Table of Contents:
Previously considered an expensive luxury reserved only for mega-mansions, home elevators have become far more cost-friendly, customizable and dimensionally feasible for many home and mobility needs. The question is no longer if elevators in your house are realistic — it’s where and when you could install one.
From simple two-story elevators to multi-floor lifts, discover how to calculate enough space for your home elevator. Installing a custom-fit elevator can deliver peace of mind that your home stays your home for years to come, regardless of what life throws your way.
Yes, in the vast majority of cases, your home likely has enough room for an elevator.
By consulting with an elevator manufacturer or representative, you can determine the perfect-fit residential elevator size, including:
In addition, working with a residential elevator manufacturer directly introduces a range of customizations to make your elevator look and feel as cozy as your home. Possible home elevator cab customizations might include:
An ADA-compliant residential elevator should adhere to the following dimensions. The door should have a width of at least 36”. The elevator cab’s depth should be at least 51”, and the width should be at least 68” for side doors or 80” for centered doors.
These dimensions allow enough room for one to two people to fit comfortably within your home elevator. However, these sizes only determine the interior elevator cab, the portion of an elevator where passengers ride. Having enough room for a home elevator system requires space for numerous elevator mechanical components, as well as that cozy cab.
Installing an entire home elevator system requires room for:
In total, experts recommend roughly 18 to 20 square feet of space to build or retrofit a custom residential elevator. Check your state’s specific building ordinances to know the exact sizing maximums or restrictions that exist for residential work.
Now that you have a rough estimate of how an elevator may fit into your home, you should consider several other factors to make sure you get a well-designed, well-functioning unit.
Most home elevators have a cab depth of 36”-60”, width of 48”-60”, and height of at least 80”. Some variation occurs based on architectural features, the layout of your home, and local, state and federal residential building codes. Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all blueprint for building home elevators.
Typical residential elevator room sizes include:
Again, the final size of your residential elevator will be determined by home layout, building regulations and the overall shaft allowance. The shaft and your elevator’s power and control mechanisms must be built first, influencing the rest of the spatial design.
In addition to the size of your elevator, you’ll also need to select your unit’s weight capacity. Elevator weight capacity dictates how many people can ride in the cab at once. It also gives a reasonable basis to determine additional items or cargo you can transport with you, from groceries or luggage to home goods and even furniture.
Residential elevators come in four typical weight capacities:
An elevator’s weight capacity, lift platform design and mechanical powering systems all go hand-in-hand. For example, a 500-pound capacity unit can’t be bigger than 12 square feet.
Because weight capacity, lift design and unit powering method are so interconnected, it’s essential to work with an architect, elevator installation expert or certified elevator dealer to ensure you’re getting a cohesive and safe system that meets your needs.
Today, there are two main mechanical powering systems operating residential elevators:
Machine room-less elevators do not require system mechanics to have their own dedicated space at the top or bottom of the unit. Instead, their designs tend to rely on pneumatic tube systems to safely raise and lower lifts, with the tubing itself installed into adjacent walls.
The amount of room you have available in your home will be the largest factor influencing whether a machine room or MRL system is right for you. Both types of powering mechanisms are one of the most important components for elevators in homes.
Powering systems control your home elevator’s movements, and they influence where in your home you can install your new or retrofit elevator. For this reason, determining if your home has space for an elevator machine room is just as essential as planning for shafts, cabs and cleared door entry and exit ways.
Luckily, both types are available to configure within the vast majority of homes — even for retrofit projects where architects and elevator installation specialists recommend one type over the other. Both types of elevators additionally come with their pros and cons described below.
Home elevators with machine rooms remain a popular choice for several reasons:
Consider these advantages and disadvantages of home MRL elevators:
In the end, you and your trusted elevator installation team will determine the best type for you based on several factors, from your budget and ideal installation timeline to the spatial availability and energy efficiency of your home.
