I have worked on quite a few homes with their own elevators. One observation I found was that the floors in these elevators are cold. Consider heating them with some electric cable heat.

You might prep for an elevator and then skip the install itself. The elevator well gets drywalled but all the working guts come in like cabinets and tile. You could always ad it down the road if you plan on structure right.

Thanks for the info on the Remi I hadn't heard of them. I'm actually surprised at how many residential elevator companies there are. I don't know one person with one so I'm not sure how they all compete. I'm not sure which type I'm going with yet. It's been suggested by someone who does commercial installs to stay away from hydraulic. He indicated the industry is moving away from them. He also said that it's not a matter of if but when it will leak fluid. He said there's maintenance with any type of drive system though.

I don't believe there's a viable $10K elevator from what I've seen to fit what we're doing and to get the larger cab at 15 sq ft, 3 stops and to make it look decent. I'm betting I'll be somewhere between $24K to $28K.

We're planning on putting it in but extra money is tight. We're building a very unique house and the per square foot price is way higher than most would imagine and I originally planned. But that's why we've been planning this for years....allowed our savings to catch up to costs. My wife really wants the elevator in during construction to avoid the hassles. We've got about 6 months before the final decision is made. We have to demo current house, excavate, put in foundation/basement, then frame....An elevator shaft/3 stacked closets is going in regardless but we'll make the call before framing is complete on the actual elevator.

I very much appreciate everyone's thoughts and comments. They always help very much.

We will only need to lift one floor... What would that cost?

Great looking house, so deep pockets, probably.

We have a Wessex Elysse from UK. Silent, stylish, (we are very fussy, but were willing to give up two ranks of book case to fit in the office, spare room on ground floor.) We did not want to lose wall space for our art collection, but found just enough space for it to land in our master bedroom. It did not require a pit or motor room. It is free standing and the rails are unobtrusive. You can see their offerings on line, Many of them in big houses from contemporary to traditional. Really Soundles.

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owner:Rick

Seems like a great idea!

Unless you're a licensed builder/owner dealing with all the idiosyncrasies of the install with an elevator provider that does anything not to send a tech on site. Next build, back to semi-circular stairs that easily accommodate a stair lift!! I'd love to just create three nice closets in this build!

My husband broke his ankle skiing before Christmas and has been non weight bearing since surgery in early January…wish we had an elevator!

Try a stairlift.