed Wednesday. Dad was sleeping in his own bed again that night. The brown seat parks near the upper landing — looks built-in.
The five concrete front steps to our raised ranch turn into a sheet of ice every December. All American installed an outdoor rail with freeze-thaw-rated bolts, salt-resistant coating, an IP55-sealed motor, and a waterproof cover. My wife used it through the entire nor'easter winter without one problem. Should have done this three seasons ago.
I use a power wheelchair full-time and a regular stairlift was not going to work. All American installed an inclined platform lift along the indoor stairway with yellow safety edges so I can see exactly where to roll on. Capacity 600 lb, plenty for my chair. MaineCare Section 19 and the HISA grant together covered the full cost.
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Straight Stairlift, Standard Use
Estimated: $2,750 – $5,400
A member of our Auburn team is reviewing your answers right now and will call you within 24 hours. Your quote is free and there is no obligation to buy.
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Compare your options honestly. A stairlift is the only choice that keeps you in the home you love, at a fraction of every alternative.
| Your option | Upfront cost | 10-year total |
|---|---|---|
| Stairlift Installation Best value Professional install by All American Stairlifts, Auburn ME | $2,750 – $14,700 One-time | $2,750 – $14,700 Lifetime use |
| Moving to a single-story home Selling, buying, closing, moving costs in the Androscoggin market | $50,000+ Plus relocation stress | $50,000+ Loss of community ties |
| Assisted living facility Androscoggin County average, private room | $4,500/mo Recurring | $540,000 And rising annually |
| In-home caregiver (8 hrs/day) Licensed home health aide, Florida market rates | $6,000/mo Recurring | $730,000+ Before wage increases |
| Home elevator installation Requires shaft construction, permits, months of work | $25,000 to $50,000 Plus renovation | $28,000 to $55,000 Includes maintenance |
Sources: AARP Cost of Care Survey 2025, Genworth Cost of Care Study, and Maine Department of Elder Affairs. Figures reflect Auburn metro averages.
Most Auburn homeowners qualify for at least one of these programs. We help you apply at no cost.
Up to $6,800 for service-connected veterans and their surviving spouses. One-time, tax-free, no repayment.
Eligibility: Veterans & surviving spousesHome & Community-Based Services Waiver may cover up to 100% of installation for income-qualified residents.
Eligibility: Medicaid + medical needWith a doctor's letter of medical necessity, the full cost is deductible on Schedule A as a qualified medical expense.
Eligibility: Taxpayers who itemize0% and low-APR plans through our lending partners. Soft credit pull, instant approval, no prepayment penalty.
Eligibility: All homeownersNot sure which applies? Our local specialist will walk you through every program you might qualify for during your free home assessment. Get started here →
Straight answers about cost, installation, and funding, no sales fluff. Browse by topic or call us if you have a question that isn't here.
Mostly the staircase, not the neighborhood. A straight run costs less because the rail comes pre-cut to standard lengths. In the Main Street Historic District, where houses date to 1825–1925, you more often get a turn or a mid-flight landing, and that rail has to be bent to match the exact geometry of your stairs. We measure in person before quoting a firm number.
It's a fair question — Auburn's homeownership rate is 59.1%, and a lot of those owners are longtime residents on retirement income. A refurbished straight unit runs meaningfully less than new, and if that's the right fit for your stairs, we'll say so rather than push a new model. The mPower loan program (Kim Wallace Adaptive Equipment Loan) also lends as little as $250 up to $100,000 at a fixed 3.75% APR specifically for equipment like this.
It can. MaineCare Section 19 — the Home and Community Benefits for the Elderly and Adults with Disabilities Waiver — covers home accessibility adaptations including stair lifts, authorized per your approved plan of care rather than against a fixed price cap. We can provide the documentation your care coordinator needs to build that case.
A straight staircase is usually a half-day. Curved or landing-style stairs — more common in the pre-1925 housing near Main Street — take longer because the rail is custom-fabricated to the exact curve, not bolted together from stock parts on site. We'll tell you which category your stairs fall into during the initial walkthrough.
No. The rail mounts to the treads themselves, not the wall or the original banister, so it doesn't touch the woodwork that makes a Greek Revival or Queen Anne staircase original. That matters in a city where fourteen Main Street homes are on the National Register — nobody wants a contractor drilling into a 175-year-old newel post.
It's common in Auburn's older housing stock and it's not a problem, it just means the rail needs a custom bend at the landing instead of running straight through. We account for that at the measurement stage, and it does add to lead time versus a single straight flight.
Two worth knowing. MaineHousing's Home Accessibility and Repair Program grants up to $15,000 for accessibility work like a stairlift (up to $30,000 if it's bundled with general home repairs). Separately, the mPower Loans program lends $250 to $100,000 at a fixed 3.75% APR for adaptive equipment — a loan, not a grant, but lower-interest than most financing you'd find on your own.
Through the Section 19 Home and Community Benefits for the Elderly and Adults with Disabilities Waiver, yes — home accessibility adaptations including stair lifts are a covered service, with no fixed dollar cap; it's authorized based on your approved plan of care. That's a Medicaid HCBS waiver, so eligibility runs through MaineCare, not through us.
Two different VA tracks, and they're often confused. The HISA grant caps at $6,800 for a service-connected condition or $2,000 if it's non-service-connected, and HISA funding is generally for structural modifications, not the lift itself. VA Prosthetics is the track that covers a stairlift directly when a VA physician prescribes it as medically necessary, and it has no fixed dollar cap. Ask your VA provider about Prosthetics & Sensory Aids Service specifically.
These are the three guides our Auburn customers read most often before booking. Written by our installers, not marketers.
The timeline, what happens on install day, and how to prep your staircase; most jobs finish in a few hours.
The exact measurements an installer needs: width, rise, turns, and landings, so your first quote is an accurate one.
VA HISA, Medicaid waivers, IRS medical deduction, state grants, and 0% financing, with the actual forms you need.
Auburn Stairlift Specialist · 15+ yrs
I've been in a few of those Main Street Historic District houses measuring staircases, and the stairwells are tighter than what you'd find in a house built after 1990 — narrower treads, sometimes a turn partway up. None of that rules out a stairlift, it just means we're custom-fitting the rail rather than pulling a stock straight kit off the shelf. Health Care & Social Assistance is the single biggest employer in this city, more than retail or the schools, and that tells you something about how many Auburn households are already thinking about aging in place.
Auburn homeowners and Androscoggin County veterans have counted on us for years. Whether you live in a Victorian on Court Street or a Cape Cod in East Auburn, the first step is the same: a free in-home assessment with a written quote.
Call today or submit the form above. We schedule within 24 hours and install the same week for straight-rail jobs across New Auburn, Stevens Mill, and Danville.
Two quick screens. We use the full address to dispatch the installer closest to you.
A certified Auburn technician visits your home, measures your stairs, and answers every question. 100% free. No obligation.
Most stairlifts are installed in a single day by our licensed Auburn team. Clean, quiet, ready to ride the same afternoon.
Or call (800) 965-0350, Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm
