From Whiteville and Tabor City out to Lake Waccamaw, Chadbourn, Fair Bluff and Riegelwood, most homes in Columbus County sit on their own rural lots. The county is classified as 89.7% rural, and much of the housing is older single-family construction built for farm country, not newer multi-story suburban houses.
That shapes what a stair lift job looks like here. Many homes are ranch-style or manufactured homes where the hardest climb is the front or back steps, not an inside staircase. Below we walk through how local homes, flat swampy land and flood history affect your options, and which programs may help with the cost.
Single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes and manufactured homes make up most of the housing here. In a two-story detached house with a plain run of stairs, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest and least costly fit.
Older farmhouses sometimes have narrow or turning staircases. Those call for a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs, so we measure in person before giving any quote.
In ranch-style and manufactured homes, the living space is often on one floor. The trouble spot is the entry steps, and that is where an outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can make getting in and out of the house safer.
Columbus County lies in the coastal plain, with the 15,907-acre Green Swamp in the northeast and the Lumber River and Waccamaw River systems draining the land. You will not find steep hills, but you will find low ground and real flood risk.
Hurricane Florence in 2018 damaged many homes in the county. If your home has had water damage or repairs since then, tell us. We check the condition of steps, porches and framing before mounting anything, and outdoor lifts use weather-rated parts meant to stand up to humid, wet conditions.
Platform lifts can also help where a wheelchair or walker needs to get from the yard to a porch without steps.
About 19.7% of residents are 65 or older, and 59.4% own their homes. Homeowners can usually approve a permanent install on their own, while renters will need the landlord to sign off.
If a parent served, it is worth calling Columbus County Veterans Services on Pinckney Street in Whiteville at (910) 640-6638 before you pay out of pocket, since they can explain which VA benefits apply.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce lists Columbus County as economically distressed, with an economy built on farming and a shrinking manufacturing base. For many families, that means looking at public programs before paying privately.
NC Medicaid's CAP/DA waiver includes a service category called equipment, modification and technology, and the VA has several housing grants. Read the program notes below carefully, since not every program pays for stair lifts.
For local guidance, the Region N - Lumber River Council of Governments AAA in Lumberton serves older adults in the area at (910) 775-9781. North Carolina also offers the Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion (G.S. 105-277.1), which does not buy a lift but may ease other housing costs.
A Medicaid waiver for disabled adults 18 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care; it funds 18 home and community services, including equipment, modification and technology, though its source does not mention stair lifts by name. Apply through the local CAP/DA case-management entity serving Columbus County or call (888) 245-0179.
A VA grant for medically necessary home changes, with a lifetime maximum of $6,800 for service-connected disabilities and $2,000 for other qualifying disabilities. The VA states that stair glides and other removable equipment are not covered, so it does not pay for a stair lift.
Grants for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026. The source describes ramps and wider doorways and does not mention stair lifts, so ask Columbus County Veterans Services at (910) 640-6638 how it applies to your home.
Older adults
4721 Fayetteville Road, Lumberton, 28358
Veterans
805 Pinckney Street, Whiteville, 28472
Often the issue in a ranch-style or manufactured home is the entry steps rather than an inside staircase. An outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift is usually the better fit there.
CAP/DA covers a category called equipment, modification and technology for adults 18 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care, but its listing does not name stair lifts. A case manager decides what is approved, so call (888) 245-0179 to start.
No. The VA says HISA does not cover removable equipment such as stair glides, porch lifts or portable ramps. It may still help with other structural changes to the home.
Columbus County Veterans Services is at 805 Pinckney Street in Whiteville, and the phone number is (910) 640-6638.
Yes. The Region N - Lumber River Council of Governments AAA is at 4721 Fayetteville Road in Lumberton and can be reached at (910) 775-9781.
Usually, yes. We inspect the stairs, porch and framing first, since flood damage can weaken the spots where a rail or platform mounts, and we will tell you if repairs should come first.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
