When you want to improve accessibility in your home, or if you want to add an interesting feature that will help up the value of your home, it can be worth looking into having an elevator lift fitted.

There are many benefits to having an elevator lift fitted in your home, with the most obvious ones being linked to helping elderly or disabled relatives or friends to move about your home with ease. However, while this option seems like a good idea, it is worth considering the following points before committing to this project. Read on to find out more.

Space

Home elevators take up a fair amount of space. Thus, you will need to make sure that having an elevator fitted in your home will not cause your home to become cramped.

Ideally, you will need to have between 20-25 square feet at your disposal, usually located near a set of stairs, or in the corner of a room. You will also need to check your building code, as you may be able to knock those 20 square feet of space down to 18.

Budget

It sounds like an obvious statement, but having a lift fitted in your home will not be cheap. Many people who invest in this home feature make sure that they have a few thousand dollars saved up before they undertake planning works, or they take out finance to spread the cost. If you decide to have an elevator lift placed in your home, make sure that the one you choose fits well within your budget.

Usage

If you are looking at brochures for having an elevator lift fitted, it is always worth exploring if it is truly a necessity.

For many people, having such a feature added to their home ensures that they or another family member who may have mobility issues can get around as needed. Or, perhaps you or someone you live with uses a wheelchair, and you want to make sure that they have complete access to every part of the home.

As odd as it may seem, there are other options available to make the upper part of your home more accessible (that are not as disruptive or costly as an elevator lift), so make sure that if you choose this option, it will be used every day.

Type of Lift

If you have to have an elevator lift installed, which type would be best for you? There are three types to choose from: the first is a hydraulic lift, which is the most commonly used in homes; a more compact option is a pneumatic lift, which can be more costly to fit; and, lastly, there is a traction lift. These use counterweights, and can be more efficient for those in wheelchairs—but generally they require more space.

Safety

Lastly, you need to have a serious think about lift safety. Depending on where you live, you need to make sure that any elevator lift that you have fitted adheres to local safety standards.  So, when choosing a lift company, make sure that the lift options have emergency stop buttons, as well as backup power and an override system.