The best home lift guide you’ll ever read!
Home lifts are an ideal solution for those who struggle with the stairs and gaining access to different floor levels within the home. They’re a viable alternative to a traditional stairlift, providing greater functionality and better accessibility for all family members.
What is a domestic home lift, and how do they work?
A domestic home lift allows users to move between floors using quiet, simple, reliable hydraulic or electric traction mechanisms. Home lifts can be through-the-floor, freestanding, or platform lifts in a shaft. They can vary in size to suit a range of mobility circumstances. The chosen lift will depend on a few factors. We consider the property type, where the lift can be located and the current or future mobility needs of the family. Home lifts provide a safe, reliable and efficient way for people with disabilities or age-related mobility-needs to move about their homes.
How does a through-the-floor home lift work?
Most through-the-floor home lifts move up and down on a pair of guide rails located at the back of the lift. A through-the-floor home lift travels from the lower level to the upper level via a hole made in the existing floor joists. The gap is formed by strengthening and trimming the existing joists to the appropriate size and relocating any wiring of pipework that may be present.
It can also be possible to adapt certain through-the-floor home lifts so they can be positioned freestanding in the hallway to travel up to the landing area. Our smallest home lift has a footprint of only 692mm x 1040mm.
Which is better, a hydraulic lift or an electric traction home lift?
The answer is, it depends or your circumstances! We advise that you make your lift choice based on the cabin type that best suits your circumstances. You may find that your chosen home lift only comes in one kind of drive system; for example, Terry Lifts only offer hydraulic systems, Stiltz lifts only supply electric traction, whereas Pollock and Access offer both options.
How does a hydraulic home lift work?
A hydraulic system is considered more reliable than electric traction; it also has a simpler override mechanism to lower the lift in the unlikely event of a fault. Hydraulic lifts require a separate pump unit that contains the hydraulic pump and fluid reservoir. The hydraulic pump emits a slight hum when pushing fluid into the hydraulic ram to send the lift upwards; a valve regulates the downward direction, so the pump isn’t used when the lift descends.
The pump unit is usually located away from the lift (outside, in a separate machine room or in a cupboard), so there is little noise to be heard when standing near or in the home lift. A small-diameter hose is used to connect the pump housing to the lift. When it is not possible to install a separate pump housing, an electric traction lift should be considered.
How does an electric traction lift work?
Depending on the manufacturer, electric traction lifts use special ropes with a counterweight to balance the load or a drum-braked gear system. These mechanisms are either located on the upper-level ceiling or in the top section of the lift – for this lift, headroom is critical.
Electric traction lifts are typically more energy-efficient, provide a smoother ride and travel faster than hydraulic lifts, although home lifts are limited to a maximum speed of 0.06 meters per second. So, for your typical house, a home lift would take approximately 35 to 40 seconds to travel from one floor to the other.
How is a home lift installed?
A through-the-floor home lift travels through a hole made in the floor. This work usually involves the services of a structural engineer and must be signed off by the local authority Building Control Department. When the work is completed, you will receive a certificate of approval.
Some of the models in the Stiltz home lift range can be fitted with support brackets to allow the lift to be ‘freestanding’. So, if you have room in your hallway, a Stiltz lift can travel from your hall to your landing area. For safety reasons, modifications to the banister are required; this is done by creating a gate that interlocks with the lift.
Most of the load or weight of all through-the-floor home lifts is on the lower-level floor. Fixings to the joist and upper levels are mostly for lateral support. Upper-level support can be wall or ceiling mounted.
How is a home lift connected to the electricity?
Whether the lift is hydraulic or electric, the electrical loading on a home lift is relatively small. Ideally, all home lifts should be connected to a dedicated circuit protected by the correct fuse rating and a 30mA residual current device (RCD). A separate supply enables the home lift to continue to function if a fault were to develop on other circuits.
Some manufacturers allow their lifts to be fitted with a plug top connected to an existing socket outlet. An electrical certificate should be provided whenever any electrical has taken place; in some situations, Building Control should be notified.
All our home lifts allow the lift to descend in the event of a power cut. As an optional extra, some manufacturers offer a full battery backup system, to allow continued lift use in the event of a power failure.
How is a home lift delivered?
The home lift itself is delivered as a ‘flat pack’ and will be assembled on site. As well as in-car controls, all our lifts come with two separate remote controls – one for each level. Once the lift is operational, we carry out multiple tests to ensure the lift is operating safely and complies with all lift manufacturer requirements.
We then demonstrate the lift to the end user; this is called the commissioning and handover process.
How much do home lifts cost?
As a guide, our current home lift prices range from £9,500 to £16,000, with most home lift installations falling somewhere in the middle. To supply and install an electric traction home lift, where all building and electrical work is carried out by others, you would be looking at a price starting at just over £9,000.
Considering some curved stairlifts cost in the region of £8,000, it’s well worth considering a home lift. If you believed home lift prices were out of your budget, you may be pleasantly surprised.
What happens in a home lift survey?
Although we can obtain some lifts within a few days, most home lifts are built to order, therefore a home lift survey is critical. During the survey, we will establish which lift best suits your needs and look at location options within your home. Once the lift position is decided, measurements are taken, the structural integrity of the floor is checked, and the electrical installation is inspected.
If you decide to proceed with the home lift order, we will look to secure a deposit before arranging an independent structural engineer and placing the order with the lift manufacturer.
How can I find out whether a home lift would be right for me?
To find out more about home lifts, give us a call! If you love where you live, we believe that it’s always better to explore home adaptation before you consider moving house. We’re experts in supporting people to stay in the home they love for as long as possible.
Call our friendly team today on 029 2061 1277, or complete the contact form.