Expert Stairlift Installation in Spanaway, WA

Most straight stairlift installs in Spanaway take about 3 hours from arrival to cleanup. Curved lifts, which require a pre-bent rail from the factory, take 4 to 6 hours. We bolt the rail directly to the stair treads — no drywall work, no rewiring, no structural changes. The lift plugs into a standard wall outlet and charges its onboard battery. You can use the stairs normally right after we leave.

No. Stairlifts are not considered structural alterations under Pierce County building code. Because the rail mounts to the treads — not the wall framing — and the lift plugs into an existing outlet, no permit is required. This holds true across all of unincorporated Pierce County, including Spanaway, Parkland, and Midland.

Yes — that's exactly what curved stairlifts are built for. In Spanaway, we see a lot of split-level homes from the '70s and '80s where stairs rise to a landing, then make a 90-degree turn. Luis laser-measures the turn radius, rise, and angle on site. The rail is then custom-fabricated to match. The install takes one morning — 4 to 6 hours — and the rail hugs the treads through the turn.

No. The rail bolts directly to the stair treads — never to the wall — so drywall and paint stay untouched. On carpeted stairs, the mounting brackets sit right on the tread surface through the carpet. If you ever remove the lift, the bolt holes in the treads are the only trace, and they're easy to fill. On hardwood stairs, we use protective pads under the brackets.

The VA Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant covers up to $6,800 for veterans with service-connected conditions, and up to $2,000 for those with non-service-connected conditions. It's a one-time grant, tax-free, never repaid. Spanaway's veteran population is significant — about 14.7% of households, many connected to JBLM. To apply, your VA primary care provider writes a medical-necessity statement, which you submit to the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. The nearest VA facilities are the American Lake VA Medical Center at 9600 Veterans Drive SW in Lakewood, and the Puyallup VA Clinic at 11216 Sunrise Boulevard East. We help with the paperwork at your assessment.

The COPES waiver (Community Options Program Entry System) — a 1915(c) HCBS Medicaid waiver administered by Washington DSHS — covers home accessibility modifications for eligible residents. Under COPES, home modifications including stairlifts can be authorized up to $5,000 per instance. To qualify, you must need a nursing-facility level of care and meet income and asset limits ($2,000 individual / $3,000 couple). Pierce County Aging & Disability Resources, at 3602 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, handles the intake. There can be a waitlist, so call them early.

Yes. Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity runs an Aging in Place program that provides home modifications — including stairlifts and ramps — for homeowners age 60+ and disabled veterans, with a project budget cap of $15,000 per household. It's income-based and requires you to own your home. Separately, Pierce County Aging & Disability Resources (the local Area Agency on Aging) can authorize environmental modifications through the COPES waiver for qualifying residents. Both are good starting points — we can help you figure out which one fits your situation.

The two closest VA facilities are the American Lake VA Medical Center at 9600 Veterans Drive SW in Lakewood (about 7 miles away, part of VA Puget Sound Health Care) and the Puyallup VA Clinic at 11216 Sunrise Boulevard East in Puyallup (about 10 miles away, opened 2020). Both provide primary care — you'll need your VA primary care provider to write the HISA medical-necessity statement. The VA Puget Sound system also has a Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service that processes HISA applications. We've helped Spanaway veterans navigate this process for over 15 years.