Washington Township splits down the middle geographically — the western two-thirds sit flat in the Great Appalachian Valley, while the eastern third climbs onto the ridges of South Mountain. That split shows up in the stairs I see: valley homes tend toward simpler single-flight layouts, while the South Mountain side has more houses built into the slope with steeper runs. Eight properties in the township are on the National Register of Historic Places, and older staircases in that stock — part of the 4,840 housing units counted in 2000 — often need a closer look before a rail goes in than a newer valley build does.
Why a stairlift installed in Washington, PA is planned around the way this specific community lives, not stamped out from a one-size-fits-all template.
The township straddles two distinct landforms: its western two-thirds lie in the flat Great Appalachian Valley while its eastern third rises onto the ridges and valleys of South Mountain, producing meaningful elevation variation across the township.
Source ↗Washington Township (Franklin County) has eight properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places alongside a housing stock of 4,840 units (2000 census) serving 14,897 residents (2020), reflecting a mix of older preserved buildings and standard single-family construction.
Source ↗15.8% of the township's population was 65 or older (2000 census), with a median household income of $45,165 — a modest, stable rural Franklin County income profile.
Source ↗The kinds of staircases and installs we see across Washington's older and newer homes alike. Drag to scroll, or use the arrows and dots below.
Luis bolted everything to the treads and showed my husband the controls three times until he had it down. My husband has Parkinson's, and the colonial staircase was getting dangerous. Three-hour install, and the seat swivels right at the top landing so he can step off safely.
Two other companies told us it couldn't be done. Luis measured everything in our 1820s farmhouse with the original stone staircase, ordered a custom straight rail, and had it installed in a morning. My mother-in-law moved back to her upstairs bedroom that same week.
The freeze-thaw cycle ices over our stone steps every January and it scared me half to death watching my father go down them. The outdoor lift has run two winters now without hesitation, IP55-rated, and the rail still looks new. He uses it every day to get out to the car.
Luis showed us the indoor inclined platform — flat black deck, yellow safety edges, white handrail. Safety sensors stop the platform if anything blocks the path. It's rated to 600 lb and folds against the wall when my husband isn't using his wheelchair on it.
Our staircase makes a ninety-degree turn at the upper landing with a half-wall, and the rail hugs the wall tightly around the curve. Luis laser-measured it, the custom rail came in a few weeks later, and the install took about four hours. Quiet, smooth, no complaints.
Straight rail on the carpeted stairs in our old Pen Mar cottage. Luis bolted it through the carpet into the wood treads without tearing anything, and the seat matches the upholstery. My mother is up and down to her bedroom on her own again for the first time in a year.
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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, Washington PA | $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 Franklin market | $50,000+ Plus relocation stress | $50,000+ Loss of community ties |
| Assisted living facility Franklin 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 Pennsylvania Department of Elder Affairs. Figures reflect Washington metro averages.
Most Washington 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 →
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(800) 965-0350 Call Now. It's FreeWe install throughout Washington Township, Franklin County, which wraps around the borough of Waynesboro. In Wayne Heights, mid-century colonials and two-stories often have a 90° turn at the upper landing that calls for a curved rail. Zullinger and the township's 1800s stone farmhouses have narrow staircases and thick stone treads needing masonry fasteners. Pen Mar and Blue Ridge Summit hold early-1900s summer cottages with carpeted stairs. Rouzerville, Monterey, Charmian, and Eastland Hills round out our coverage, and we also reach Waynesboro, Greencastle, and Chambersburg nearby.
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Compare Our Washington Stairlifts
Select a stairlift on the leftabove to see full specs, pricing, and how it compares to the alternatives.
Stairlift Types
Most common · From $2,800
Fits the standard staircases in Wayne Heights colonials and township split-levels. The rail bolts to the treads — no wall drilling — with battery backup standard for Pennsylvania power outages, a swivel seat with safety lock, two wireless remotes, and fold-up seat, arms, and footrest. About a three-hour install.
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
Built for the winding staircases in Washington Township's historic stone farmhouses and homes with landings. A one-hour on-site laser measurement captures every angle, then the rail is factory-bent to match — no two are alike. It handles 90°, 180°, or spiral turns with a powered swivel at the top landing.
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.
Weatherproof · From $4,000
IP55-rated for Cumberland Valley freeze-thaw winters — runs through snow and ice on Rouzerville porch steps and stone farmhouse entries. UV-resistant seat, all-weather corrosion protection, storm-rated anchors, lockable key switch, and sealed control panels. Won't seize or void warranty outdoors.
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
Rated to 600 lb with a reinforced dual-tube rail and a 22-inch padded seat for higher-weight riders. Extended footrest and armrests, a weight-rated safety harness, and a larger motor built for daily use without strain, plus battery backup for the long winter outages out here.
