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Residential elevators

By: Robert Thomson

If you you are disabled, you experience day-to-day difficulties walking the stairs of your house. For a large portion of these people, a similar situation will lead to the installation of a stair lift. However, if you have a narrow or curved stair case, have obesity problems or are simply not able to leave your wheelchair, a stair lift might simply not be a viable option. In this case, you might be better helped with the installation of a residential elevator. Having an elevator at home may sound exhorbitantly luxurious, but as a large amount of satisfied people can tell you, it may be a bare necessity to those in need. So, if your house employs a curved or narrow stairway, consider comparing the advantages and disadvantages of a residential elevator with those of a stair lift.

A great advantage of a residential lift, is that having one will likely positively influence the selling value of your real estate. A regularly serviced lift will retain its value almost for a lifetime. In fact, home elevators are amongst the most common amenities offered to boost the value of newly built homes. Given modern technology and thanks to recent price drops, a residential lift has now become a viable solution to persons seeking to improve the quality of their daily lives. The classic advice of 'just' moving to a single-leveled home once the stairway becomes an obstacle, simply is no longer valid. Those that are still giving out this advice often underestimate the mental effects that come with being forced to move one's place of residence.

When interested in purchasing a home elevator, the best time to have one installed, is during the building of the house. Unfortunately, during construction time, most real estate owners don't take into account that they may one day need mechanical help in climbing the stairs. Since lifts need a shaft, a foundation, an engine and several (usually two) access points, not all houses are able to accomodate an elevator 'out of the box'. It may therefore well be, that major adaptations are to be made before being able to install a home elevator. Several of these adaptations could have large aesthetic or financial impacts. In order to be brought up to speed on your house's ability to support an elevator, it would be wise to consult a local company before having the elevator installed. He or she will send an engineer to analyze your house for any potential issues. The report issued to you afterwards may include a price quote for having the modifications done by the installation firm themselves. In order to obtain a non-subjective opinion of your home, be sure to have it evaluated by several companies.

If your house has been found suitable for lift installation, it is time to start bothering about the smaller details of the elevator in question. The most important factors that determine the cost of your home elevator are travel height, number of stops and the lift's carriage capacity (weight). Usually, the lower these metrics, the less expensive your investment will be. An additional factor that might greatly influence your choice of elevator, is drive type. You will find several types of drives, including the cable hydraulic drive, chain hydraulic drive and the vacuum lift. Each system has its specific (dis-)advantages in noise, speed, durability, capacity and cost. So, be sure you are well-informed by your local company, so you can make a good decision. Lastly, you might want to be sure the interior of the lift cabin has all the features you need. Features you could consider are an emergency button, a telephone jack and gate type. An accordeon-type gate is usually recommended, since a scissor-type gate might close on your fingers when used incorrectly.

Article Source: http://www.articleselections.com

If you want to read more about the home elevator, make sure to visit our website, which has guides and tips on home elevators

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