Bad Axe went from 190 residents in 1880 to 2,140 by 1920, and a lot of the houses built in that stretch are still standing. The same is true in Port Austin, Harbor Beach and Caseville: two-story farmhouses and vernacular frame homes with the bedrooms upstairs. When the stairs get hard, those layouts leave few options short of moving.
Huron County sits at the northern tip of Michigan's Thumb, with Lake Huron on the east and Saginaw Bay on the west and south. From Sebewaing and Pigeon to Kinde, Port Hope and Owendale, many homes are a long drive from the nearest hospital or contractor. That makes a well-fitted stair lift a practical way to stay in a familiar house.
Most late-19th and early-20th-century farmhouses have one main staircase to the second floor. If that run is straight from bottom to top, a straight rail is usually the simplest and quickest install. We check the width, the condition of the treads and where the rail can anchor in older framing.
Some of these homes have a turn, a landing or a narrow winding section. Those call for a curved rail built to the exact shape of your stairs. We measure on site before recommending one, because the shape of the staircase decides the lift, not the other way around.
Not every home here is an old farmhouse. Ranch-style homes often keep the laundry or storage in the basement, and a lift on that flight keeps the whole house usable. Split-level homes have short flights between levels, which can sometimes be handled with a straight lift on the stretch you use most.
Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings are a different situation. A renter needs the owner's permission before anything is attached to a shared stairway, so it helps to raise the question with the landlord early.
The county's terrain is mostly flat with some rolling hills, so the hard part is usually the steps at the door rather than a steep yard. An outdoor lift built for the weather can handle porch or deck stairs. If a wheelchair has to come along, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat.
Being bordered by Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay means wind and wet seasons, so outdoor units need covers and weather-rated parts. We talk through how the lift will be stored and kept clean between uses.
The 2020 census found 26.2% of Huron County residents were 65 or older, compared with 19.6% across Michigan, and the median age was 49.6. About 69.9% of residents own their homes, which means many families are making decisions about a house they plan to keep.
The Huron County Veterans Affairs Office is at 250 E. Huron Ave, Room 101‑E, in Bad Axe, and can be reached at (989) 269-8911.
None of the local and federal programs below states plainly that it pays for stair lifts, and one VA grant excludes them outright. Some cover accessibility work or home repairs in general, so they are still worth a call. Ask each one directly whether a stair lift qualifies in your case.
For aging services, Region 7 Area Agency on Aging works through the Human Development Commission in Bad Axe at (989) 269-9502. The office listing for the Thumb area also names Region 3B AAA (Thumb Area) at 6240 W. Main St., Suite 7, Cass City, at (989) 673-4121. Statewide options include the MSHDA Property Improvement Program (PIP) and MI Coordinated Health (formerly MI Health Link).
A Medicaid home and community-based services program administered locally through the Human Development Commission office in Bad Axe; the source does not list stair lift or home modification coverage. Call (989) 269-9502 to ask.
Serves adults 60 and older and adults with disabilities in Huron County, including access to Medicaid MI-Choice; stair lift coverage is not listed. Call (989) 269-9502.
A lifetime grant of $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status, for veterans with a VA physician's prescription; it specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying permanent and total service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home; stair lifts are not listed. Call (800) 827-1000.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants limited to those 62 and older; funds can make a home accessible for a household member with a disability, though stair lifts are not named.
Offers advocacy, independent living skills, information and referral, and peer support for Huron County residents with a disability of any age; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed. Call (586) 268-4160.
Helps seniors and low-income families on fixed incomes with repairs such as roofs, furnaces and wells, and has repaired 45 homes in Huron County since 2019; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (810) 664-7111.
Older adults
6240 W. Main St., Suite 7, Cass City, 48726
Veterans
250 E. Huron Ave, Room 101‑E, Bad Axe, 48413
Usually, yes. A straight staircase takes a straight rail, while stairs with a landing or turn need a curved rail made to measure. We look at the framing and stair width on site before recommending anything.
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so call the VA at (800) 827-1000 or the Huron County Veterans Affairs Office at (989) 269-8911 to ask about your situation.
Region 7 Area Agency on Aging serves adults 60 and older through the Human Development Commission in Bad Axe at (989) 269-9502. Its listing does not spell out stair lift coverage, so ask what services apply.
The Section 504 program is for very-low-income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas. Grants up to $10,000 are for owners 62 and older and can go toward making a home accessible, though stair lifts are not named.
Only with the building owner's permission, since the lift attaches to the stairs. Talk to the landlord first, then we can measure.
Outdoor units are built with weather-rated parts and covers for wind and wet conditions. For porch steps where a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift may be the better fit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
