Resouces for transferring a stair chair from one home to another
March 17, 2015 2:17 PM Subscribe
We have a stair chair in our home that was used by my husband’s parents. They have since passed away, and we have always thought that we’d like to donate the stair chair to somebody or some organization that could use it. Now, we actually have an acquaintance who, due to health issues, could really use the stair chair in their home.
So, I’ve started to look into moving it. I’ve called around and gotten two estimates for somebody to take out the stair chair and re-install it in the other home. They range from $700-$1000. The acquaintance is on a fixed income and can’t afford to pay that. It would be hard for us to take on this cost also. It is also particularly difficult to swallow, because if we unbolted it from our stairs and heaved the pieces onto the front lawn, we could get somebody to come buy the scrap metal from us, and we’d have money IN our pocket instead of OUT. But we don’t want to do that, we want to have it used, if possible. We called the local Lion’s Club, but they will not do the job, for insurance and liability reasons. So we seem to have hit a dead end. Surely it is better for this to be used than to scrap it, but it’s too expensive to move it someplace where it would be used. Does anyone have any ideas for resources for us to try next, to get the stair chair into this other home in a low-cost way, or funding sources? What do people usually do with perfectly good stair chairs when they aren’t being used in the home any more? (We are in the US.)
So, I’ve started to look into moving it. I’ve called around and gotten two estimates for somebody to take out the stair chair and re-install it in the other home. They range from $700-$1000. The acquaintance is on a fixed income and can’t afford to pay that. It would be hard for us to take on this cost also. It is also particularly difficult to swallow, because if we unbolted it from our stairs and heaved the pieces onto the front lawn, we could get somebody to come buy the scrap metal from us, and we’d have money IN our pocket instead of OUT. But we don’t want to do that, we want to have it used, if possible. We called the local Lion’s Club, but they will not do the job, for insurance and liability reasons. So we seem to have hit a dead end. Surely it is better for this to be used than to scrap it, but it’s too expensive to move it someplace where it would be used. Does anyone have any ideas for resources for us to try next, to get the stair chair into this other home in a low-cost way, or funding sources? What do people usually do with perfectly good stair chairs when they aren’t being used in the home any more? (We are in the US.)
Keep in mind that's only transferable if the sections of the track it rides on are appropriate for the house it's going into, unless track parts are still available for that model. Length of the run, number of turns, etc. would factor in. If you sold it via Craigslist, chances are it would be bought and installed DIY by some elderly person's helpful son in law. If the existing parts work out in the new place, you might be able to hire a handyman to install it for you. I doubt a metal scrapper would pay anything for it.
posted by jon1270 at 2:31 PM on March 17, 2015
posted by jon1270 at 2:31 PM on March 17, 2015
Best answer: Contact your local MS Society or take a look at this list from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
posted by jabes at 2:39 PM on March 17, 2015
posted by jabes at 2:39 PM on March 17, 2015
Get in touch with local place selling them...I am having one installed here next week. There is installation fee and monthly rental. The place you call can determine if they ca reinstall it elsewhere or if they might buy it.
posted by Postroad at 3:01 PM on March 17, 2015
posted by Postroad at 3:01 PM on March 17, 2015
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posted by Ironmouth at 2:31 PM on March 17, 2015 [1 favorite]