Home Elevators: A Rising Trend

zzipper I am a person with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and would have loved to stay in my home and put in an elevator but I also had to think of home's hallways and doorways also being accessible. Alas the cost of managing my personal needs required us to move to an apartment that has an elevator and the wide hallways needed for a wheelchair user. If you are building for the long term, check out ADA guides to see what other measurements you might want to modify.

ROBERTA STRAFF I HAVE A DUMB WAITER IN THE HOUSE, BUT AM NOT SURE IF AN ELEVATOR CAN BE PUT THERE, WHO DO I CONTACT ABUT THIS

weimaranermom We recently finished our home in coastal Georgia. Although we watched every penny we spent, we made the investment to install a three stop elevator. We are very healthy and able to climb stairs, but since we intend for this to be our last home, we did it for the future needs. I didn't think we would use it very much, but we use it all the time. When we moved in we sent boxes and furniture up to their respective floors. I load groceries on it and best of all, older guests or handicapped visitors can visit any floor in our home. (The Weimaraners like to ride it too!) Turns out, it is one of the best features of our new home. Well worth the cost.

CAROLE MEYER Hi Pangaea....thanks for using my photo of the elevator shaft we built into our new home here in Portland, Oregon. It is my little office now, and as you say, if and when we need it, my office will move and the elevator will go in. We really felt that while designing our home we should provide for this, since we would like to age in place so to speak. Of course there is always the possibility that I will forget which button to push to get me up or down....but that is yet another problem! Carole

Kelly Tanner We have a lot we just purchased on the west coast and plan to move from the east coast and build a home to be closer to family. We are thinking about including an elevator because we have aging parents and because we want to be able to stay in our home for as long as possible. It was really great to see this article as we were just discussing this with our builder.

maceyred We are currently doing a substantial remodel (adding two floors to a ranch) and our new elevator shaft is in the lobby. My husband would like to make the elevator shaft and carriage glass to enjoy the view of the two storey lobby and through the windows and I would like to make the shaft blend in with the house. The debate continues....

francinerivera We are building an elevated coastal style house in Charleston, SC and have the elevator all framed in. While we couldn't stretch the budget to install it now, it's there for our future needs. Until then, they are extra closets.
This is our last home so we needed to think ahead. Wish we could've had it now though, to help with moving in!

sombrero can anyone give an estimated cost for one of the pneumatic tube elevators, as shown above?

tstubblefield We just bought a new home with two staircases to the second floor and one to the lower level. I have considered the addition of an elevator, to accomodate us as we age and to assist when things need moved throughout the house. The additional cost would be offset by the added convenience it would add. The next step is finding a competent local contractor that can help locate it in the right place and blend it into the house.

lindaeb I'm for it as long as it's not in the garage & intended for cars.

janetred We recently built our dream home. We intended to install a dumb waiter but after getting quotes, realized an elevator was almost the same price. Rather than a hydraulic elevator, an electric elevator is a less expensive choice. They operate on a side rail system much the same as a chair/ stair lift system. With a master bedroom and laundry on the second floor, our elevator is money well spent!

mmohan We love our elevator when we have a lot of groceries to bring in to our 2nd story kitchen!

Cassie Green We're currently getting our building plans approved (Western Australia). It is 3 levels so the designer has included an elevator in the design for future-proofing. Hubby doesn't think it's neccessary but the designer said if we don't want it now to at least leave it as a cupboard in case we want to add it later, there will be no room leftover to add it later.
I will be finishing it completely when we build the house with marble, wood veneer and mirror. I've no idea what i'm doing on the outside of it, it's in a vast wall so I can't do something with the entire wall. Still looking for inspiration.

