Compact home lift for a private house: dimensions, pit, power supply
Published
A compact home lift can take up less than one square metre of floor space. The PVE30 pneumatic lift, the smallest model from PVE, has an outside diameter of 750 mm, stands directly on the floor with no pit or shaft and runs on single-phase power. The MP Mobi HOME platform lift, with an enclosed car for three to five people, already needs a 200 mm pit, and its standard power supply is three-phase. Below we compare home lifts by floor space, pit and power supply.
Three machines we offer as a compact home lift
When asked for a "mini lift", we usually offer one of three machines: a PVE pneumatic lift (USA), a VL-91 home lift by LIFTPORTAL (Turkey) or an MP Mobi HOME hydraulic platform lift (Spain). When choosing a lift for your home, we check the house against the catalogue figures:
| Parameter | PVE | VL-91 | MP Mobi HOME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who travels | 1-3 persons, 159-238 kg | 2 persons, 250 kg | 3-5 persons, 225-385 kg |
| Floor space | diameter 750-1338 mm or 914 × 914 mm | 1080 × 1060 mm | car from 1000 × 900 mm plus the shaft |
| Pit | not needed | not needed | 200 mm, 150 mm at extra cost |
| Power supply | 220-240 V, single-phase | 220 V, single-phase | 380-415 V, three-phase; 230 V single-phase to order |
| Stops | 2-5, travel up to 15 m; The Cube 2-3, up to 10 m | up to 4, travel up to 9 m | up to 6 |
| Speed | 0.18-0.20 m/s | 0.15 m/s | 0.15 m/s |
How much space you need
A PVE pneumatic lift, also called a vacuum lift, is a self-supporting transparent cylinder: the car is raised by a difference in air pressure. We are an authorised PVE dealer in Ukraine; we installed a PVE37 in a private house and maintain it. The models are:
- PVE30 for one person standing: diameter 750 mm, floor opening 813 mm;
- PVE37 for two: diameter 933 mm, opening 991 mm;
- The Cube for two: 914 × 914 mm, opening 965 × 965 mm, fits neatly into a corner;
- PVE52 for three, or for a wheelchair user with a companion: diameter 1338 mm, opening 1389 mm.
A PVE also needs height: lower floors from 2.34 m floor to floor, the top floor from 2.72 m, or from 2.47 m with the drive unit moved to the attic, a storeroom or outdoors.
The VL-91 takes up 1080 × 1060 mm, with an internal car size of 750 × 850 mm; other sizes are also available. It is a "duplex" lift: the car travels on guide rails through an opening in the floor slab, and when it is on another floor, the space beneath it is free.
The MP Mobi HOME car is enclosed, with automatic doors: 1000 × 900, 1000 × 1250 or 1100 × 1400 mm. It needs a shaft around it, masonry or steel with glass, and space next to it for the hydraulic power unit. For a 1000 × 900 mm car, the MP catalogue gives a 1400 × 1200 mm shaft; we calculate the final size after the site survey. More in the MP Mobi questions and answers.
Is a pit needed
The PVE and the VL-91 do without a pit. A PVE is installed on the finished floor, which must be perfectly level. Depending on the model and height, it weighs approximately 0.4 t to over 1.5 t, so we check the base during the site survey. The VL-91 needs a level floor and an opening in the floor slab.
The MP Mobi HOME needs a 200 mm pit; for an extra charge, the factory makes it 150 mm. For comparison, a passenger lift in the standard version needs a pit of a metre or more.
If it has to be a passenger lift but a deep pit cannot be made, we look at Diethelm (Switzerland). For a 630 kg, 8-person, 1.0 m/s lift in an existing building, the factory's proposal allowed for a 150 mm pit, 2420 mm headroom and a 1600 × 1750 mm shaft. Where possible, the factory recommends 450 mm, and it confirms the final dimensions with a drawing for the specific shaft.
Single-phase or three-phase
The PVE runs on a single-phase 220-240 V supply: a dedicated earthed line with a 30 A circuit breaker (40 A for the PVE52) is run to the top of the lift, and the factory strongly recommends a voltage stabilizer. The VL-91 is also single-phase, 220 V.
