Residential Elevators

By Author: John den Haan
Total Articles: 3764
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If you you are mobility challenged, chances are that you experience major difficulties walking the stairs of your house. For many persons, a situation like this might ultimately lead to the eventual installation of a stair lift. However, in case you have a narrow or curved stairway, have obesity problems or are simply not able to leave your wheelchair, a stair lift might just not be suitable for your particlar situation. Instead, you might be better served by the installation of a residential elevator. Having a lift at home may sound extremely luxurious, but as a growing amount of satisfied owners can testify, it may simply be a bare necessity to the elderly or disabled. So, if it happens to be the case that your home is fitted with a narrow or curved stairway, consider making a comparison of the cost and benefits of a residential elevator with those of a stair lift.

A great advantage of a residential elevator, is that having one will likely positively influence the value of your house. A regularly maintained elevator will keep its value almost for a lifetime. In fact, home lifts are one of the most common amenities installed ...
... to increase the value of newbuilt real estate. Thanks to modern technology and due to recent price drops, a residential elevator is now an acceptable solution to persons wanting to improve the quality of daily life. The old advice of 'simply' moving to a single-leveled home once the stairway becomes an obstacle, simply is no longer valid. People that are still giving out this advice really underestimate the mental effects that come with being forced to move one's home.

If you are planning to purchase a residential elevator, the most appropriate moment to have one mounted, is during the actual construction of the home. Unfortunately, during construction time, most real estate owners forget that they may one day be in dire need of assisted vertical transportation. Since lifts need a foundation, a shaft, an engine and multiple (mostly two) access points, not all houses can accomodate an elevator 'out of the box'. Chances are therefore, that major adaptations are needed before being able to have a residential elevator installed. Several of these adaptations might have large aesthetic and/or financial consequences. In order to be brought up to speed on your home's suitability, you would do well to consult a local installer before having the elevator installed. They will send an engineer to survey your house for any possible issues. The report handed to you afterwards may include a price quote for having the work done by the installation firm themselves. In order to compile a non-subjective opinion of your house, make sure to have it inspected by different firms.

If your home is appropriate for elevator installation, the time is right to start worrying about the more subtle details of the lift in question. The most important factors that determine the cost of your residential elevator are travel height, amount of stops and the lift's cabin capacity (weight). In general, the lower these values, the less expensive your investment will be. Another factor that could greatly influence your choice of elevator, is drive type. There are many types of drives, including the cable hydraulic drive, chain hydraulic drive and the vacuum lift. Each system has its own (dis-)advantages in noise, speed, durability, capacity and cost. Make sure you are well-informed by your local company, so you can make a good decision. Finally, you probably want to make sure the interior of the lift cabin has all the features you seek. Things you could consider are a telephone jack, an emergency button and gate type. An accordeon-type gate is generally recommended, since a scissor-type gate could potentially close on your fingers when used incorrectly.