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Home Elevators

What are low-cost elevator options?

When considering a home elevator for a new home, some hoistway elevator types cost less than others.

Winding drum

Usually the least expensive option. As it sounds, this elevator is powered by a cable wound around a drum attached to an electric motor. The motor & drum can be located at the top of the hoistway, eliminating the need for a separate machine room. The tradeoff of price savings is the ride performance, winding drum units are noisier and don’t possess the same ride performance and safety redundancies as other options.

Electric Counter-weight

The elevator car is balanced and connected to a counterweight assembly by chains or rope which are driven by a geared electric motor at the top of the rail system. Geared electric systems do not require a separate machine room. Ride performance and sound will vary from model to model but does not outperform hydraulic systems.

Cambridge Elevating’s low cost, low option E50 Electric Compact elevator was designed to be the most affordable and easily incorporated home elevator in North America. The low price combined with reduced construction costs make it the builder’s choice elevator.

Homelift

When considering the total project cost for existing homes, the best low-cost elevator solution is the Homelift. Homelifts move through a reinforced aperture between the two floors being served without the need of a hoistway. The renovation work to accept the device compared with a traditional hoistway elevator is minimal.

What are home lifts and how much do home lifts costs?

Homelifts by Cambridge Elevating is our latest contribution to the Aging in Place sector, addressing the need for mobility in existing homes.

A Homelift is a shaftless personal home elevator providing safe travel between two floors (only). Because of its compact size, and not requiring the construction of an enclosure or recessed pit, a Homelift is very adaptable and can be installed in many locations without compromising the design of a finished home. Both standard and wheelchair capable models are available to meet your requirements. While every home and desired install location is unique, a typical Homelift project is an investment of approximately $35,000 to $45,000 with the home lift elevator price itself being HST zero-rated.

All work (design, preparatory renovation and installation) is carefully planned and coordinated by Cambridge Elevating. We offer free home assessments and encouraged those interest to visit and ride our showroom model.

Which residential elevator company should you choose?

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

Savaria

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

Stiltz manufactures its 2 sizes of shaftless elevators in China and distributes from two primary locations, Pennsylvania, USA and their head office in the UK.

An alternative to Cambridge Elevating’s Homelift, 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.

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 the 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 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.

Types of Home Elevators

There are two primary categories of home elevators that move riders between levels within their home, those that operate within an enclosure or hoistway, and those that don’t require a hoistway, or what’s referred to as shaftless elevators.

Hoistway Elevators

These traditional systems are designed to move automatically between different levels within the home and thereby require a hoistway to surround the elevator car for safety. There exists a door at each landing combined with a door (or gate) on the cab. For level access at the bottom landing a recessed pit is required. Accommodating these requirements are far easier and more cost effective within a newly built home versus existing. The following are different types of hoistway home elevators:

• Roped Hydraulic: The combination of a hydraulic pump, a piston and ropes are used to raise and lower the elevator. Used for many decades and known for smooth and quiet performance along with strong reliability. Hydraulic systems require a separate space or machine room.
• Winding Drum: An electric motor winds two cables or wire ropes directly onto steel drums that raise and lower the elevator. Depending on the motor location, they don’t always need a machine room. Not as smooth or quiet as other available options.
• Electric Counter-weight: The elevator car is balanced and connected to a counterweight assembly by chains or rope which are driven by a geared electric motor at the top of the rail system. Geared electric systems do not require a separate machine room.
• Machine Room-Less (MRL): An MRL elevator means the drive system is located within the hoistway eliminating the need for a separate machine room. The actual elevator itself can still be either hydraulic, geared drive or a winding drum, but the benefit being an MRL takes up a smaller footprint within the home.
• Pneumatic/Vacuum: Reminiscent of ‘The Jetsons’ because the look, Vacuum Elevators combine an external cylinder shaft with a self-contained interior cab. Turbines and exhaust fans located at the top of the shaft manipulate air pressure to generate lift for the cab, the descent is achieved by gravity. The attractive self-contained feature bodes well for existing homes.

Shaftless or 2-floor elevators

As it sounds, the elevator or lift moves through a cut-out in the floor between two floors without a shaft enclosing the system. These are generally used in existing homes due to their small footprint and limited construction requirements. Drive system options are hydraulic or winding drum cable. What largely separates these variants is how the 2-floor elevator is supported within the home.

• Rear support: The lift’s tower attaches to a support wall within the home.
• Floor joist support: The lift is primarily supported by the home’s floor joist using a structural ring beam.
• Support posts: Self-supporting vertical guides attached bear load of the elevator.

Homelifts by Cambridge Elevating is an example of a shaftless elevator. While every home and desired install location is unique, a typical 2 floor elevator cost will be approximately $35,000 to $45,000 with the homelift device itself being HST zero-rated.

Home elevators for your forever home

When designing and building one’s forever home, two key factors should be considered before the design stage is Future Proofing and Age-In-Place.

Planning for a future elevator can be as easy as designing stacked closets (on each floor). This creates the foundation and location when the elevator is required, eliminating unnecessary home layout redesigns but a useful space in the meantime.

