Costs: Understand the Whole Picture
A common question customers have revolves around the purchase of home elevators from online suppliers. Occasionally they point out that the cost is less than the quote they have had for a Stiltz Home Lift. However, we suggest taking a deeper look for pricing quoted by online sellers. Remember, there is much more to consider than just the cost of the residential elevator itself.
Is shipping included? This can easily exceed $1,000. The crates will be extremely heavy and cumbersome so you will need a forklift or plenty of help when the elevator lift is delivered; it is not your standard UPS delivery! Does the price include installation? A regular hydraulic elevator can take 1-2 weeks three to to install so factor in your time into that cost too. Does the price include a 2 year parts and 1 year service warranty?
Always make sure those carrying out the installation are factory trained. Safety is paramount with the installation of a residential elevator and simply being ‘quite technical’ does not even come close to what is needed to install one. Another major cost which is often forgotten when shopping for home elevators is the construction. Building a hoist way, shaft, or coring into your foundation’s concrete can easily add $15,000+ to the cost of a two-story installation and take several weeks to complete.
In short, the great bargain you think you found can quickly turn out to be more than twice the cost, perhaps $38,000+, and involve several weeks of disruption.
The smaller footprint of our elevator also means you give up less space in your home and the self-supporting system eliminates the need for a structural wall or concrete pit. With no hydraulics, our lift runs off a standard outlet using a regular 110v or 220v supply, and is very economical to operate and service too.
Because Stiltz Home Lifts have a self-supporting system and, does not require a hoist way to be built, they avoid both the disruption and cost that a traditional elevator project requires. In retrofit situations, a Stiltz residential lift will work out to be a significantly lower cost option yet offer you the same benefits of other products.