Rebecca Dear Pangaea; Loved your story about your grandparents. That is what I call pure love! Nice article on elevators as well. thanks for sharing.

carol_stanley Seven years ago we built a 3-level home with the garage on the lower level, kitchen on the second level and a large attic on the third. I would load groceries on the elevator and hoist them up to the kitchen. It saved countless trips up and down stairs with bags. Since I kept all of my seaonal decorations in the attic, we ran the elevator directly into the attic! It was one of the smartest things we ever did. What seemed like a luxury at first, was really a necessity. We sold that house to someone who required an elevator due to physical limitations. We are currently building a 2-level home and there was no question that we should have an elevator! This will be our last home so we are preparing for our own physical limitations and those of our guests. as well as access to seasonal storage, which is on the second floor. If you are debating, do not hesitate!

lizziek What is the minimum closet size for a future elevator. We are designing a home and there is a front closet that could be used in the future.

carolyn4homes As a real estate agent and Boomer with a design background, I've advocated the use of home elevators for quite a few clients as a way to stay in their homes near the family and friends they love or buy the house of their dreams that just happens to be multi-storied. This is the first indepth article I've seen and I love that I can refer people to this article to help them explore the options. Thank you. And, congratulations to the people with the foresight to add an elevator into their design plans.

Kim "Designing in" an elevator to new home or a renovation is worth the trouble, whether you install an elevator at the onset, or wait until your own need arises. We have had an elevator for 15 years allowing wheelchair access to 2/3 of our floors. In areas prone to earthquakes the shear walls (plywood over stud walls) required to install an elevator add to the stability of your home during tremors.
Rarely, the elevator has had mechanical difficulties, but when it does I am thankful our bedroom is on the main floor. Keep that in mind. They are not fool-proof. And if your service provider can not come right away, you may not want to couch surf.
I have also noticed that the companies installing (and maintaining) the less expensive residential side rail systems have come and gone. Promptly after installing our Canadian-made elevator, the company went out of business and then the manufacturing company was absorbed by another. So when you purchase make sure you know who will be around for maintenance and what exactly they need to do for that (I discovered one company was using the wrong lubricant for the side rails). All maintenance companies are not equally as skilled or knowledgeable.
Lastly, an elevator is really secondary to building an accessible or adaptable home. Other simple details that don't come with expensive mechanical price tags can be included that will make you home easy to grow old in and don't have to look institutional. I remember borrowing a Canadian Mortgage and Housing DVD on accessible house design that provided a bunch of simple details like how to make door entries flush simply by putting a 2x6 at exterior door sites when you pour the house foundations. See elevator info as well as general adaptable house design advice and elevator info and dimensions on their website at:
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/renoho/refash/refash_043.cfm

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR zzipper -- Thank you so much for your valuable input from personal experience. Putting in an elevator or accessible bathroom won't do you any good if you can't get through the halls to reach it. ADA guidelines offer a wealth of information and specific dimensions to help you design a space that is accessible. It's worth going through them yourself or hiring a designer or architect experienced with this area of design.

Carol Meyer -- I almost snorted my coffee out my nose -- forgetting which button to push -- funny! Pleased to include your photo. It shows that the shaft can be very usable space until you're ready to put in that elevator.

ristraff -- You should take a look at any of the companies selling smaller elevators and find out what the specifications are for that elevator. Call them and they may be able to direct you to a contractor in your area experienced in this. Or call contractors in your area until you find one who has experience putting in home elevators.

weimeranermom -- Great to hear that it is so useful now!

Kelly Tanner -- When I was doing research for this Ideabook I came across many comments from people who weren't just considering their own immediate or future needs, but the desirability of making it welcoming and accessible for all friends and relatives to be able to visit their home. Glad this came at a good time for you. I hope it works out well in your new home.

maceyred -- I'm afraid I'm voting with your husband ... I love the view from a glass elevator. Perhaps there's a way to create a back panel in that glass elevator that complements your decor?

francinerivera -- Congrats on the new house! Great foresight, and I hear you about wishing it was there for the move-in!

sombrero -- If I were you I would contact www.pneumaticelevators.com directly about the tube elevator. There are options on these elevators that will affect the cost. Also, the cost of labor to install can vary quite a bit from area to area, so you'll get the most accurate information talking with a contractor in your local area. See if the company can refer you to anyone near you who has installed one.

tstubblefield -- Excellent plan.

lindaeb -- Funny! I once visited a home that had a hydraulic lift like they use in auto mechanic garages except it lifted a platform with a hot tub up to the height of their roof. Wild!

janetred -- Yes the electric elevators that I referred to a MRL (machine room less) are less money than the hydraulic ones and they also don't need that extra big machine room for the equipment. I understand the hydraulic ones can handle more weight, but this is generally not an issue in residential locations.

mmohan -- I do hate lugging groceries. That's a great benefit in my book.

