Many parts of Paisley feature rows of Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses. These are typically two or three stories tall and often have distinctive architectural details such as bay windows, ornate stonework, and decorative brickwork. They were built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are characterised by their elegant and traditional designs.
Paisley also has its fair share of tenement buildings, which are multi-story apartment buildings often constructed with sandstone. Tenements can range from simple, utilitarian designs to more ornate and decorative facades. They were a common form of housing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and can still be found throughout the town.
These styles of properties were often built with narrow steep staircases.
Victorian staircases are a masterpiece of architectural and design craftsmanship, characterised by their attention to detail, ornate decoration, and use of high-quality materials. However, living in a Victorian property can have its downsides as we age.
Climbing the stairs can become a problem when we get older, and aside from relocating to a bungalow, a stairlift is often the cheapest solution.
So, which stairlift is best for a narrow staircase?
Thankfully, there are usually a couple of options depending on the width of the narrow staircase. The all-important measurement is taken from the inside of the newel post to the stringer on the wall side. The stringer is the wooden edge running along the wall side of the stairs.
Based on this measurement, there’s usually the option of a narrow seated stairlift or a standing stairlift.
The standing stairlift
While we refer to it as a standing stairlift, it’s actually a perched-seat stairlift. This is a great solution for narrow stairs where the user finds it difficult to bend their knees or sit in a seated position. As we get older, this can be common due to a number of reasons, including arthritis in the knees or hips, knee or hip replacements, or post-op surgery.
A perched seat stairlift allows the user to perch on the shallow seat, taking some of their weight, but maintaining an almost upright position. This reduces their overall spin-to-knee measurement, preventing knee clashes with the bannister, often occurring on narrow stairlifts in a seated position.
There are not as many manufacturers of stand-up stairlifts as traditional seated stairlifts, but should you want the choice, specialist stairlift companies offer the standing stairlift solution.
As mentioned, the stand-up stairlift is a great solution for numerous reasons, but it isn’t always a viable option for some. If you have lower ceilings than standard and are particularly tall, there may be potential for a bulkhead clash. If you consider travelling up and downstairs in an upright position, we need to check there’s adequate clearance where the ceiling overhangs the lower section of the staircase.
The surveyor would check this during a free site survey.
The seated stairlift for narrow stairs
One seated stairlift on the market will work on staircases as narrow as 620mm. There are some caveats to this: your knees must not stick out further than the footplate, so it might not be an option for a particularly tall person.
Stairlift Experts offer both options, so if you know you have a narrow staircase and you’re not sure which option is right for you, please get in touch for free advice.