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 Franklin, PA.
Washington Stairlift Specialist · 15+ years of experience
(800) 965-0350 [email protected]Proven local experience. Licensed. Insured. No surprises.
Every home is different. Here are six recent installs from Franklin County. Tap any project to see the full gallery, tech specs, and the story behind it.
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Straight Stairlift, Standard Use
Estimated: $2,750 – $5,400
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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.
Straight-rail lifts run less than curved ones because the rail is stock, not custom-bent, and a fair share of homes on the valley side of the township have a single straight flight — that keeps the quote toward the lower end. Homes up toward South Mountain, or older stock near those eight National Register-listed properties, are more likely to need a curved rail if the staircase turns or has a landing partway up. With a median household income around $45,165 in the township, most homeowners here ask about the funding programs below or a PATF loan before committing to either option.
Buying outright is a one-time cost plus occasional battery replacement — the lift runs on a battery that trickle-charges off household power, so it still works if the power goes out. Renting is available too and comes with a monthly fee, which some Washington Township homeowners prefer when the need is temporary, say recovering from a hip surgery, rather than a permanent mobility change.
No. Medicare treats a stairlift as a home modification, not durable medical equipment, so it's excluded no matter what a doctor recommends. That's exactly why the county and state programs below matter more here than a Medicare claim would — especially the CHC Waiver, which is the one Pennsylvania Medicaid benefit that explicitly names stairlifts as a covered home adaptation.
A straight flight in one of the flatter valley-side homes is usually a same-day job, start to finish. Anything on the South Mountain side of the township, where the terrain outside tends to translate to steeper or turned staircases inside, often needs the rail custom-measured and fabricated first, which adds time before install day.
The rail attaches to the treads or the adjacent wall, not into the stringers, so it doesn't require structural changes. That said, the township has eight properties on the National Register of Historic Places, and if your staircase falls into that category or is simply original to an older build, I'll walk it first and flag anything — loose treads, older wood that needs reinforcing — before we run a rail on it.
Start with Pennsylvania's Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver — it's the Medicaid program that explicitly covers stairlifts as a home adaptation, approved case-by-case through your managed-care plan's person-centered service plan, with no fixed dollar cap published. Apply through the PA Independent Enrollment Broker at 1-866-550-4355. If you're not on Medicaid, call the Franklin County Area Agency on Aging at 717-263-2153 (800-642-6990 toll-free) — they're the local intake point for the OPTIONS program and can tell you what else you qualify for.
VA Specially Adapted Housing grants top out at $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026, and either can go toward a stairlift as part of an approved home-modification plan. Temporary Residence Adaptation grants run $50,961 or $9,100 if you're renting or living with family instead of owning outright. Call 1-800-827-1000 to start the application — it runs through the VA directly, not the county.
The PA Assistive Technology Foundation offers a 0% mini-loan up to $7,000 or a 3.75% loan up to $60,000, with no income limit — often the fastest route if you don't want to wait on a waiver approval. Franklin County's Whole Home Repair Program, administered locally by Luminest Community Development at 717-977-3900, covers accessibility work as part of home rehab, but it's currently waitlist-only with an estimated 8-to-14-month wait. The Center for Independent Living Opportunities (CILO) at 717-849-0991 won't fund a lift directly but can help you sort out which waiver actually fits your situation.
These are the three guides our Washington customers read most often before booking. Written by our installers, not marketers.
VA HISA grants, SAH/SHA adaptations, and exactly how to file, for service-connected and non-service-connected claims.
VA HISA, Medicaid waivers, IRS medical deduction, state grants, and 0% financing, with the actual forms you need.
Straight vs curved, standard vs heavy-duty, indoor vs outdoor. A read that saves you from buying the wrong model.
Washington Stairlift Specialist · 15+ yrs
I've worked jobs on both sides of Washington Township — down in the valley where the lots run flat and the staircase is usually one simple flight, and up toward South Mountain where the grade outside often matches a steeper run inside the house. Close to 22% of the township is 65 or older, and most of the calls I get here aren't emergencies — they're people planning ahead so they can stay in a house they've owned for years. Franklin County doesn't have the dense new subdivisions you'll find closer to Harrisburg, so a lot of what I install is on older, established lots where the stairs were built long before anyone thought about a lift.
Washington Township's housing runs from 18th-century stone farmhouses to mid-century colonials and mountain summer cottages — no single rail fits them all, which is why Luis measures every job himself. Most straight-rail installs finish in about three hours, bolted to the treads so your walls and trim stay untouched.
Funding help is real here: VA HISA grants for veterans, the Pennsylvania Community HealthChoices waiver, and the Franklin County OPTIONS program. Call (800) 965-0350 to set a free in-home measurement, and we'll walk through every option before you commit to anything.
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