Gunnison County covers about 3,260 square miles of the Gunnison Basin, yet its homes are clustered in four towns: Gunnison, Crested Butte, Mount Crested Butte and Marble. Many of those houses are older and built on several levels, in the style of the mining and ranching years. Others are newer construction that grew up around Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Winter shapes daily life here. Gunnison sits at 7,710 feet, holds a record low of -47F from December 25, 1924, and averages 45.5 inches of snow a year in town. When the stairs inside are steep and the walkway outside is icy, a stair lift can be the difference between staying home and having to move.
Split-level homes and older multi-level houses are common in the county's towns. A split-level often has short runs of stairs between floors, and each run may need its own lift or a lift that follows a turn. We measure every flight before suggesting anything.
A single straight flight in a detached house or single-family home is usually the simplest job: one rail fastened to the stair treads, not the wall. Stairs with a landing, a turn or a narrow width call for a curved rail built to fit that staircase.
Townhouses and walk-up apartments raise different questions. A shared stairwell may need the owner's or association's approval before anything is attached, so it helps to ask early.
Gunnison's valley position lets cold air pool at night, which is why it ranks among the coldest towns in the continental US. Entry steps, porches and decks take the worst of that weather. If the hardest climb is from the driveway to the front door, an outdoor lift or a vertical platform lift may make more sense than an indoor unit.
Outdoor equipment has to handle snow and ice, so we talk through covers, clearing the rail and where the lift parks when not in use. For a wheelchair user, a platform lift avoids the need to transfer onto a seat.
The county's 2020 census vacancy rate was 41.2%, which reflects how many houses here are seasonal or second homes. If a parent lives in one of these homes full time, plan around winter access for the install and any service visits.
For veterans, the county Veterans' Service office at 225 N. Pine St. in Gunnison, (970) 641-7919, is a good first call about VA housing grants.
None of the sources below name stair lifts as a covered item, so treat each one as a question to ask, not a promise. Health First Colorado's Home Modification Benefit and the EBD waiver cover home modifications in general, with a $14,000 lifetime maximum for EBD participants.
USDA Section 504 offers repair loans and, for homeowners 62 or older, grants, in eligible rural areas. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities may look at the VA SAH and SHA grants.
For help sorting this out locally, Gunnison County Health & Human Services at (970) 641-3244 and the Region 10 aging office at (970) 249-2436 can point you toward benefits and services. The program list below has details.
Pays for home modifications, up to a $14,000 lifetime maximum for EBD and several other waivers, when the change is the most cost-effective way to meet a documented need; stair lifts are not listed among the covered examples. Call the Member Contact Center at (800) 221-3943.
Opens access to home and community services, including home modification and accessibility adaptations, for adults 65+ needing a nursing-facility level of care and eligible adults 18-64; stair lifts are not itemized. Call (800) 221-3943.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners 62 or older, for repairs and health and safety hazards; stair lifts are not named. The listed number, (800) 414-1226, is for existing borrower inquiries.
Grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities to buy, build or adapt a home, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026; stair lifts are not itemized. The local Veterans' Service office is at (970) 641-7919.
Grants to smaller local governments, including Gunnison County, which may run owner-occupied rehab programs for low-income homeowners; the source does not mention stair lifts or confirm an active local program.
Free counseling for adults 60+ and adults with disabilities in Gunnison County; the source does not mention stair lifts or home modification funding. Call (970) 249-2436, or the Gunnison County contact at (970) 642-4664.
Advocacy, skills training, benefits counseling and equipment referral for people with disabilities in Chaffee, Lake, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties, by appointment; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (970) 241-0315 or (800) 613-2271.
In-home services, care coordination, Long Term Medicaid help, caregiver support and Medicare Part D counseling for county older adults; no stair lift program is listed. Call (970) 641-3244.
Older adults
145 S. Cascade, Suite 100, Montrose, 81401
Veterans
225 N. Pine St., Gunnison, 81230
The Health First Colorado Home Modification Benefit covers home modifications up to a $14,000 lifetime maximum for EBD waiver participants, but stair lifts are not among the examples it lists. Ask the Member Contact Center at (800) 221-3943 whether your situation qualifies.
The EBD waiver includes adults ages 18-64 who are blind, physically disabled or have an HIV/AIDS diagnosis. Region 10's counseling serves adults 60+ and adults with disabilities, and the Center for Independence in Salida serves people with disabilities in Gunnison County.
Yes, though split-levels often have more than one short flight. Each run is measured, and some homes need a curved rail or separate lifts depending on how the stairs connect.
Outdoor stair lifts and vertical platform lifts are built for entry steps and porches. With Gunnison averaging 45.5 inches of snow in town, we plan for clearing the rail and where the lift sits when not in use.
Call the Veterans' Service office at 225 N. Pine St. in Gunnison, (970) 641-7919. They can explain the VA SAH and SHA grants, which are aimed at veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities.
The property has to be in an eligible rural area, so check the specific address on the USDA eligibility map. The grant portion is limited to homeowners 62 or older who cannot repay a loan.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