The better approach for a forever home is to incorporate the elevator at the time of the new build. It’s less hassle, less cost and allows the homeowner to Age-In-Place. An elevator might not be a need initially, but a simple fall or illness can make stairs a challenge instantly. An elevator at the outset allows one to live worry-free come what may and enjoy the convenience in the meantime.

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.

Home elevators for seniors

As we age, simple tasks like negotiating stairs within the home become more challenging, and potentially dangerous – Falls related to stairs is one of the leading causes of injury and hospitalizations among senior Canadians. A home elevator or 2-storey Homelift serve as a valuable investment for any senior or family living with seniors to assist with aging-in-place safely.

The Homelift is the better option when considering a solution for existing homes because of its compact footprint and ease of incorporation. Also, the total project cost will almost always be less than designing/building a hoistway to accept a traditional elevator.

Residential Elevator Cost in the USA

New England

The prevalence of an older, wealthy demographic contributed to early adoption of residential elevators in New England. The cost of home elevators in New England are above the National average due to permitting, inspections and mechanic licensing requirements.

Long Island New York

Sophisticated homeowners in New York’s Hamptons appreciate home elevator technology that serves their lifestyle, like Cambridge Elevating’s standard auto-cycle feature that moves the elevator when unused in 48 hours – this keeps important systems of the elevator operating even when the home is vacant. Residential elevator prices on Long Island are slightly more affordable than New York City.

New Jersey

The cost of home elevators in New Jersey differs between the New Jersey shore and inland cities. Prices of residential elevators installed within inland cities are closer to the National average where along the coast they’re lower due to increased competition. For the beach home owners, Cambridge Elevating’s Remote Monitoring reduces the number of service calls needed for repairs and cuts downtime significantly during rental seasons.

Washington, DC

Buyers of home elevators in the greater Washington DC area look for finish options and flexible designs beyond just the prices of residential elevators for their new builds. The cost of home elevators in the Washington area is higher than the National average, each new device requires permits, inspections and mechanics must be fully licensed.

North & South Carolina

Home elevators are very popular in North & South Carolina due to coastal floodplains which require new homes be on stilts, plus the predominance of rental-vacation homes near the beach who demand the convenience elevators provide. Given this popularity and lack of strict regulatory requirements, residential elevator prices are much lower in Myrtle Beach, SC for example than the National average.

Florida

Florida’s appetite for residential elevators is strong across all vacation markets due to older demographics. The cost of home elevators is the largest driver amongst investment and build-to-rent buyers, however owner-built homes often choose a higher luxury spec offered by Cambridge Elevating which adds to the residential elevator price.

Tennessee

The landscape in Tennessee encourages building professionals to build up, not out, conducive for home elevator installations. Because the cost of living is quite low and the State has little regulatory requirements, the cost of home elevators in Tennessee is below the National average for residential elevator prices.

Texas

Compared to the industry average, residential elevator prices in Texas are competitive and there’s many contractors to choose from. When comparing different markets, the cost of home elevators varies only slightly whether in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth or Austin, it largely depends on the desired options to match the home’s décor.

Las Vegas, NV

The cost of home elevators in Las Vegas, Nevada is higher than the National average as all devices require inspection and fire rated cab wall materials. It’s very common to see flashy residential elevator designs which generally come with higher prices.

Arizona

Although Arizona is a mecca for older retirees who desire in-home conveniences, property values are still reasonable enough where the cost of home elevators are affordable compared to the National average. Installations in Phoenix, Arizona require inspections for residential elevators which adds to the price for builders and homeowners.

Northern Carolina

Home elevators are a very common feature for custom homes in Northern California. The cost of home elevators in Northern California are higher than the National average and mirror the area’s expensive real estate market. Extra travel for builds on a slope and seismic zone requirements also add to residential elevator prices.

Southern Carolina

The cost of home elevators, like the general real estate market in Southern California is much higher than the National average. In LA County there are special machine room requirements for all new installations that increases residential elevator prices.

Colorado

Residential elevator prices in Colorado are above the industry average due to expensive tastes and the additional installation and service costs required to serve new builds in the mountain from either Denver or Colorado Springs. There are no special regulatory issues that affect the cost of home elevators.

Idaho

A strong migration of people over the last few years to Idaho and Boise in particular evaporated real estate inventory pushing values higher. The cost of home elevators in Idaho have followed this trend and generally higher than the National average. A smaller number of available contractors that serves Idaho also contributes to higher residential elevator prices in this area.

Residential Elevator Cost in Canada

The total project cost of incorporating a residential elevator in a house depends on many factors, the biggest of which is whether the house in question is a new build or existing. That said, the average home elevator cost in Canada is approx. $25,000-30,000. Local labor rates and competition plus distance from the elevator manufacturer are additional variables that determine what residential elevators will cost in say Ontario versus Alberta, British Columbia etc.

The cost of residential elevators is lowest in Ontario given the number of manufacturers located within 1-2 hours’ drive of Toronto, Ontario. Many of these suppliers are involved in direct sales, installation and service.