Adding an elevator to your home is a bigger project than most home improvements, but it follows a clear set of steps. Knowing them in advance makes the process far less daunting.
1. Site visit and consultation
It starts with a visit to your home. We look at the layout, measure the possible locations and talk about who will use the elevator and how. This is where you find out which types of elevator suit your home.
2. Choosing the elevator
You choose the type, the cab size, the number of stops and the finishes. A traditional elevator, a pneumatic elevator and a shaftless elevator each need different amounts of space and construction, so this choice shapes the rest of the project.
3. Drawings and permits
Elevators are regulated for safety. Drawings are prepared for your home, and the required permits are applied for before work begins.
4. Preparing the space
Depending on the elevator, a contractor may need to build a hoistway, cut floor openings, frame doorways and run electrical power. A shaftless model needs the least of this work, and a traditional elevator needs the most. In a new build, this work is done as the house goes up.
5. Installing the elevator
Once the space is ready, our technicians install the rails, the drive system, the cab, the doors and the controls. The time this takes depends on the type of elevator and the number of floors.
6. Testing and inspection
The elevator is tested thoroughly, and it is inspected where local rules require it. Nothing is handed over until it has passed.
7. Handover
We show you how everything works, including the safety features and what to do in a power cut, and we explain the recommended maintenance.
How to prepare
- Decide who will use the elevator, now and in the future
- Think about which floors it must reach
- Clear access to the work areas before the crew arrives
- Plan for some noise and dust during construction
Start with a conversation
Nationwide Lifts of Central New York handles home elevator projects across Syracuse, Rochester, Utica and Binghamton. Call (315) 849-2952 for a free consultation.