Green change - Home Makeover Magazine

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Lifting Lifting Lifting Lifting experience In-house elevator can add comfort and value �� By Frank O’Brien Installing an elevator in a private home makes a lot more sense than most realize, especially in Greater Vancouver’s high-priced real estate environment. Should aging knees or other problems make it difficult to use stairs, homeowners are often faced with the difficult decision to sell their house and relocate to another with one-level living. This, however, may mean moving out of a beloved home in a familiar neighbourhood, plus dealing with the stress and complexities of a competitive and fast-paced housing market. Installing an elevator, however, can cost about the same as a moderate kitchen renovation and provides a degree of mobility and convenience that adds comfort and increased value to the home, explains Maike Marnet, president of Decortec <strong>Home</strong>lift Inc., of North Vancouver. While a lack of mobility may trigger the installation of an ABOVE: An elevator can often be most easily installed on the home’s exterior, with access from both the garden and the interior. Here a glass-encased lift rises from the pool of a West Vancouver home. LEFT: In some cases, an existing stairwell can be used for the elevator shaft installation.
Elevator doors can be matched to look like a bedroom door, and are available in a wide variety of styles and finishing. elevator, once it is installed, residents quickly appreciate the convenience of being able to move luggage, laundry and other heavy items without the need to lug them up two or three flights of stairs. “The elevator soon becomes indispensable,” Marnet said. Government aid For those with disabilities and a low income, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation will provide funding to help cover the cost of installation, under its Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program. Marnet, however, said most of her clients see the elevator as a luxurious and affordable addition to an already fine home. An elevator is more convenient and, depending on the home’s layout, can be easier to install and less intrusive than a stair lift, she added. The typical cost of installing a threestorey elevator, say running from the basement to the upstairs’ bedrooms, costs about $35,000, excluding related construction work. A three-person lift can often be installed next to the existing stairwell, while some houses may have two closets stacked above each other, which allows space to install the elevator shaft. In many cases, installing the elevator on the exterior of the house, with entry gates both inside and outside, is the easiest and less costly method, Marnet said. “This allows access from the garden, driveway or perhaps the pool,” she explained. The typical size needed for the elevator shaft is three feet by four feet and the “pit” for the hydraulics hoist can be as shallow as four inches, which means the elevators represent a fairly small footprint. <strong>Home</strong>owners can also forget concerns that the elevator will look institutional. Custom designs are available to match any décor, from glass-encased shafts to wood and highly decorative finishes, and the elevator entrance can be disguised to look like a bedroom door. It takes about a week for a professional crew to install a hydraulic elevator, and the only wiring needed is a 220-volt outlet, Marnet explained. With CSA-approved lifts, the elevators come standard with automatic safety doors, emergency controls, lighting and lockout switches. “Elevators are becoming a major renovation trend,” said Marnet, who recently sold an elevator to owners of a two-storey Vancouver penthouse. “It adds a custom luxury touch, like a home theatre.” � ��
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