This calculator vs. AutoVu Solutions
Two different shapes: AutoVu Solutions is CRM and field-service management software for running a stairlift dealership's quoting, scheduling, and parts-and-service accounts across a whole book of jobs. This page is a free, private worksheet for one question — what should this one stair cost, given its rail, chair, attach, and extras, before you quote it.
What each tool is for
AutoVu Solutions sells CRM and field-service management software built specifically for the stairlift and wider lift trade. Its publicly described feature set covers custom quote templates by lift type with pre-defined pricing structures, an appointments diary for booking sales and service engineers, and an accounts module that invoices stairlift sales and parts linked to an installation or service job, then nets supplier cost invoices against sales invoices for profit-and-loss tracking across the business. It is offered with a free tier for a small team and paid tiers as usage grows, sold as an ongoing account for a dealership rather than a single-job tool. AutoVu Solutions' own site is not reachable from this session to confirm today's plan names or dollar figures, so none is invented here: only its well-documented identity and category — CRM and field-service software built for the stairlift trade — are stated, and no dollar amount for AutoVu Solutions appears on this page.
This calculator does none of what AutoVu Solutions does. It does not hold a customer list, run your appointments diary, or keep a parts-and-service ledger on a server. It takes one stair's lift count, rail type (straight, mid-landing, outdoor, or a custom-bent curved rail), chair type (perch, standard, power-swivel, power-pack, or heavy-duty), attach type (wood, concrete, or open-riser), a folding rail, an extra charge point, a dedicated circuit, removing an existing lift, a permit trip, and a weather kit, and turns that into the per-job price and the walk-away price below which the job loses money — plus, if you already have a number on the table, a check of whether it clears that floor, and a printable customer proposal for that one job. It runs free in any browser, keeps no account, and uploads nothing you type.
| Question | Where to answer it |
|---|---|
| I run a stairlift dealership and need quoting, an appointments diary, and parts-and-service accounts in one system across every job. | AutoVu Solutions, or a comparable lift-trade platform — running a whole dealership is not something this calculator does. |
| What should I charge for this one stair, given its rail, chair, and attach, before I quote it? | This calculator — free, instant, private, no account. |
| How much does a curved rail actually add over a straight one? | This calculator's rail selector, which changes both the kit invoice and the hours together rather than a flat surcharge. |
| Is a customer-supplied lift priced differently from one I sell and install? | This calculator's customer-supplied stair lift guidance and the labor-and-extras pricing either way. |
| Is the number the family just countered with still above my walk-away cost? | This calculator's compare-to-proposed-price check. |
| How does the math behind a stair-lift bid actually work? | This calculator's own pricing walkthrough. |
| Do I need to create an account or sign up to use the tool? | This calculator: no. AutoVu Solutions is used through a dealer account. |
Most accessibility dealers get different value from each: AutoVu Solutions (or a comparable platform) for running quoting, dispatch, and parts-and-service accounts across a dealership and every job it runs, and a private calculator like this one for an instant, no-login gut-check on what one stair should cost before a business system is involved. This page's own figures are a pricing model, not a scheduled job, an invoice, or a signed proposal.
This tool needs no account and no sign-in: it is a static page, the arithmetic runs in your browser, and once it has loaded it keeps working with the connection off — which matters standing in someone's stairwell with a tape measure.
Common questions
Should I use this calculator or AutoVu Solutions?
They do different jobs, and an accessibility dealer of any size may end up using both. AutoVu Solutions sells CRM and field-service management software built for the stairlift and lift trade: custom quote templates by lift type with pre-set pricing, an appointments diary for sales and service engineers, and an accounts module that invoices lift sales and parts against installation and service jobs and nets supplier cost against sales invoices for profit-and-loss tracking, run as an ongoing account for the whole dealership. This calculator does one narrower thing: starting from lift count, straight versus landing versus outdoor versus curved rail, perch versus standard versus power-swivel versus power-pack versus heavy-duty chair, wood versus concrete versus open-riser attach, folding rail, an extra charge point, a dedicated circuit, removing an existing lift, a permit trip, and a weather kit, it turns that into the per-job price and the walk-away price below which the job loses money. It runs free in any browser, keeps no account, and uploads nothing you type. A dealership already running quoting, dispatch, and job-and-parts accounting across a full install schedule is better served by AutoVu Solutions or a comparable platform; an installer who wants an instant, private gut-check on what one stair should cost before opening a business system is in the right place here.
Does this calculator handle a customer-supplied lift?
Yes, and it is where a flat "installed" special breaks. A lift someone already bought secondhand is not the same job as one sold and installed together: no equipment margin, and the fit, wiring, and rail condition still have to be checked before a crew commits labor to it. This calculator's own how-to-charge article covers the contractor-supplied-versus-customer-supplied split in more depth; the calculator itself prices the labor and extras either way, and the walk-away price still tells you the floor.
Is this page affiliated with AutoVu Solutions?
No. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by AutoVu Solutions. AutoVu Solutions is named here only to describe what this calculator is and is not.
Open the Stair Lift Bid Calculator to price your own job.