Our answers to your home adaptation questions

Home adaptations are not always expensive. A stairlift on a straight staircase can be cost as little as £1,550. If you want to stay in the home you love, it will most likely be significantly cheaper than the cost of moving or ongoing care costs.

Yes. We have a team of expert tradespeople, so as well as fitting stairlifts and home lifts we can handle the building, plumbing and electrical work that comes with any home adaptation project.

We have plenty of happy customers that we can put you in contact with if you would like a reference.

We are not messy! We work hard to minimise disruption to your home. We’ll always explain the work that we’re doing and how long it will take to complete. Some jobs, such as cutting a hole in the ceiling for a home lift, do create dust but we always tidy up after ourselves.

We directly serve South Wales, as we are based in Cardiff but are happy to work further afield in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, mid-Wales and the Valleys. If you live outside the area we usually serve, please do still get in touch as we can refer you to appropriate lift installers and home adaptation specialists near to you.

We work with PayPal to allow you to spread the cost of your payment. PayPal Credit is available to use in your PayPal wallet and accepted at thousands of online stores.

We do have access to refurbished stairlifts and are happy to discuss this as an option. We don’t recommend purchasing used stairlifts independently online, as it’s important that they are rigorously tested and fitted by an expert.

We’ll come and visit as soon as we can. The actual visit will usually take around an hour as we like to understand exactly what you’re trying to achieve, so we can suggest the most appropriate solution.

A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a mandatory council grant that helps to meet the costs of adapting a disabled person’s home so that they can continue to live there as independently as possible. It can cover a broad range of home adaptations.

The latest information on the DFG in Wales can be found on the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales page.

A stairlift is a motorised chair that glides up and down stairs on a rail, which is attached to the treads (steps) of the staircase. They can be fitted on straight or curved stairs and offer a way for someone with decreased mobility to tackle the stairs with ease.

You will never be stranded! Stairlifts have remote controls with a ‘call button’.  This means that if you’re at the top and the chair is at the bottom (and vice versa) you can call the lift to you.

Stairlifts can be installed in a huge number of homes. There are lots of different options to suit your individual needs. No house is the same, so we come to look at your stairs before we give you a price.

Stairlifts are cheaper than home lifts. As a guide, the typical range is £1,550 – £7,000 depending on the type of stairlift (straight or curved), brand, style and the level of automation. We can give a more accurate price after a survey.

Our straight stairlifts start from £1,550 Our curved stairlifts start at just over £4,000. Contact your local authority, as you may be eligible for grant funding.

Straight from £1,550 – £3,000
Curved From £4,000 – £6,500
Refurbished from £900.
Rent from £10* per month *this may change

A stairlift is usually a relatively straight-forward job with little change needed. In some cases we might need to adapt overhanging shelves, window sills to give the lift the clearance it needs to work safely but we’ll always advise of this when we come to
give you a quote.

Straight and curved stairlifts can be installed in a few hours. Complicated curved stairlifts can take a little longer but all are completed within a working day.

A stairlift isn’t noisy. Imagine the sound a microwave makes, and this will give you an idea of how loud a stairlift is,

Yes. There is a safety belt so you can’t fall, and the speed that the lift moves at is steady. Our qualified engineers are fully trained and approved to install the stairlifts we use, so we are confident that your lift is safe and ready for use when we leave you.

We currently install lifts made by Access BDD, Flow-X, Brooks / Acorn.

No problem, just drop us an email at hello@adaptmyhome.co.uk or call us on 029 20 611 277, and we’ll happily answer any additional questions you may have.

Alternatively, fill out our contact form, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Bathroom trends come and go and your bathroom that was installed, what may seem only a few years ago, may suddenly be out of fashion.

Recent product design and innovation have made way for a multitude of bathroom design options – such as a vast range of tile textures and sizes, mood and energy-efficient lighting, remote control features and a plethora of shower cubicle designs and showering options. Whatever your reasons for updating your bathroom we are happy to work with you to help you achieve your dream bathroom.