Aside from state and local building ordinances, a few other regulations pertain to fitting an elevator in your home.
Given its private, residential setting rather than a public or commercial one, elevators in homes do not need to meet the ADA’s full list of detailed size, placement, dimensional and aesthetic qualifications.
Logically, though, a home elevator does need to be designed for wheelchair accessibility. This includes designing platforms and cabs capable of fitting wheelchairs, plus providing enough room for wheelchair spins, movements and changes of direction without great hazard or inconvenience for the rider.
Other safety and building regulations may still apply, particularly at the local level. However, to get the most out of your home elevator, you may invest in additional elevator components or add-ons, such as:
Home elevators are a safe and secure form of in-home transportation. With today’s advancements in mechanical engineering, architecture and technology, there’s never been a safer or more convenient time to install one in your house.
What’s more, general safety regulations exist guiding elevator manufacturing and installation best practices. Ask all elevator businesses you’re vetting if they follow 2016’s ASME 17.1/CSA B44 ordinances. Following these residential elevator codes is voluntary, so you’ll want to find out early if a manufacturer adheres to them. In doing so, you proactively take your safety into your own hands.
At Inclinator, we outfit state-of-the-art elevator technology that meets the utmost safety standards. We install our elevators like they’re going into our own homes, carrying our own loved ones. This means elevator safety features such as:
Give Us a Call
More and more Americans are installing elevators in their homes for a wide range of reasons, including:
Many seniors want to live in their own homes as they get older. If you’re a senior who wants to live the remainder of your golden years in your own home, you’ll probably need to make some changes to your property. You’ll want to make your front door more accessible, make modifications to your tub and shower and install grab bars in various spots in your home.
One of the greatest risks that older adults face when they live alone is falling or injuring themselves. As we get older, many of us don’t want to risk walking up and down the stairs. Several older adults sell their two-story homes and move into single-story homes to avoid stairs, even if the two-story property was their dream home.
Fortunately, with a home elevator, you don’t have to give up your dream home. Plus, it will likely be less expensive to add an elevator to your existing home than it would be to purchase a new single-story home.
Not all elevators look the same. In fact, you can customize your home elevator to fit the style and décor of your home. This customization includes the door, trim and flooring. A residential elevator can blend in so well with the rest of your home, that the only thing that distinguishes it is the call button.
While a home elevator installation may cost you upfront, the installation can also significantly increase the resale value of your home. Though a residential elevator can be quite costly, the price can vary depending on your custom options, your location, taxes, the size of your elevator and the type of drive system you choose.
Despite the upfront cost, a residential elevator can also increase your home’s value by 10 percent. With an elevator, you’ll have more equity in your home, and your property will become more appealing to potential buyers, as they’ll be able to imagine themselves in this home long-term.
With the increase in the value of your home, you’ll likely completely recoup the costs of your elevator or even exceed the cost when you sell.
Installing an elevator in your house is an important step in maintaining your independence and remaining in your home following an accident or as you or your family member ages.
To ensure a successful, safe and quick home elevator installation, follow these tips:
The first tip for installing an elevator is to decide whether you want to add the elevator to your house or if you want to retrofit it. Retrofitting is much less expensive, but you may lose closet or storage space. A new construction project will take longer and cost more, but you have more choices in size and location.
Your next step will be finding a contractor. You’ll then work with the contractor to determine where you want the elevator and where the power lines need to be.
Next, you’ll want to customize your elevator to suit your needs and preferences. At Inclinator, we offer five cab styles, three drive systems, various color and design options, 18 gate and door configurations, custom lighting and more.
With so many customization options, you can design an elevator that’s perfect for your home.
Since Inclinator elevators arrive preassembled, the technicians will not need to go through a lengthy assembly process. Installation time depends on the type of elevator and the number of landings. For reference, a two-stop elevator should take about four days with two technicians.
