Home elevators are being perceived as less of a luxury home furnishing, as more people seem to be installing them for practical reasons. Corresponding with the Baby Boom generation aging, the addition of a home elevator can be practical if you have a hard time getting up stairs or often need to carry large loads up one or more flights of stairs in your home. In fact, installing a residential elevator has gained popularity in comparison to purchasing a one-floor or ranch house or remodeling a current home to include the master bedroom on the ground floor.
Installing a residential elevator involves more than purchasing a kit and installing it yourself. If you plan to install an elevator in your home, configure a plan about where to put the elevator and consult a contractor or architect about potential spots in your home. Although smaller than a commercial elevator, the elevator shaft can take up enough space as a walk-in closet, and, for some elevator systems, an additional machine room is also needed. An elevator cab can take up from 12 to 15 square feet and the shaft needs to be six inches wider.

Elevator operations consist of four different types – pneumatic, winding drum, hydraulic, and traction-- with the preferred for low-rise residential and commercial buildings being hydraulic, as it has been rated the most safe and reliable for home elevators. However, hydraulic elevator systems need a machine room in the basement of the house, which can add additional installation costs but is better for safety of residents in case of emergency. A hydraulic elevator is installed like it is part of the building’s foundation, and, as a result, this type of home elevator system has a better track record in earthquake and fire emergencies. This is due to the fact that the machine room in the basement is easier to access by rescue workers during emergency and has a manual, or hand powered, slow-speed lowering system, which is convenient in a power outage.
Regardless of which kind of residential elevator you choose to install, safety is always important. To make sure that the elevator is still up to ASME standards, an inspection should be done of the elevator cab and system every six months to a year by a professional elevator contractor.