As standard, the MP Mobi HOME is powered by a three-phase 380-415 V supply; the 230 V single-phase version has to be ordered from the start. A dedicated line from the incoming supply is needed in any case, and we look for a weak incoming supply as early as the site survey.
Home lift or platform lift: what is the difference
In regulatory terms, these machines are different. Paragraph 3 of the Technical Regulation on Lifts and Safety Components for Lifts (approved by Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 438 of 21.06.2017, as amended on 18.12.2025) begins: "The requirements of this Technical Regulation do not apply to: lifting appliances whose speed does not exceed 0.15 m/s; …".
The MP Mobi and the VL-91 travel at exactly 0.15 m/s and are made under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC: MP declares that the Mobi conforms to this directive, and the VL-91 has EC type-examination certificates. PVE declares that its home lifts conform to the American standard ASME A17.7. A Diethelm lift, by contrast, undergoes conformity assessment under the Technical Regulation on Lifts, each one individually, on site.
There is a noticeable difference in use, too: at 0.15 m/s, one three-metre floor takes about twenty seconds, while a Diethelm travels at 1.0 m/s. In many home lifts you hold the button down for the whole journey; in the Mobi, with its automatic car doors, one press of the floor button is enough. The documents for putting the lift into service also depend on the type of equipment; we give you the list for your model before the contract is signed.
What suits whom
- One or two people, little space, a heated room: PVE30, PVE37, The Cube or VL-91.
- A wheelchair user with a companion: MP Mobi HOME with the 1100 × 1400 mm car, or PVE52, but not every wheelchair fits into a PVE52, so we check the dimensions before ordering. Other solutions: platform lifts for people with disabilities.
- An unheated room or outdoors: not a PVE, as it is not used at temperatures below +18 °C. The Mobi can also be installed outside, in a glazed steel shaft that we attach to the facade: external lift shaft.
- Six levels: of these three, only the Mobi, with up to 6 stops.
Questions and answers
Can a compact home lift be installed in a house people already live in?
Yes. A PVE is installed next to the stairs, in a double-height hall or in a corner of the living room, and the cylinder is made up of 2.34 m sections that are brought into the house through a door or window. The VL-91 needs an opening in the floor slab, and the Mobi also needs a shaft and a 200 mm pit.
What happens if there is a power cut?
A PVE descends smoothly to the lowest floor under its own weight, without a battery, and the door lock releases. The VL-91 descends to the lowest floor using an uninterruptible power supply. The Mobi uses its own batteries to reach the nearest stop and open the doors; this comes as standard.
How much does a compact home lift cost, and how long is the wait?
We give the total after a free site survey and do not quote "from" prices. Besides the machine itself, the cost estimate covers the openings or the pit and shaft, the power line, finishes, installation and start-up. The lead time depends on the model and specification; we state the exact time in the quotation together with the total. In detail: how much a home lift costs.
Does a home lift need maintenance?
Yes. The manufacturer recommends inspecting a PVE lift every six months and replacing the main car seal after about 5 years or 15 000 trips. Any lifting equipment in a house needs scheduled inspections; we take care of the maintenance.
What we need for a quote
The site survey and quote are free, and you are under no obligation afterwards. For the first conversation, please have ready:
- how many levels to connect, the floor-to-floor heights between them and the ceiling height of the top floor;
- who will use the lift and whether a wheelchair will need to go into the car;
- photos or a plan of the place where you envisage the lift, and whether it is heated in winter;
- what is under the floor of the lowest level: a ground slab, a suspended floor, underfloor heating;
- how many phases are supplied to the house.
Call us: 050 585-39-28, or in Lviv 097 099-89-87. Or leave a request on the contacts page. We are PE SRBK Portal (LIFTPORTAL trademark), in business since 2002, with an office in Ivano-Frankivsk and a branch in Lviv. An engineer will come, take the measurements and check the floor slabs and the power supply connection, and then we will recommend a model. Other options for a private house: home lifts.
Last stop: your request