If you live in a small home, you might have written off the idea of having a residential elevator installed. Perhaps you’re convinced there’s no way an elevator could fit in your house, but you might be surprised! The truth is, there are many types of residential elevators that could fit easily into even a small home.
Many homeowners have elevators installed into an existing home for the convenience of transporting heavy or bulky items like laundry or groceries from one floor to the next. For other homeowners, a residential elevator might be required due to mobility issues and may need to be built to accommodate a wheelchair.
Small residential elevators: the solution to small space
While you might be convinced your multi-story home won’t fit an elevator, small residential elevators can actually be the solution to small space! In many cases, they take up less room than a staircase.
Machine roomless elevator (MRL)
So, what kind of residential elevator is the best for small spaces? In many cases, the answer to this question is a machine roomless elevator (MRL). One of the primary advantages of this type of elevator is that it doesn’t require a separate machine room so you lose less square footage of your home.
Our MRL home lift is a winding drum overhead motor fully engineered lift that uses two ⅜ of an inch top grade cables to raise and lower the elevator. It also has a variable frequency drive to ensure the quietest and smoothest ride in the industry. It travels at 40 feet per minute, and every cab is built to the size of your hoist-way to give you the maximum amount of square footage in your cab.
There’s a great selection of upgrades available for MRLs, including:
Hall Calls: Brass or oil rubbed bronze hall calls
Cabin Operating Panel: Brass or oil rubbed bronze COP
Gate Options: Automatic accordion gate options
Handrails: Brass or oil rubbed bronze hall calls
Speed: Increase Speed Options
Wood Options: We offer a number of different wood varieties for your cab
Custom Wood: A variety of lacquers or finishes are available per client requests
Custom Cab Options: Glass and stainless cabs
Cabin Operating Panel: Brass or oil rubbed bronze COP
An MRL is a type of hydraulic elevator. Generally speaking, this type is the quickest to install and they’re less expensive to install and maintain than others. They’re also ideal for homes or buildings that are low to mid-rise, as opposed to accommodating high-rise buildings the way a traction elevator can.
Learn more about our machine roomless elevators here.
Other choices for small residential home elevators
If you don’t think a hydraulic elevator is your best option, there are other excellent options for residential lifts to help with mobility issues. At Rise Above Elevator, we offer an impressive variety of wheelchair and stair chair lifts.
Wheelchair lifts and stair chair lifts are a convenient and affordable way to bypass the stairs, and they can be installed in existing homes even if they’re small.
Depending on where you need a wheelchair or chairlift, they can be installed in the interior or exterior of the home. They’re built to accommodate a variety of weather conditions, and there are various customization options available as well.
Maintaining your wheelchair lift is important, but so is maintaining your wheelchair! Here’s some advice for doing just that.
FAQs about wheelchair lifts
What kind of warranty does Rise Above Elevator provide?
We offer a full, one-year warranty to ensure quality and safety.
What is the weight capacity on a wheelchair lift?
Our standard lift has a weight capacity of 500 pounds.
What is the cab speed?
Our lift system has an industry average speed of 24 feet per minute.
What kind of operating drive do they use?
Our lifts consist of a winding drum technology for less force.
Are they safe?
Each of our wheelchair lifts is guaranteed to meet all ASME 18.1
For FAQs about elevators, click here.
Stair chair lifts
If getting up and down your stairs is difficult but you don’t use a wheelchair, a stair chair lift could be just the thing to help with all of your mobility issues.
These are just a few of the benefits of adding a stair chair lift to your home:
- Safety – Minimizing the risk of falls on the stairs.
- Easy to use – They don’t require intricate steps to operate or maintain.
- Restore independence – For some homeowners, a stair chair lift is all it takes to restore their sense of independence and their ability to get around in their own home.
- Fast and affordable – Many elevators can be installed in under a week and built to meet any budget, but stair chair lifts are even faster and more affordable. Installation time will depend on things like if the staircase is curved and how long the staircase is.
- They can keep you in your home – If you were convinced you’d need to move to a single story home, a stair chair lift could mean you can stay in the home you love.
These are an affordable option that can help you move more freely around your house. And don’t worry if you’re short on space – stair chair lifts are designed to blend into your home. We believe they should look as though they were meant to be there.
We’re proud to have the shortest wait times from contract to installation. From the time our state-certified technicians show up to when they pack up and head out, you’ll feel safe and secure to know it was installed properly.
Whether it’s a small residential elevator or a residential lift you’re interested in, we’re here to help. Give us a call today so we can get started!