Accessibility installation and service across Issaquah — the three-story homes of the Highlands and the genuinely steep lots on Squak, Tiger and Cougar Mountain.
Issaquah sits in a valley ringed by three mountains, and that geography produces two distinct accessibility problems. On the slopes of Squak, Tiger and Cougar Mountain, homes are built into real grade — driveways above living space, long exterior stair runs, and lots where the hardest part of the day is getting from the car to the door.
Up in the Highlands, the challenge is vertical in a different way: tall, efficiently packed three-story homes where the garage is on one level, the living space on another, and every bedroom above that. Both problems are solvable, and they call for different equipment. Outside Seattle city limits the elevator permit itself comes from Washington State L&I rather than the city, while the city issues the building permit. We handle both.
Steep lots need engineering rather than improvisation. We survey the slope properly and design the track to what’s actually there.
Very unlikely. Inclined trams are built specifically for grades that rule out ramps and make long stair runs unsafe, and the mountain lots around Issaquah are squarely in that range. What needs checking is soil, drainage, and build access rather than steepness itself.
Yes. Outdoor stairlifts and trams are weather-rated, with sealed components and corrosion-resistant hardware, and they run on batteries so they keep working during a power outage — which matters more in the foothills than it does in the city.
Usually, and it’s one of the better applications for one. A three-stop residential elevator serving garage, main floor and bedroom level turns a tall, efficient house into one that works at any age. Our residential elevator guide covers the options.
Washington State L&I, with the City of Issaquah issuing the building permit for the structural work. We manage both, along with scheduling the inspection.
Send a photo of the slope or the stairs and we’ll tell you what’s realistic before scheduling a site visit.
