Expert Stairlift Installation in Kelso, WA

A straight rail install takes about 3 hours from arrival to cleanup. Curved rail installs take 4 to 5 hours because the custom-bent rail needs more careful alignment. The curved rail itself arrives 2 to 3 weeks after the laser measurement visit. We do not cut into your drywall — the rail bolts into the stair treads, not the wall. There's no rewiring needed; the lift plugs into a standard outlet at the top or bottom of the stairs.

No. The rail mounts to the treads with lag bolts that go into the structural wood beneath the tread surface — not into the wall studs or drywall. In homes with original hardwood, common in Butler Acres ranchers and Cowlitz Gardens bungalows, we use a bolt pattern that distributes weight across multiple treads. If you ever remove the lift, the bolt holes can be filled and stained to match. We've removed lifts from 1920s homes where the treads looked untouched afterward.

We can install on staircases as narrow as 28 inches wide using a slim-profile rail and fold-up seat. Several Kelso neighborhoods — especially Cowlitz Gardens and the older sections of West Kelso — have staircases built before modern width codes. The seat folds up to 12 inches when not in use, so other household members can use the stairs normally. At the assessment visit, Luis measures the width at three points to confirm clearance before quoting.

Yes. Every stairlift we install runs on DC power with a 4Ah sealed battery that charges while the lift is parked at the charge point. In a power outage, the battery runs the lift for about 6 hours of normal use — easily enough for Kelso's typical winter storm outages. The battery is maintenance-free and covered under the 5-year warranty. Given Kelso's 60 inches of annual rain and the occasional ice storm that takes down tree limbs onto lines, the battery backup has proven itself many times with our local customers.

You need a VA primary care provider to write a medical-necessity statement confirming the stairlift is required for your condition. Take that to the prosthetics department at the Portland VA Medical Center's Vancouver campus (1601 East 4th Plain Boulevard, Vancouver, WA 98661). The HISA grant covers up to $6,800 for service-connected veterans and $2,000 for non-service-connected, one-time, tax-free, with no repayment. The Cowlitz County Veterans Service Center at 1005 Fir Street in Longview (360-200-4611) offers free help filling out the paperwork.

Yes — through the COPES waiver (Community Options Program Entry System), Washington's 1915(c) HCBS Medicaid waiver. Home modifications, including stairlifts, are an eligible benefit for enrolled participants. However, COPES has an income and asset limit ($2,000 individual asset limit in 2024), and there is a waitlist that can run months to years. You apply through the Cowlitz County Health & Human Services office at 1952 9th Avenue in Longview. The assessment determines medical necessity and the modification must be the most cost-effective solution.

Beyond federal and state programs, the Cowlitz County Veterans Service Center (1005 Fir Street, Longview) helps veterans access VA benefits including the HISA grant and SAH grant. The USDA Section 504 program offers home repair grants for very low-income rural homeowners — parts of Rose Valley and Carrolls may qualify. Lower Columbia CAP (Community Action Program) runs transportation and housing assistance programs that occasionally help with accessibility modifications, though funding is limited and varies by year.

The HISA grant is the most commonly used VA benefit for stairlifts: up to $6,800 for service-connected veterans, $2,000 otherwise, administered through the prosthetics department at the Vancouver VA campus. It covers medically necessary home modifications and structural alterations. The SAH (Specially Adapted Housing) grant is much larger — up to about $121,000 — but is restricted to veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities (loss of limbs, blindness, severe burns). The SHA (Special Housing Adaptation) grant is smaller than SAH but larger than HISA and covers adaptations for veterans with conditions like ankylosis.