If you need to add an elevator to your home to provide access to all levels for all members of your family, here are four things you need to take into consideration.
#1 Machine Room
Depending on the type of elevator that you install, you are going to need to add a machine room. Machine rooms are generally necessary if you plan on installing a hydraulic elevator.
The machine room does not have to be on the main level of your home; it can be in the attic above your elevator. You will need to have space for a GFCI outlet and a light within this room.
#2 Door Openings
The door opening for your elevator within your home will not line up directly with the actual elevator shaft. Doors on elevators are actually always off a little bit from the shaft, either to the left or the right. That means that you need to budget for extra space that is wider than the actual shaft for where you want your elevator doors to be located.
You are also going to need room for the doors to slide open. For example, if your elevator has a four-foot opening, with traditional, metal sliding doors, you are going to need at least two feet on either side of the elevator for the doors to slide. If you have restricted space, you may want to look into other elevator door options.
#3 Electrical Line
Your home elevator may require a higher degree of volts or amps than other appliances in your home. You are most likely going to need to install new electrical outlets specifically for the elevator. Depending on how many outlets you have on your circuit breaker, you may need to upgrade the breaker as well.
#4 Phone Line
Typically, when you set up an elevator in your home, you are going to need to run a phone line to your elevator. The phone line will allow you to call for emergency assistance should something happen while you are inside of the elevator or if the elevator gets stuck. Even in the day and age of cellphones, this is a great safety feature to have.
You will need to have your phone company come out and install or extend your phone wires to where your elevator is. If you don't have home phone service, you are also going to need to budget for this expense.
Before you have an elevator installed in your home, make sure that you have thought about all the logistical aspects of installing an elevator. This planning will make the process go smother as you'll have a clearer idea of where the elevator will need to go in your home and what type of professional assistance you'll need with installing it. For more information, talk to a company like Home Elevator Of Austin.
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