Elevator?

[mgwmgw]

Have any of you tried to add an elevator to a residential house?
I think we have a space where it could make sense.
Is it safe? Is it expensive? Is it reliable?

Thanks,

Mary-Anne

 

[begreen]

Expect it will be costly. The range I got with a quick search was 10K to 25K. There are also stair lifts.

Here is a link to an organization that provides information and connections for funding and recycled equipment:
http://www.silvercross.com/

 

[fossil]

It can be done, for sure. Neighbors had an elevator retrofitted into their home last year. BIG job. BIG $$$. Theirs was all internal to the house. Could be that the thing might be done on an outside wall a bit simpler and cheaper. Still a major mod and major expense. A quote from a reputable builder in your area will tell the story, but you may not want to hear it. Rick

 

[firefighterjake]

If the reason for an elevator is due to concerns over mobility . . . most places I see go with a powered stair chair type of system. I would suspect it would be a lot less . . .

 

[Bobbin]

Home elevators are expensive because they are also a fire hazard if they are not properly installed and sealed. My brother is a building inspector in Ma. and many regulations with respect to fire code have changed since that dreadful fire at the Station in Rhode Island.

Stair lifts would likely be less expensive

 

[fbelec]

and on the electric end of it you might not have the power it req. in your house. you might have to go with a big electric service upgrade. verses chairlifts that i wired are 120 volt and some lower voltage with battery backup.

 

[firefighterjake]

Of course there is a danger with chair lifts . . . chair lifts and evil gremlins can be a bad combination.

 

[Flatbedford]

I saw these Craig's List ads after I read this yesterday.
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/for/1637445530.html
http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/for/1637439375.html

I know they are nowhere near you, but they are out there. I wasn't even looking and found these down by me.

 

[Flatbedford]

Is this anywhere near you?
http://worcester.craigslist.org/for/1639074776.html
or
http://worcester.craigslist.org/hsh/1616800921.html

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Have any of you tried to add an elevator to a residential house?
I think we have a space where it could make sense.
Is it safe? Is it expensive? Is it reliable?

Thanks,

Mary-Anne

Have a friend that is now in a wheelchair due to an accident, and they had an elevator installed in their home.
It required a major retrofit, and they also had to put in a propane/nat gas powered generator, as I believe it was required by code in case the power went out at their home as the elevator would need to be powered for life safety reasons.....I am guessing that when all is said and done it would be $30K plus to have everything purchased and installed, but since its such a specialty item, I think you would really need to go directly to a builder/installer to get an accurate price.
I hope things get better for you each day...sensation in his legs is good!

 

[mgwmgw]

I don't know how mobile Goose will be.

If he cannot climb stairs,
our house arguably has 7 levels
and that could be a problem.
The levels are:
Basement
Garage
Attic Space over the Garage
(not currently used due to lack of access
and need to strengthen beams under
what would be the floor)
Laundry Room
Kitchen, Living Room, and Offices
Master Bedroom
Attic Space over Master Bedroom

So, there would be at least 3 ways to approach this:

One way is to put a ramp
at the front door, so he can enter
at the kitchen level.
Initially he would sleep in the recliner
until we can install
a stair lift from there to the master bedroom,
and assume he will not go to any other level.
Quite apart from not being able to get to
much of the house, this also means the
ramp is out in the snow, so if it snows
when I am not home, he is stuck until
I can clear it.
This would require he has 2 wheelchairs
at either end of the chair lift, or
more if he eventually wanted to reach
other levels and we added more lifts
or ramps to them.

The second way is to have a single elevator
which has ramps to all the levels.
I think this is possible.
This would mean having one wheelchair.
It also means he can exit via the garage
if it snows and we need never dig out
the front walk, only pay someone to
plow the driveway,
which I did before I met Goose.

The third option is to move.
It is a bad bad time to sell a house,
so I really home we do not have to move.

Yes, expensive.
Wheelchairs and ramps and stair lifts
are not free either.

About power, we have Natural Gas,
so if I had a built in generator,
I would probably power it in that way,
so the elevator would not get stuck
in case of power failure.

Mary-Anne

 

[Flatbedford]

Hopefully, these concerns will be irrelevant soon.

 

[begreen]

Maybe break down the big problems into smaller ones for the next few months? Can the office be cleared out temporarily and a bed put in there? Is there a bathroom on that level?

The snow will be gone soon, so don't worry about it for now. It's encouraging that he has feeling in his legs. This will be a challenge, but I think Goose is up to it. Maybe wait and see how things look by July and decide then whether expensive mods need to be done. That will give you time to consider options including possibly a temporary house swap, rental, etc.

And don't forget to take care of yourself too!

 

[kenny chaos]

Discuss it with the social workers at the hospital.
They deal with this stuff for a living.
Good-luck and have faith-

 

[firefighterjake]

Maybe break down the big problems into smaller ones for the next few months? Can the office be cleared out temporarily and a bed put in there? Is there a bathroom on that level?

The snow will be gone soon, so don't worry about it for now. It's encouraging that he has feeling in his legs. This will be a challenge, but I think Goose is up to it. Maybe wait and see how things look by July and decide then whether expensive mods need to be done. That will give you time to consider options including possibly a temporary house swap, rental, etc.

And don't forget to take care of yourself too!

+1 . . . One step at a time . . . probably not a good time to be thinking major decisions such as selling/buying a home or even putting in an expensive elevator.

I agree with BG . . . break this problem into smaller, more manageable solutions . . . i.e. what can be done for the first few weeks, first few months, etc. . . . and with luck some of these issues may not be issues in the long run.

And finally . . . as BG said . . . don't forget to take of yourself.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

It's only a terrible time to move house if you're upside down with a mortgage - the house you'll be buying will also be substantially cheaper. Something to consider at a later point when things are clearer.