Installation of an elevator might very well be your next step. People who live in and love multilevel houses are just as reluctant to give them up as anything else that they have worked for and enjoy.
People want to age in place. They do not want to give up their house, the familiar neighborhood, or the friends and conveniences that they have grown to love. People want to stay put, which means they may have to change their homes to meet their needs.
A home elevator might be the key to remaining in their own homes as they age or face infirmities that makes stair climbing a frightening experience. Elevator manufacturers say that the installation of residential elevators has increased in the past five years as baby boomers plan for the rest of their lives.
Houses can be retrofitted with an elevator by knocking out a stack of closets. The elevator entry will look like a closet door with call buttons. Even more important than the space of the elevator is the traffic pattern on each floor that will allow for getting into the elevator with a walker or wheelchair. Elevator cabs measuring three feet by four-feet work well for wheelchair access. It is a good plan to consider elevator installation as part of a project to rework the entire house so that you can move about with ease.
A new trend, even in new homes, is to consider adding an elevator if stairs could become an obstacle. No one should be forced to move because of bad knees. Builders are also fashioning homes with elevators for added convenience and a touch of luxury, as well as for the anticipated flock of retiring baby boomers.
Cost of a home elevator can run anywhere from $12,000 to $30,000 for the machinery alone, and with construction costs being equal to the cost of the elevator. Expensive, yes, but the prices for new homes have gravitated to the point where the elevator is not going to change the cost of your mortgage to any degree.
Source: Elevators Are the Next Step Up; Conversions Gain in Popularity For Aging or Infirm Homeowners. Elizabeth Festa. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. June 25, 2005. Page (F .01)
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