Expert Stairlift Installation in Lake in the Hills, IL

For a straight stairlift in a standard LITH home — Princeton Crossing townhome, Hidden Valley split-level, Big Sky two-story — the install takes about three hours from arrival to test ride. Curved lifts take four to five hours because the custom rail has more sections to join. We bolt the rail to the stair treads, not the wall, so your drywall stays intact. No rewiring needed — the lift plugs into a standard outlet at the top or bottom of the stairs.

No. Stairlifts are not structural modifications — the rail bolts to the treads, and the lift plugs into a wall outlet. Neither McHenry County nor the Village of Lake in the Hills requires a building permit for stairlift installation. If you live in an HOA community like Boulder Ridge or Princeton Crossing, the HOA cannot block a medically necessary stairlift under the Fair Housing Act (42 USC 3604(f)(3)(A)).

Yes. The older cottages near Woods Creek Lake — some dating to the 1940s — can have stair widths as narrow as 29 inches. Our Slimline rail fits stairs down to 28.5 inches wide. The seat folds up to 14 inches when not in use, so the staircase stays passable for other family members. The track hugs the stair-side wall, not the banister side, leaving the handrail unobstructed.

Curved staircases — like the ones with 90-degree turns at the landing in Boulder Ridge Estates — need a custom-bent rail. We come out with a laser measurement tool and map every angle and rise in about an hour. The rail is fabricated offsite to match your stairs exactly, then installed in a second visit. Total timeline from measurement to install is usually two weeks. The rail follows the inside curve of the staircase and the seat parks at the top or bottom landing, whichever you prefer.

Yes. The Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant covers up to $6,800 for service-connected veterans and up to $2,000 for non-service-connected veterans. It is a one-time grant, tax-free, never repaid. Lake in the Hills veterans work with the McHenry VA Clinic at 3715 Municipal Drive in McHenry (part of the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center). Your VA primary care provider writes the medical-necessity statement, and we help with the VA Form 10-0103 submission.

Yes — through the Persons who are Elderly Waiver, which is part of the Illinois Community Care Program (CCP) administered by the Department on Aging. This waiver covers home modifications including stairlifts for Illinois residents 60 and older who would otherwise need nursing-home-level care. There is also the HCBS PD Waiver for adults under 60 with disabilities. Both require a needs assessment. Contact AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois (the Area Agency on Aging covering McHenry County) to start the eligibility screening.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) funds HRAP — grants of up to $50,000 for accessibility improvements, including stairlifts, for low-income and very-low-income Illinois homeowners. You do not apply directly to IHDA; the program runs through local government and nonprofit administrators in McHenry County. HRAP covers health and safety repairs, accessibility modifications, and energy efficiency upgrades. We can point you to the current grant administrator during your assessment.

Start with the in-home assessment — Luis comes to your house, measures your stairs, and gives you a written quote at no charge. For VA: contact the McHenry VA Clinic at 815-759-2306 and request a HISA eligibility appointment with your primary care provider. For Medicaid: call AgeGuide at 800-528-2000 and ask about the Persons who are Elderly Waiver screening. For IHDA HRAP: we'll give you the current McHenry County grant administrator's contact information. We help with the paperwork for all three programs.