Cassie Green -- Glad you and your designer prevailed. One day hubby will be glad it's there even if it's just because the bag of golf clubs start to feel heavier. ;0)

Rebecca -- Thank you so much. My grandpa was a gem. He even installed an electric lift step on their RV to help grandma get up into that too. Cool!

carol stanley -- Isn't that the way it goes? I remember when I thought a cell phone just wasn't necessary ---bwahahahaha!! It's one of those things you don't realize how much you'll use until you actually have it.

lizziek -- Again, I would recommend you look at the smaller elevators online and get the specifications from the companies who make them.

carolyn4homes -- Thank you so much! You're right that it wasn't easy to find a lot of information out there. I'm glad this information will be helpful to people thinking about doing this. I'm hoping some contractors with experience putting in residential elevators will add their thoughts and experience to the discussion.

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR kim -- Thank you for all the valuable information from your experience and for the great link. The elevator is definitely a more expensive item in the list of things you can do to create an accessible home, but for a growing number of people it is becoming desirable. Plus, the advances in technology are actually making it a little more affordable and possible than it was 20 or 30 years ago.

smapela Thank you! Our daughter was diagnosed with FSHD ( a type of muscular dystrophy) 3 years ago at the age of 30 and steps are one of the most difficult for her. We live in a 3 story home and, as many of the other responders, we want to stay put. In no way is an elevator within the budget, but you provided some more information on options we did not realize were out there. Sadly, when she now comes for a visit, more often now, we are almost confined to the lower level. Special events and hoildays held at my house are so very difficult for her. She hates the attention needed to get up the stairs. Again, thank you!

pvgail I built my house with an elevator shaft. The house is on a cliff in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Many retirees live here (or want to!), so I thought it would be a good selling feature. Then I saw this clever closet turned into a reading room on Houzz, so I incorporated that idea into the shaft. Everyone loves my little library!

pbjs Due to my husband's disability, we were considering whether to move to a ranch house or put an elevator in our 3-story (600 sq ft/floor) home in the center of the city. We decided to put in the elevator because if you are limited in your ability to walk, going from one end of a ranch home to the other can take a long, long time. But with the elevator, one step on and then one step off and you have gone from the living room to the bedroom.

lynndepynn We don't have a people elevator, but we have a manual dumb waiter from our garage up to the main floor. Saves many trips with the groceries.

We recently toured the USS Potomac, Roosevelt's yacht when he was president. A hand-operated elevator was installed inside a false smoke stack on the ship and the president – who had developed an extremely strong upper body – was able to move the elevator up and down between the saloon and upper boat deck."

In the Spirit of Decor One of my clients installed a 5x5 simple elevator for his sister who is wheel chair bound. To make it less claustraphobic for her, he had me paint the following in it....it is definitely a conversation piece when people open the elevator door!

patkins969 We recently moved from a large suburban family home to an empty-nester townhouse in the city with four living floors and a 5th level roof deck. It came
with an elevator, which was a major purchase factor. Square footage is not so different from our old house and that made it easy to adapt our furnishings, but without the elevator there is no way we could handle this arrangement. The roof deck is the piece de resistance - giving us a great outdoor entertaining space with amazing views of the the city and its harbor.

cpatricks We just purchased a home in Kansas City with an elevator. Perfect for my elderly parents now, and great for my partner and I later.

momof5x Hi I live in the UAE, presently we are building our home and it will have an elevator as we are getting older now and I am finding it so difficulty to carry stuff up and down the stairs-it will make life easier! I didn't realize you could turn a life into such a beautiful view, really nice work there! Great article on elevators too!

I love your website, it is absolutely wonderful, so many beautiful ideas. Thank you so much!

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR smapela -- I'm glad you found some ideas that help. If an elevator is not a possibility for you, then you may want to look into stair lifts. A track is placed on the wall along the side of your stairs and a fold down chair rides along it. Much less money than an elevator and possibly something that would make your daughter's visits a little less stressful for her.

pvgail -- Smart investment and a good use of the shaft in the meantime!

pbjs -- Excellent point about the walk from one end of the ranch to the other being a long haul. Each person needs to evaluate what will really help them the most overall.

lynndepynn -- Wow! He must have been very strong to do that. What an interesting idea!