Once you’ve decided you want to move forward with installing your home elevator, you may be wondering whether you need to schedule annual elevator maintenance. To ensure the safety, quality and longevity of your elevator, we recommend scheduling maintenance at least once per year
Regular maintenance of your home elevator is important because:
Be sure to schedule your yearly maintenance with an Inclinator-qualified service team. Our team will keep your elevator running reliably and reduce costly repairs in the future.
At Inclinator, we manufacture safe, reliable and customizable home elevators. Because our elevators are so customizable, they can fit into just about any space without sacrificing precision.
We’re the first in the industry to bring elevators to American homeowners, and we’ve been providing residential elevators to Americans for nearly a century.
Customizing your elevator is an easy and simple process, as each of our elevators is designed individually by our team of experts. Following installation, you’ll find your home elevator is a valuable investment. The value of your home will likely increase enough to recoup the costs of the elevator installation. When you’re ready to sell your home, you’ll also be able to sell to a wider market.
Are you ready to schedule your home elevator installation? Locate an Inclinator dealer or contact us with any questions today.
Find a Dealer Contact Us
Home elevators are luxury fixtures that provide convenience and increase accessibility for homeowners building a new home or planning a major remodel.
Additionally, a residential elevator can increase your property value, make your home more functional, and reinforce safety. For example, individuals with mobility issues may install an elevator to prevent stair related injuries.
Elevators are custom designed to your home, making a one-of-a-kind style statement. However, before you style your home elevator, it’s important to know the standard home elevator dimensions.
Keep reading to learn about standard home elevator dimensions and other matters that you should consider before beginning your home elevator project.
Typically, a home elevator can be installed into a two-to-six-story home.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) limits the travel height of home elevators to 50 feet. But what about home elevator dimensions? Generally, when installing an elevator in your home, you will need a space that is at least 5’ x 5’, or 25 square feet of floor space.
What if you don’t have 25 square feet in your home to spare? Even with a smaller space, the right elevator company should be able to find something that works for you, depending on your needs.
On the other hand, if you have more space available, you may have more design options to choose from. For example, sliding landing doors take up more space than the traditional swing door but are a nice addition to any home elevator.
For this reason, it’s important to consult a home elevator company early on to determine what’s possible in your space.
The ASME regulates elevator dimensions for safety purposes.
At Arrow Lift, the standard interior cab for a home elevator is 15 square feet. However, there is no standard length-to-width dimension. The dimensions of your home elevator are primarily limited by the available space. Nonetheless, common dimensions that homeowners opt for are 40” x 54” or 36” x 60”. Moreover, most local building codes require home elevator doorways to be at least 32 inches wide.
Some home elevator companies only offer a smaller, 12-square-foot cab as standard. This may constrain use, as it may not fit multiple users or a power wheelchair. Additionally, these companies will charge more if you want a 15-square-foot elevator.
A 15-square-foot interior cab can accommodate a wide range of uses. The cab can fit multiple people, or it can hold a person in a wheelchair with their companion. In fact, most home elevators can hold up to 950 pounds.
As mentioned before, your elevator is a unique investment in your home. Having a reliable elevator company to advise your decisions will help build a safe elevator for you and your family.
Arrow Lift has worked for 35 years, ensuring the quality, reliability, and safety of clients’ home elevators. Accordingly, Arrow Lift’s Vice President of Operations and Engineering is an active participant on the ASME A17.1 committee for private residence elevators to define safety standards—few in our industry have such an engineering expert on staff. Additionally, our field technicians are full-time, trained employees—not subcontractors.
Arrow Lift works with the best manufacturers to provide premium results. All elevators are built piece by piece and are fully customizable. Choose every detail of the size, shape, and design options to make it match with your unique home decor. Design options include the car interior, fixtures, and doors/gates.
Would you like to learn more about home elevators and what is involved in installing one in your home? Visit one of Arrow Lift’s showroom locations so you can check out the different elevators for yourself. Or contact Arrow Lift today for more information.