home lift type
Electric Home Lifts
An electric home lift is any lift for a private house that is driven by an electric motor, which covers almost every model sold in the UK.
For someone who can no longer use the stairs, it is the main alternative to a stairlift.
You will also see them called domestic lifts, home elevators or through-floor lifts.
Choosing the Right Electric Home Lift for Your Property
Four things decide which one fits your house:
- Space requirements: Measure the floor space, the ceiling height upstairs and the route to the lift.
- Load capacity: Published loads run from 159 kg for the smallest vacuum lift to 630 kg for the largest cabin lift.
- Safety features: Ask what happens in a power cut and what stops the car if something is in its way.
- Cost: Add the price of the lift, the building work and a yearly service before you compare quotes.
Are Domestic Lifts Worth It?
That depends on who will use it and for how long. Larger models carry a standard wheelchair or up to three people between floors.
Many plug into a normal 13 A socket, and the smallest take up less than a square metre of floor.
The Benefits of Electric Home Lifts
What a home lift offers:
- Access: Step-free access between floors for someone who cannot manage the stairs.
- Safety: Common features include battery lowering in a power cut, an emergency stop and door interlocks.
- Property value: Whether it adds value depends on the buyer; our property value guide sets out the evidence.
- Carrying things: Shopping, laundry and other loads can go up in the lift instead of by hand.
- Building work: A through-floor lift needs no shaft, so the building work is usually one opening in the ceiling.
Every home lift runs on electricity, so the useful question is which drive. Our home lift type comparison sorts 29 UK lifts into rope, hydraulic, screw-drive and vacuum, with published specs and prices.
Types of Electric Home Lifts
The main types sold for homes:
- Through-floor lifts: The car travels through a hole cut in the ceiling. Every model we checked serves two floors.
- Platform lifts: An open platform for a wheelchair user, often used for a short rise such as a step at the front door.
- Stairlifts: A seat on a rail fixed to the stairs, for straight or curved staircases. It is a different product from a home lift.
Top Homelifts
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Electric Home Lift
Answers to the questions we are asked most about electric home lifts.
What Is An Electric Home Lift?
A lift built for a private house, driven by an electric motor.
It lets someone who cannot use the stairs reach the other floor.
How Does An Electric Home Lift Work?
An electric motor drives a rope, drum, screw or hydraulic pump that moves the cabin or platform between floors.
Controls are inside the car and at each floor, and most models have an emergency stop.
What Are The Benefits Of Installing An Electric Home Lift?
Step-free access between floors, and a safer way up for someone at risk of falling on the stairs.
What Are The Different Types Of Electric Home Lifts Available?
Through-floor lifts are the most common in UK homes, followed by shaft and platform lifts. Stairlifts are a separate product.
How Do I Choose The Right Electric Home Lift For My Property?
Check the floor space, the ceiling height, the load, the power supply and your budget.
How Much Does An Electric Home Lift Cost?
It depends on the type.
Published UK starting prices run from £13,000 ex VAT for a through-floor lift to £29,500 for a vacuum lift; see our price guide.
How Long Does It Take To Install An Electric Home Lift?
Stiltz and Companion say fitting a through-floor lift usually takes one to two days.
Shaft lifts and jobs with more building work take longer, and Companion quotes eight to ten weeks from order to fitting.
Are Electric Home Lifts Safe?
Battery lowering, an emergency stop, door interlocks and sensors under the car are common.
It should be fitted by the manufacturer or an approved installer.
Do You Need A Domestic Lift In Your Home?
If the stairs have become hard to manage, a lift can let you keep using both floors of your home.