In the Spirit of Decor -- Very nice way to make that elevator feel spacious! I think that works better than installing mirrors.

patkins969 -- It's great that an elevator opened up the possibility for you to live in a place that you really enjoy and couldn't have lived in otherwise.

momof5x -- Thank you so much!

REICA Construction, Inc. I am a residential elevator contractor in the Northern California area. We have helped design new homes with elevators and have also added elevators to existing homes. We do one thing and do it well - our great customer base will verify that. Give me a call if you have any questions and I will gladly help you with any advice or information you want - even if you are out of our area.
You can check my website www.residentialelevators-ca or call me at 925-684-9117. Richard

awr002 We have a house under construction and it has been framed for a future elevator since our bedrooms are all upstairs. The floor was built as removable and this will serve as a large closet in the time being.

Cre8tive Interior Designs I am so excited to see all the positive comments. We have an elevator in our 3 story home and when I saw the article I thought for sure the response would be negative. People might perceive it as excessive and unnecessary, it looks like I was wrong. I know ours came in handy when my husband got sick and had to use a wheelchair. So glad to hear we aren't the only ones who have an elevator, I guess it is more common than I had thought.

darmel3346 As a 56 year-old woman who still works full-time, I wouldn't have looked at this article with much soberness a couple of years ago. Now with severe Arthritis impacting my ability to climb stairs with safety and without severe pain, this article is both enlightening and appreciated. I also am looking to purchase my last home and I can now able to look at adding an elevator as a plausible option.

SWA Architects We have certainly come across instances where a client does not want to have an elevator put in at the current time but would like the potential to easily retrofit the home for one. Just as the article states, we have accomplished this through stacking storage type spaces between floors, ie. pantry on the first floor and closet on the second, and then structured the framing around them. If an elevator is desired in the future, no substantial structural work needs to be done. The elevator shaft, in essence, is already there, and it adds no real cost to the initial home construction. Just requires a little planning ahead of time during design.

Wayne Caswell "Great examples. Thanks, Pangaea. For other ideas about technologies for aging-in-place, check out Modern Health Talk (http://mHealthTalk.com)."

smorgenstern How much would the "Tube elevator" approximately cost? Any idea? Also, doese someone know about an elevator which I could attach at the outside of the house? Thank you for any feedback............

LNE Elevator (Malaysia) Interesting Read, More people are installing lifts in their new homes. Most customers consider their aging parents or are planning for their future needs for easy access. We install home lifts in Malaysia http://www.elevatormalaysia.com

LNE Elevator (Malaysia) We ask your permission to add this post link on our main webpage.

elleblue I live in Vancouver, BC and saw on TV an elevator that is installed on the outside of a home. It's less costly and is glass. It looked quite beautiful.

gharatani Not being able to afford a professional elevator installation for my father, I searched home-made elevators on you tube and saw some neat stuff, but the best advice was, unless you get a professional installation, you will lose your homeowners insurance. Apparently the cost of a professional elevator is 1/4 for the unit and 3/4 for insurance! Blimey!

REICA Construction, Inc. It looks like all the comments in this section are about 6 months old. People asking about elevator suitability and cost must realize that there are a lot of variables, especially in locality. I can provide accurate information regarding Northern California, but that is because this is my business here. However, different products and dealers in other area may vary widely. The best bet is to call a local residential elevator contractor (Google "residential elevators San Francisco" (for example) and you will find people in your area. We respond very quickly to inquiries and can explain all the details regarding home elevators.

REICA Construction, Inc. This article was interesting and provided a pretty good overall idea for home elevators. Each case is different, so there is no such thing as 'one solution fits all'. A hydraulic elevator may be the best bet for a remodel instead of a traction elevator. A lot of variables come into play - that is why we always start with a feasibilty phase where we talk with the homeowner (or architect) to see what the goals are, not just the physical layout.

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call for free advice - even if you are not in an area where we serve. You can find us at www.ResidentialElevators-CA.com