Having an Elevator Installed at Your Home? 6 Things You Need to Do

More and more homeowners around the United States have started to consider installing residential lifts. There are a number of reasons for this. The technology has improved so that home elevators are more comfortable and easy to use. People are not only having them installed in new homes as they are built but also into existing homes. Regardless of your reason, it is important to make sure your home is ready for the arrival of the residential elevator installation company. By doing your preparation work on your existing home, you can make the installation process go a lot smoother and easier for everyone. Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Make sure you have enough space in your home. Before you start talking to the local residential elevator installation company, you need to make sure your home can accommodate an elevator. You need to make sure you have more than just room for the elevator itself but you need to allow space for the installation team to do the work they need to do. If there is not enough space inside the house, there is still a chance you can have an elevator put in. These can also be placed outside the house.
2. Get your house’s structure ready for the work. The job done by the residential elevator installation company is not a simple one. The infrastructure needs to be prepped for the work. The more you can remove from the area where you will put the new elevator, the better. That means any furniture and items need to be taken out but also all of the items need to be taken off of the wall. If your residential elevator installation company plans to put in a machine room or if there are any plans to excavate a pit, by taking out the furniture, you will make it a lot easier. Care should be taken to move valuables away from the area where the installation process will take place. There are certain things that have to happen if you are having a traditional cable system put in. When companies install residential lifts with these, care needs to be taken with the wiring. For hydraulic residential lifts, the area just needs to be cleared.
3. Find out how much space will be needed for the hoistway. There is no “one size fits all” approach to this. In the United States, the code allows for up to 15 square feet. If a homeowner needs the elevator to accommodate a wheelchair or something of a similar size, the best size configuration is six feet by five feet.
4. Leave space for the door to open. As your residential elevator installation company will tell you, the doors in elevators are often just off the right or left of the center of the elevator shaft. Make sure the company doing the work takes the time to span the opening and leave a header so that the area can accommodate the system’s door operations.
5. Make sure your home has enough power to run your new elevator. Different models of elevators have different power requirements. Two common configurations are the 220-volt system with a 30 amp circuit and the 110-volt system with a 20 amp circuit. If you have a newer home, this should not be a problem but if you have an older house, you may have to have your wiring reconfigured to accommodate your elevator.
6. Get everyone in the home prepared. Before the installation process is started, you should make sure everyone who lives in the house is ready for the work. This is incredibly important if there are young children living in the home. You need to make sure there is not enough space for them to get stuck between the hoistway door and the elevator door. There are regulations against making this space more than five inches. Do not skip putting in special hoistway doors, space guards, and light curtains. Convenience is nice but safety is crucial.

When you are looking for a residential elevator installation company, try to get one that handles elevator repair and maintenance. This will make your life easier.