Vertical Lifting Platforms

A vertical platform lift, often called a porch lift or a VPL, carries a person and their wheelchair straight up. There is no transfer: you roll onto the platform, press and hold a button, and get off at the top still seated in your own chair.

When a lift is the answer instead of a ramp

Ramps are simpler and cheaper, but they need length. The usual guidance is about a foot of ramp for every inch of rise, so a 36 inch porch needs roughly 30 feet of ramp, plus landings if it has to turn. Many front gardens and side entrances simply do not have that space, and a long ramp can be hard work to self-propel up in the first place.

A vertical lift takes a few square feet of ground regardless of the height it travels. Where the rise is more than a couple of steps, or where the ground is tight, it is usually the more practical answer.

What decides which lift you need

The travel height, measured from the ground to the surface you are getting onto. A few inches either way can change which models qualify.

The platform size, which has to suit the chair and the person. A large power chair needs considerably more room than a manual one, and a turning space at the top matters too.

Whether it is indoors or outdoors, since an outdoor lift needs weatherproofing, drainage and appropriate finishes.

And capacity, remembering it must carry the occupant, the chair and anything being carried. A power chair alone can weigh over 300 lbs.

Installation is a project, not a delivery

Most vertical lifts need a level concrete pad, an electrical supply and, in many municipalities, a permit and inspection. That is normal, and we handle it, but it means a lift is planned rather than ordered off a page. Lead times run to weeks.

Getting started

Measure the total rise if you can, and tell us whether the lift is for indoors or outside and what chair will be using it. We will visit, measure properly and tell you what will work. Contact us to arrange a site survey.