Home Lift

villabadger

Hi,

Has anyone had experience of installing a lift into their home? I'm am thinking of buying a house (rather than a bungalow) for my inlaws who have mobility problems. It would need to be a proper lift with a door to run from ground to first floor level and not a stairlift or one of the open type wheelchair lifts.

I will be able to sort out the first floor access/cut-out (joists etc.) so just need the actual lift and it's structure. Does anyone have an idea of a ballpark price I should expect?

Thanks

G8311374

Hi,

I am an Occupational Therapy student, and would advise that you contact your local social services department Occupational Therapist for advice as they will have expertise in this area and may be able to provide advice on models and cost, you may also find you are eligible for a grant dependent on your financial situation. If you dont want to go through your local SS department, you can arrange to see an Independent Occupational Therapist who will have experience with these alterations.

Hope this helps.

villabadger

Thanks for your reply. The house will be mine and I doubt whether I would qualify for a grant but it will be worth a try. My MIL has had her problem for about 15 years and doesn't like any fuss - she's only recently obtained a disabled parking badge and that was only after pressure from her GP!

ormus

its the client who qualifies for the grant, not the actual house owner.
obviously a LLs permission would be required. not a problem in your case.

some equipment is on loan from SS/OT depts.. and is returned when no longer required. ie stairlifts.
make some enquiries.

villabadger

Thanks for replying. As I said, I don't want to put a stairlift, or similar, in. I don't mind having to pay for a proper, permanent solution. At this point I just need to figure out where my budget is likely to be. Has anyone done this before? I will give a couple of suppliers a call but really wanted a customers view.

macman

Do consider that installing a permanent lift will make the property very difficult to sell in the future, it's about as desirable as a swimming pool for most people.

moonrakerz

I think you will be talking mega-cost here !
What is wrong with a stairlift ? An "ordinary" lift will take space from ground and first floors and will definitely put would be purchasers off in the future.

shammyjack

Cheapest option is probably a scissor type lift or one of these for example

http://www.terrylifts.co.uk/domestic-access-lifts.html


Do a Google search for Domestic lifts. The types depicted in the link would not take much work to remove and restore the house to original state if no longer needed.


shammy

villabadger

You both make valid points. However, there is method to my madness......the property in question is actually joined to my property (was originally one of the 2 wings that exist) and is 3 bed. My plan is to buy it and open it up to my property - the lift would then make access available to 7 bedrooms on the first floor which at some point in the future could be ideal for a B&B or similar. Alternatively, the lift could be handy when my (or my wife's) legs go!

I do know that lifts used to be really pricey due to the pit required. However, there does appear to be solutions that don't require this. Also, they are single phase. So, I am hoping that the actual structure and lift mechanism can't be that expensive - can they?

villabadger

shammyjack wrote: »

Cheapest option is probably a scissor type lift or one of these for example

http://www.terrylifts.co.uk/domestic-access-lifts.html


Do a Google search for Domestic lifts. The types depicted in the link would not take much work to remove and restore the house to original state if no longer needed.


shammy

Yeh, I did see those - not what I wanted. Thanks anyway.

shammyjack

As an ex crane and lifting engineer I could design and build anything you want. Still not going to be cheap though. Regulations for any lift to carry passengers as in a projected B+B are very strict . If used as a B+B you would need 6 monthly inspections and certification for your insurance company.