There are only a few reasons people choose to justify the installation of an elevator in their home. The most obvious are physical disabilities or convenience. While these are the most popular, they shouldn’t be the only reasons.

Wanting one’s home accessible at every level by visitors, who might have issues with stairs is a good argument. Also, it is a great “peace of mind” to have if someone should suddenly become temporarily disabled due to an injury.

The fact that in modern construction these days, ceiling heights are getting taller, which in turn is making staircases longer makes it even more challenging to get from one level to the next. The implementation of a home elevator is easier than one may think. Especially if the home is built “elevator ready”. That is to say, thought was put in the design and building stage of the home and a natural “hoistway” was created by “stacking” closets or aligning an area ready to accommodate a future lift.

It is important for the contractor to consult with an elevator company as to the structural requirements of a home elevator to accurately provide for one. The cost to provide and install an elevator is about $30,000.00 for 2 landings. Factor in the construction to provide the accommodations for the elevator in an existing home not prepared for the lift and you could be looking at $60,000.00 – $90,000.00 alone. That takes the total price tag to retrofit an existing home to around $100,000.00 or more. Compare this to a home that is “elevator ready” and the construction costs to simply remove framing between closets or complete some framed walls in a designated area to around $5,000.00 – $10,000.00. So now $35,000.00 – $40,000.00 is a much better number to stomach when the time comes!!
Of course, there is the consideration to just install the lift at the time of initial construction. This is the least expensive option and also eliminates the future disruption of the home later when the home is inhabited, which could be from 3 – 4 weeks to 3 – 4 months.

There is also the impact of resale value to the home. Retrofitting the home after the fact (the most expensive option) will not raise the value of a home enough to justify the cost. But, having a lift installed, or just being able to market the home as “elevator ready” will certainly increase the marketability of the home.

Contact Inclinator Co. of Ca. today at (800)201-1212 for a free consultation and more information.