Adaptmyhome are happy to meet with you to discuss how we can work with your existing bathroom to make it more accessible. It doesn’t have to be done in one go, we’d be happy to install bathroom aids, such as grab rails and bathing aids, as and when you need them to be installed.
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When we design your bathroom, we’ll discuss options on how to make it future proof. Simple things like the style and position of your toilet, the type of shower tray, door and shower opening widths or where grab rails will need to be placed, can make a big difference later on when bathroom aids are required. A careful, sensible design approach means that future aids can be installed without having to make further alterations to your bathroom, meaning reduced disruption and cost further down the line.

​Adaptmyhome are happy to meet with you to discuss how we can work with your existing bathroom to make it safer and more accessible to you.

We can supply and install simple aids that will improve accessibility and safety such as grab rails or a shower seat. If you want to make changes but don’t want to completely overhaul your existing bathroom, that’s no problem, we have a range of bathroom solutions that can be installed with minimum fuss. For example, we can replace your bath with a walk-in bath or a walk-in shower cubicle – complete with grab rails and shower seating. These bathroom products can be installed without having to alter the rest of your bathroom.

Whatever your needs, Adapatymome can find a bathroom solution to help make life easier. From simple aids such as grab rails, a specialist bath, an overhead hoist or a new extension to create a specialist bathroom, we are here to work with you and explore your options. View our disabled bathroom page to find out more.

You may find that you need to convert an existing ground floor space or create a new room to accommodate a bathroom for a family member with restricted mobility. We can help advise on how best to make the changes, recommend products to be used and carry out the installation from start to finish. Contact us to discuss the way forward.

Wetrooms are becoming increasingly popular; not only do they add a touch of style to your home, but they can also be a practical choice for adding improved accessibility to the shower plus creating extra room for assisted bathing.

​You don’t need a large bathroom space to create a wet room. To find out more about wet room options, visit our wet room page.

A wetroom is a type of bathroom that has a completely waterproofed and drained floor, which allows the entire room to be used as a shower area. Wetrooms are often designed to be wheelchair accessible, and they can be a good option for people with mobility challenges or disabilities. Wetrooms are also becoming increasingly popular as a design choice for people who want a modern, minimalist look in their bathroom.

In a wetroom, the shower area is typically separated from the rest of the room by a glass panel or screen, and the entire floor is sloped towards a drain. Water from the shower is collected in the drain and carried away through a plumbing system, which helps to prevent water from accumulating on the floor. Wetrooms can be fitted with a range of showering options, including overhead showers, handheld showers, and body jets. They may also include features like grab bars, seating, and non-slip flooring to make them safer and more accessible for people with mobility challenges. Wetrooms can be more expensive to install than traditional bathrooms, as they require specialized waterproofing and drainage systems, but they can be a good choice for people who want a functional and stylish bathroom that is easy to maintain.

A home lift is like a commercial lift found in a hospital or hotel but smaller. They’re designed to take fewer people, so the lift mechanisms are simpler.

Home lift mechanisms can be hydraulic or electric. Hydraulic lifts need a small separate pump unit, which is usually sited outside but can be located inside your home. Electric lifts have a motor box that fits on the upper-level ceiling, or above the lift. Home lift sizes vary from one person sitting or standing up to three people, or a wheelchair and attendant. They can accommodate heavy battery-powered mobility chairs.

There are two types of home lift, those that require a shaft and those that don’t. Without a shaft is called ‘through the floor’.

A home lift requiring a shaft will either be an electric, hydraulic or a traction lift. These types of lifts are more robust than a ‘through the floor’ option, but they have a larger footprint and are more expensive.

A hydraulic home lift usually requires an external ‘power pack’ to house a small pump and hydraulic fluid. The fluid is pumped into a hydraulic ram, hidden within the lift guide rails, which pushes the lift upwards.

