Elevator How to Guide
Whether you’re seriously considering purchasing a home elevator, or are just curious about what the entire process entails, we have put together an easy-to-follow guide detailing the steps to take when implementing one of these appliances into your home.
- Be conscious of location.
If you are looking for an area within the existing floor plan of your home, there are a few key things to look for in order to find a suitable location. The first is size. The average finished shaftway for a home elevator that can accommodate a wheelchair is 48” x 55”. When you combine the actual opening with studs and drywall, the total space taken out for an elevator shaft will be approximately 60” x 64”. This is over 25 sq. ft. to be lost on each floor that the elevator will serve. Not every home can comfortably lose that space, so you will probably have to make concessions to a room or closet on each level. Also, there can be no obstructions in the elevator shaft, so any wiring, plumbing, or ductwork which occupies the same space as the shaft will have to be rerouted. Think of these obstacles as hurdles and not roadblocks. Remember, elevators have been installed in houses of all shapes and sizes, and yours will be no different. It just may take some creativity and patience. Also, if absolutely no area in your house will work for each floor, there is always the option of building the shaft on an exterior wall. However, since this option requires the construction of exterior walls and roofing, the cost will be higher than an interior shaft.
- What type of elevator should I get?
Elevators come in two separate classes: machine room and machine roomless (MRL) elevators. A machine room type of elevator requires the equipment that raises and lowers the cab to be housed outside of the elevator shaft, in a protected machine room. The two options are either cable/drum or hydraulic. There are a few key benefits of having a separate machine room for the equipment. The first is noise. With the motor and equipment operating outside of the shaft, the only sound you hear in the elevator is the faint hum of it traveling up and down the rail. The other benefit of having a machine room is cost. In the majority of cases, the two options in this category are going to be $3,000-$5,000 less expensive than their MRL counterparts. The only drawback to this type of elevator is that it requires roughly an extra 16 sq. ft. for the room itself. However, the equipment can be located in attics, or under stairs if need be so the impact can be minimized.
The other type of elevator is the MRL. The main benefit of the MRL is that it does not require a separate machine room, obviously. The entire elevator system is contained at the top of the shaft and it makes for a convenient installation, especially for a retrofit into an existing home. The drawbacks of the MRL, however, are that it can be quite noisy, as the motor is directly above the elevator cab, and it is more expensive than either a cable/drum or hydraulic elevator. One thing to keep in mind, too, is that an MRL requires a minimum of 8’ 6” from the top landing to the ceiling of the elevator shaft. Most homes have only 8’ ceilings on the top floor, so this can be a significant impediment to homeowners wishing to install an MRL in their house.
- Be open-minded about cost.
Whenever someone is thinking about installing an elevator in their home, inevitably one of the first things they worry about is the cost. Think of buying an elevator as a two part operation. The first is building the shaft for the elevator to ride in, and the second part is the actual elevator. The first part of the process is best handled by a general contractor, unless you’re ambitious enough to undertake the process on your own. Keep in mind though, the shaft has to be constructed to specific drawings, the floors cut out between levels, doors hung, shaft drywalled, concrete pit poured in the basement, electrical wiring run to the control room, and installation of dedicated circuits for the system’s power. If this seems like a lot of work, that’s because it is, and the cost of it will not be cheap. However this work is essential for having an elevator in your home, so try not to get discouraged by it. Assume the construction expense to be in the $10,000 to $20,000 range depending on quality of contractor and overall size of the project.
The second area of cost is the elevator itself. Elevators can run from $20,000 to $40,000 depending on a number of factors. The first is the type of drive system as mentioned above. Traditional home elevators employ either hydraulic or cable and drum drive systems. The hydraulic method uses a pump to inject oil into the hydraulic jack which raises and lowers the cab. The cable and drum system runs two cables from the cab, over a series of directing sheaves, back to a drum and motor which either winds the cable up and raises the cab, or lets out cable and lowers it. These are the two least expensive options, with a 2-stop hydraulic elevator costing roughly $21,000 and a 2-stop cable and drum costing around $20,000. As you already know, the MRL is the alternative option. A 2-stop MRL chain drive costs roughly $23,000 and a 2-stop MRL traction drive runs around $25,000. Keep in mind that the price for an elevator increases three ways; the number of stops, the total travel distance, and upgrades to the elevator cab itself.
- Find a contractor!
If you contact an elevator company for a consultation, you should also have a contractor to meet at your house with the elevator company. Many times, the elevator contractor will not be able to advise you on how much moving ductwork, or electrical wiring, or removing walls will cost. Similarly, if you do not have a “perfect spot” for the elevator shaft, it is always better to have two or three heads working together to try to find the most efficient and least obtrusive location for your elevator to run. Meeting with the General Contractor and elevator company in conjunction will also prevent you from getting a false idea of the total cost and scope of the project. The installation of the elevator itself will take about a week, but the duration of the entire project will likely take weeks or months depending on how in depth your renovation is. It is always better to have a nightmare scenario in your head and be pleasantly surprised with the actual project, than to think the project will cost $5,000 and be done in a week only to be hit with the harsh reality of what it will actually take.
