Guilford County's housing tells the story of its mills. When the Cone brothers built large textile mills in Greensboro beginning around 1895-1900, the city grew from village to city within a decade, and frame mill-village cottages went up to house the workers. Many of those cottages still stand, often with the narrow, steep stairs they were built with.
Those cottages sit alongside historic estates such as Dunleith and Bellemeade, later 20th-century construction, and homes spread across 12 towns from High Point and Jamestown to Summerfield, Oak Ridge and Whitsett. That range matters, because the stairs in a 1900s mill cottage and the stairs in a split-level near Lake Brandt call for very different lifts.
Narrow, steep original stairs are the first thing we measure in an early mill-worker cottage. A straight stair lift rides on a rail fastened to the treads, not the wall, so a tight staircase can often still take one. The questions are whether there is enough width to pass by the folded seat and enough room at the top and bottom for a safe transfer.
Larger historic houses bring a different set of questions. Grand staircases in older estates sometimes turn or include a landing, and that usually means a curved rail built to fit that exact stair. Owners of historic homes should also ask about any rules that apply to changes inside the house before work begins.
Split-level homes are common in later construction around the county, and they rarely have one long flight. Short runs between levels may need a lift on each run or one curved rail that follows the turns. We look at which levels hold the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen before suggesting anything.
Townhouses tend to have one straight flight, which is the simplest and usually the quickest install. Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings are harder. With 56.2% of residents owning their homes, a good share of people rent, and a renter will need the landlord's written permission before any rail goes on a shared or interior stair.
Sometimes the hardest stairs are outside: front porch steps, a back deck, or a walkway down to a lower door. An outdoor stair lift uses weather-sealed parts and a cover for the seat. Where someone uses a wheelchair, a vertical platform lift at the entry may work better than a seat.
Guilford County sits in the Piedmont, with the Deep and Haw rivers and lakes such as Lake Townsend and Belews Lake. Homes on sloped lots near the water may have entry stairs on more than one side, so it helps to decide which door will be the everyday way in.
For many families that means a parent who wants to stay in the house in Greensboro, High Point, Pleasant Garden or McLeansville and needs a safe way to reach a second floor.
Veterans should start with Guilford County Veterans Services at 2301 W. Meadowview Road in Greensboro, (336) 641-4684. Older adults and caregivers can reach the Region G - Piedmont Triad Regional Council AAA at 1398 Carrollton Crossing Drive in Kernersville, (336) 904-0300.
Most of the programs below fund home modifications or accessibility work in general, and their source pages do not name stair lifts. That does not rule them out, but you should ask each program directly before counting on it. One program, the VA HISA grant, explicitly excludes stair glides.
For people 60 and older, the Home and Community Care Block Grant services through the Area Agency on Aging are a common starting point. Medicaid members who need a nursing facility level of care can ask about CAP/DA. Other statewide programs to ask about include the NC Innovations Waiver, the Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP/C), and the Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion (G.S. 105-277.1).
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 or older who need a nursing facility level of care, with services that include equipment, modification and technology; the source does not mention stair lifts or a set dollar cap. Call (888) 245-0179.
Helps Medicaid members move from a nursing facility or hospital setting back home, with one-time help that can include accessibility modifications; stair lifts are not named. Call (888) 245-0179.
For people 60 or older with no one able and willing to do the work, covering mobility and accessibility improvements and minor repairs up to $7,000 per person per program year; stair lifts are not named and funding varies by year. Call (800) 662-7030 or confirm Guilford funding through the Piedmont Triad Regional Council AAA.
Serves low-income households in the 12-county Region G area, including Guilford, and its directory listing mentions home modifications such as ramps and elevator/platform or chair lifts, though not stair lifts by name. Call (336) 904-0300.
Pays for medically necessary home changes for veterans, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status, but it explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Call Guilford County Veterans Services at (336) 641-4684.
For veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities to buy, build or remodel a home, up to $126,526 (FY2026); stair lifts are not named in the source. Call (336) 641-4684.
Helps veterans with certain service-connected disabilities adapt a home they own or will own, up to $25,350 (FY2026); stair lifts are not named. Call (336) 641-4684.
Offers 1% repair loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for very low income homeowners 62+ in USDA-eligible rural areas; stair lifts are not named, and each address must be checked for eligibility.
Provides advocacy, peer counseling, information and referral for people with disabilities in Guilford and nearby counties, rather than cash grants; it does not list stair lift funding. Call (336) 419-0784.
Older adults
1398 Carrollton Crossing Drive, Kernersville, 27284
Veterans
2301 W. Meadowview Road, Greensboro, 27407
Often, yes. Straight rails mount to the stair treads, so the main checks are stair width, clearance at the top and bottom, and room for others to pass. A measurement at the house settles it.
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so veterans should ask Guilford County Veterans Services at (336) 641-4684 about their situation.
The Home and Community Care Block Grant offers mobility and accessibility improvements up to $7,000 per person per program year for people 60 and older, when funded in the county that year. Call (800) 662-7030 or the Piedmont Triad Regional Council AAA at (336) 904-0300.
USDA Section 504 is limited to eligible rural areas, and the county has both a dense urban core and unincorporated rural areas. Check your exact address with the USDA Rural Development eligibility tool.
Split-levels usually have several short flights. Depending on the layout, that means a separate straight lift on each flight or one curved rail that follows the turns.
Possibly, but you need written permission from the landlord before installation, especially on a shared stair. The Disability Advocacy Center at (336) 419-0784 can help with advocacy and referrals.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