An electric home lift can work via a screw and nut system or an overhead cable/motor system. The overhead motor housing can increase the lift height and may not be viable for a room with a low ceiling height.

A disability home lift has a larger footprint than a standing or sit-down home lift, as the lift must accommodate a wheelchair or a wheelchair user and their carer.

Disability home lifts will have more robust mechanisms to help safely carry the additional weight.

A disability home lift will take up a bit more space because entry and exit to the lift needs to be considered.

Stairlifts can be installed in a huge number of homes. There are lots of different options to suit your individual needs. No house is the same, so we come to look at your stairs before we give you a price.

Domestic hydraulic and electric through-the-floor home lifts vary in size; they can accommodate one person sitting or standing, up to three people or a wheelchair and attendant. They can even accommodate heavy battery-powered mobility chairs.

A home lift should work for all family members regardless of ability, it is always good practice to imagine how you may want to use it in the future.

The price of a home lift will depend on the type, make and model of home lift you choose, along with the amount of work required to install the lift into your home. It’s difficult to provide an exact cost, but as a guide:

An electric ‘through the floor’ home lift starts from £9,500.
An electric platform lift in a non-fire retardant shaft starts around £11,000.
A hydraulic ‘through the floor’ home lift starts from around £11,000.
Our lift assessor will be more than happy to discuss prices and options with you during your free no-obligation survey.

The amount of work involved depends on the chosen location of the home lift. Usually, the most straightforward installation is when a ‘through the floor’ home lift is located between a living room and a bedroom. There’s still quite a bit of work involved as we have to expose, trim and strengthen the floor joists to create an opening for the home lift to pass through, this is probably the most complex part of the installation process and can be done without much disruption to the room below.

Many websites claim a home lift can be installed in one or two days, but this just refers to the home lift itself, not the preparation or the decoration. The type of lift and the amount of building work will determine the length of time. Generally, a straightforward installation will require a minimum installation time of three days.

Our assessor will be happy to discuss the installation process with you in more detail, during your home lift survey.

Straight forward ‘through the floor’ home lifts do not affect the existing décor. The upper-level carpet will be rolled back to create the lift aperture; the opening in the ceiling below is carefully made so as not to affect the rest of the ceiling.

For larger projects, we take care of everything, so you don’t have to worry about coordinating different trades. We’ll manage the whole home lift process, and on request, we can arrange for your rooms to be decorated and carpeted before we are finished.

There is a small element of noise when a home lift is in operation; this will vary between the different types of lift mechanisms, generally home lifts are very quiet.

You will never be caught between floors or get stuck in a home lift as they are designed to safely descend to the ground floor in the event of a power cut. Some home lifts have the option of onboard battery backup, so they continue to work in the event of a power cut.

A home lift moves more quickly and safely than a stairlift between floors. The duration will depend on the home lift manufacturer, but it is likely to be less than 40 seconds.

Safety is extremely important to us, and we only supply and install home lifts designed and manufactured to BS5900:2012.

BS 5900:2012 powered home lifts with partially enclosed carriers and no lift way enclosures: is a British Standard specification that covers many aspects of a home lift installation, which includes the requirement to maintain the fire rating of your property whether the lift is parked in the upper or lower position.

There are home lifts on the market that do not comply with this safety standard. When looking to purchase a home lift, always ask for evidence of compliance with BS5900:2012

Some local authorities and charities do provide a full or partial grant. A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a mandatory council grant that helps to meet the costs of adapting a disabled person’s home so that they can continue to live there as independently as possible.

The latest information on the DFG in Wales can be found on the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales page.

We currently use the following home lift manufacturers, Stiltz, Terry Lifts, Pollock Lifts, Access BDD.

No problem, just drop us an email at hello@adaptmyhome.co.uk or call us on 029 20 611 277, and we’ll happily answer any additional questions you may have.