Home Lifts

Which residential elevator company should you choose?

Here’s a look at various elevator manufacturers and what they offer:

Savaria Home Lifts Elevators

Headquartered in Laval, Quebec with manufacturing facilities in Europe and China, Savaria has been offering accessibility solutions since 1989. Their products include various wheelchair lifts and low-rise elevators for residential and commercial use and accessible van conversions. Savaria’s Telecab is a hydraulic-driven shaftless elevator, suitable for existing homes. The Telecab cost is low but requires a packed support wall which increases the total project cost. Savaria also offers a luxury glass cab & hoistway elevator option for new and existing homes called the Vuelift. The Vuelift cost will be more than all other traditional home elevators because it includes a glass enclosure within the price.

Stiltz Home Lift Elevators

An alternative to Cambridge Elevating, Stiltz units travel ‘through the floor’ on self-supporting dual guide rails. A Stiltz home elevator cost will be more compared directly to the price of a traditional home elevator but keep in mind it does not require the construction of an enclosed hoistway. The cost of Stiltz home lifts depends on the model. The price of the Trio Alta Lift home lift by Stiltz is greater than the cost of the Duo Alta shaftless elevator by Stiltz. Stiltz Homelifts come in 2 sizes of shaftless elevators. Stiltz shaftless home elevators are manufactured in China and distributes them from two primary locations, Pennsylvania, USA and their head office in the UK.

The Duo Alta Home Lift was introduced in 2016 to please homeowners who wanted to add a lift to their home without sacrificing space or aesthetics.  It boasts a curved glass cab that lets riders easily see their surroundings as they travel within their home.

In 2019, the company announced a new option for their Trio Alta Lift model. It’s a six-meter travel option for homeowners with exceptionally high ceilings or homes with three levels allowing for flexibility.  Stiltz home lifts continue to expand its network of global dealers to serve the needs of all individuals who wish to gracefully age within their home.

Garaventa Lift

Garaventa dates back to 1928 when they built their first cable car in the Swiss Alps. In North America, they were known for their public Inclined Platform Lift (IPL) and Vertical Platform Lift (VPL) products before venturing into low-rise elevators for home and commercial buildings. Garaventa’s head office is in Surrey, BC and was wholly purchased by Savaria in 2018.

Otis Elevator

One of the largest and most well-known elevator companies in the World. Otis entered the residential elevator segment in the United States for a brief period of time under the moniker ‘Otis at Home’. It didn’t last long, and Otis has not sold or installed private residence elevators in the U.S. or Canada since 2012. Otis’ residential elevator price would be significantly above all other options today because they’d be offering a full commercial elevator system.

RAM Elevators & Lifts

Founded in 1987 and located in Edmonton, Alberta, RAM is a North American manufacturer of elevating devices for both residential and low-rise commercial use across Canada and the United States. RAM supplies the industry’s only screw-drive full residential elevator.

Thyssenkrupp Elevator

Another top 10 elevator company globally, Thyssenkrupp ventured into the residential elevator space from 1999 to 2012 as ThyssenKrupp Access Manufacturing. They manufactured 3 models of home elevators and a shaftless elevator called the Minivator.

Symmetry Elevators

With over 80 offices across the U.S., Symmetry Elevators offers an expansive product list, including residential elevators, wheelchair lifts and vertical lifts. Recently Symmetry has partnered with Staying Home Corp to distribute their shaftless residential elevator. This unit uses battery operation technology borrowed from stair lifts and requires a support wall. Symmetry does not have a strong presence in Canada.

Home elevators for custom home builds

A personal home elevator is a great feature for any new custom home build. Think of a home elevator more as a vertical hallway than a device that assists those who struggle with stairs. Designing a custom home allows one to position the elevator where it can be best used to connect all levels of the home to move both people and goods. A traditional hoistway elevator may afford a larger footprint than a shaftless, 2-storey compact elevator but the homeowner will benefit from greater performance and control for the elevator to be hidden from view. When comparing costs, a hoistway elevator is more affordable than a shaftless device when building new.