Home lifts: a lift for a private house, options and price
We calculate the price of a lift for a private house after a free site survey: it depends on the type of solution, the height, the openings in the floor slabs and the electrics. We do not publish "from" prices. A lift serving 2-4 levels can be installed even where a shaft was never planned. There are seven options, from a stairlift to an add-on shaft, and the choice comes down to the house itself and the person who will be using the lift.
Which lift will fit in your house
Here are the seven solutions we choose from when selecting a lift for your home, and what each one requires of the house. What people search for as a "mini lift" or home lift is mostly VL-91, MP Mobi and PVE.
| Solution | Specifications | Requirements for the house | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| KT-62 stairlift | 130-150 kg, flight inclination up to 45°, straight and curved stairs, battery powered | A wall or space for support posts along the stairs. No building work | The user transfers to the seat unaided; it does not carry a wheelchair. Makes the flight slightly narrower |
| VL-91 home lift | 250 kg, 2 persons, up to 9 m, up to 4 stops | A level floor, an opening in the floor slab, a dedicated power line. No shaft, pit or machine room needed | 9 m limit: go by the actual height, as storeys can be tall |
| MP Mobi platform | Home version: 225-385 kg, 3-5 persons, up to 6 stops, car 1000×900 or 1100×1400 mm, automatic doors | 200 mm pit, or 150 mm at extra cost. 380-415 V power supply; a single-phase 230 V version is available. Inside or outside, in a metal shaft | 0.15 m/s: a three-metre storey in about twenty seconds |
| PVE pneumatic lift | Transparent tube 750, 933 or 1338 mm in diameter, 1-3 persons, up to 15 m, up to 5 stops | Openings in the floor slabs to suit the tube diameter. No pit needed | You can hear the turbines, and the car is transparent all round. Only the PVE52 takes a wheelchair |
| Cibes screw-driven platform lift | 300 kg, 0.15 m/s, up to 4 stops, about 13 m | A level floor for the self-supporting shaft. A pit is optional. 220-240 V or 400 V power supply | Single-leaf doors, opened by hand |
| Hydraulic lift | 0.15-0.63 m/s, travel up to 18-20 m | A pit and space for the hydraulic power unit beside the shaft. The top of the shaft does not need reinforcing | The oil thickens in the cold, so an unheated extension needs a tank heater |
| External shaft | A separate structure next to the facade: foundation, frame, panels or glass, a car of your choice | Space for a foundation and a wall strong enough to take door openings | This is a reconstruction: design and approvals often take longer than the installation |
For MP Mobi, we have put together separate answers: pit, space, electrics, power cuts, and the standard sizes and finishes are in the brochure (PDF). An engineering review of the other options is on tehportal.com.ua.
Who the lift is for: convenience or a wheelchair
We start the selection with this question, because the answer determines the very type of equipment.
- The person finds stairs hard but can sit down and operate the controls on their own. The KT-62 stairlift is enough, and nothing in the house needs to be cut.
- Someone in the family uses a wheelchair. You need a car or platform with enough floor space. In the 1100×1400 mm MP Mobi, a wheelchair fits together with an accompanying person, the PVE52 also takes a wheelchair, and Cibes was designed with accessibility in mind. There are more options on the "Disabled access lifts" page.
- You are simply tired of carrying bags up two floors. Here the space decides: VL-91 or PVE inside, or a shaft outside if there is no room inside.
What makes up the budget
We will give you the figure after the site survey, but the cost items are clear from the start:
- the lift or platform itself: type, height, number of stops, car, doors;
- openings in the floor slabs and their reinforcement, if we see the need;
- a dedicated power line from the incoming supply;
- finishing around the shaft or tube;
- for an add-on shaft, also the foundation, frame, design and approvals;
- installation, setup and putting into service.
Private contracts are not in the open register. The order of magnitude of the amounts under our contracts with institutions is shown on the "Lift prices" page, where we also explain why they cannot be applied to a private house. For more on the budget for a house, see the article "How much a home lift costs".
A real project: the platform lift in Dolyna
Private client, Dolyna, 2022. The panoramic passenger platform lift stands in its own shaft next to the wall of an existing building. The car combines tinted glass and stainless steel, the car and landing doors are automatic, and the shaft frame is also stainless steel. It feels like a lift, although in terms of equipment type it is a platform lift. More photos are on the project page.
Documents and maintenance
Lifting equipment in a private house also needs to be put into service, inspected periodically and given scheduled maintenance. The set of documents depends on the model: a lift falls under the Technical Regulation on Lifts, and the MP Mobi platform lift under the Technical Regulation on Machinery Safety. We show you the list for your model before the contract is signed, help with the paperwork and take the equipment on for maintenance, including equipment installed by others, after an acceptance inspection. The warranty terms are in the contract.
What to do before you call
Want to buy a lift for your home? Start with three things:
- Estimate the height between levels in metres: it immediately rules out some models.
- Decide who the lift is for and whether a wheelchair will need to go in.
- Take photos of the spot: the stairs, a corner of the hall, the wall on the yard side.
Then an engineer comes out, takes the measurements and checks the floor slabs, the place for the pit and the electrical supply. If a stairlift is enough and a lift would be an unnecessary expense, we will recommend the stairlift.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a home lift cost?
We calculate the cost for your house after a free site survey and do not publish "from" prices. The type of solution has the biggest effect on the estimate: a stairlift needs no building work, while an add-on shaft adds a foundation, frame, design and approvals to the lift.
How much does a lift for 2 floors cost?
Two levels give you the widest choice: a stairlift, VL-91, MP Mobi, PVE or Cibes will all work. The cost depends on the chosen solution and the work in the house, so first we establish who the lift is for, and then we calculate.
Can you install a lift in an existing house without a shaft?
Yes. VL-91 and PVE stand directly on the floor, and an opening is made in the floor slab. Cibes arrives as a kit with a self-supporting shaft. If there is no room inside, we put the shaft outside.
Is a pit necessary?
Not for VL-91, PVE or Cibes. MP Mobi needs 200 mm, or 150 mm at extra cost, and sometimes the thickness of the screed with insulation is enough. A hydraulic lift does need a pit: the cylinder load is transferred to its floor.
What happens if there is a power cut?
VL-91 lowers itself to the bottom stop. MP Mobi runs on its own batteries to the nearest stop and opens the doors. KT-62 keeps running on its batteries. A hydraulic lift comes down through a valve: by itself if it has an emergency lowering unit, and without one a technician opens the valve. For PVE, we check the data sheet of the specific model.
What electrical supply is needed?
A dedicated line with circuit protection and earthing; we take the figures from the model's data sheet. MP Mobi runs on 380-415 V as standard, and a single-phase 230 V version is available. Cibes comes in 220-240 V or 400 V versions. It is better to spot a weak incoming supply at the site survey, while the equipment has not yet been ordered.
Does a home lift need to be registered?
The procedure depends on the type of equipment: a lift falls under the Technical Regulation on Lifts, and a platform lift under the Technical Regulation on Machinery Safety. We show you the list of documents for your model before the contract is signed, help with the paperwork and, after start-up, take the equipment on for maintenance.
How long does installation take?
It depends on the solution and the scope of building work: for a home lift without a shaft, the openings and the finishing around them take more time than the installation itself. We give the timeframe after the site survey, together with the price.
Last stop: your request
Find out the price of home lifts
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