As of late, home elevators have been becoming more popular by the day. A lot of homeowners decide to install a lift within their house. Some people choose to do so because they’re not fit enough to climb a lot of stairs on a daily basis. Others choose to do that because they might suffer from a physical ability that makes it difficult for them to climb stairs, so elevators naturally became the perfect alternative. Installing a home lift can be an incredible idea, in theory, however, there are a lot of things that you need to consider before doing so. If you’re thinking of investing in a home elevator, here are some essential tips that you have to bear in mind.
Safety
You must think about safety if you’re serious about installing an elevator in your house. One might think home elevators are not as dangerous as other ones due to shorter flights, but they’re actually just as dangerous if they’re not properly designed or maintained. Some of the safety measures that you should know about are the emergency buttons and the necessary steps that you should take in case of an emergency. You should also install an elevator emergency phone just in case you get stuck between floors and you need to call someone. You also need to remember that you should never attempt to exit on your own, it’s best that you wait for someone who can safely take you out.
Financial Cost
Home elevators are somewhat costly, mainly because you’re going to be paying extra money even after you’ve installed it. Lifts need to be regularly maintained, which means that you’re going to be bringing in workers who will check on your lift and make sure that everything is in place. Other than maintenance though, installing an elevator in your house will exhaust you financially because you’ll be making a lot of space for it in the house, you’ll hire workers who will install it for you, and finally, you’ll be paying for the material that the workers need. So, you must create a budget so that you understand the financial cost of the lift that you want to have in your house.
Type
Another thing that you need to think about is the type of lift that you’ll purchase. According to the specialists from CPOE.org, there are lifts such as the Domus, Stiltz, PVE, Savaria Eclipse, and other kinds of elevators that you can choose from. It mainly depends on the design that you’re comfortable with. You can choose to purchase one elevator over other ones based on size, color, material, price, and how well it matches your house. Another thing that you might want to consider before choosing a specific brand is how safe it is and its capacity. So, if your household requires a certain capacity within an elevator then you need to buy one that accommodates that need.
Maintenance
One of the things that you need to come to terms with is that you’ll be providing constant maintenance for the elevator. This can be a bit annoying, but you only have to do it every few months or so, depending of course on your lift’s status and reparation needs. Also, it goes without saying that if you take care of your lift, then it probably won’t need a lot of maintenance during the year. So avoid doing things like passing its capacity limitations and overworking it. You won’t need to check on it every once in and awhile if you’re keeping it in good shape. However, that doesn’t mean that you won’t maintain it at all. You should follow a maintenance schedule that can guide you through this process.
Advantages
People who decide to install a house elevator usually have serious reasons as to why they need one. Naturally, this means that there are a lot of benefits that will gain out of this lift. Having a lift in your house means that you can get around the house twice as fast as you did before. So instead of wasting a lot of time climbing and going down the stairs, you can just use the elevator. This can be extremely beneficial, especially when you’re in a rush. Also, if you have some sort of physical ability and you can’t easily climb the stairs, then again, lifts are the better alternative. Another advantage is that they’re great for older people, this means that your parents and grandparents can easily use the elevator when they come to visit you.
Disadvantages
It’s true, many advantages come with having an elevator in one’s house, however, it also comes with a lot of drawbacks. For instance, the installation time can take weeks, and in some cases months; it can take longer than usual depending on the construction and the workers’ schedule. Also, if the house isn’t available for the workers then that means that you’ll be experiencing more delay, which will only extend the installation time. You’ll also be paying a lot of money for this lift, even when it’s installed, you’ll also be paying more money for maintenance and repair. Having an elevator in the house means that you’ll need to deal with its noise and get accustomed to it. It also means that you need to be okay with having workers in your place every once in a while.
All in all, installing an elevator in your house is a big deal because this is not an extra room that you want to build or a wall that you can destroy. Having an elevator in your house means that there are a lot of things that you need to consider. First of all, you need to be very aware of the safety precautions that you need to take. You need to know the necessary steps that you should take in case of emergencies. You also need to create some kind of budget just so that you know how much you’ll be spending on it.
