Replies

1. 
   Gabe | May 28, 2003 03:43am | #1

   ten grand

2. 
   RW | May 28, 2003 04:04am | #2

   Just put one in a few months ago. A Porch Lift from Access Elevator Co. It works. This one travels about 12 ft and has 3 doors. $25K. My two cents, look elsewhere. The thing is an absolute piece of garbage. Loud, needed adjustment multiple times before the job itself was even done, the lift platform didn't sit or rise at 90 degrees to the body, which gets you into issues with lining up with doors. I dunno. The whole thing was just way too rinky dink for me, and the company representatives were just about as incompetent as I have ever witnessed. They didn't know their own product, they didn't know what the codes relating to installing an elevator were, they didn't know what the building codes allowed and what they didn't, ergo their plans which they provided were not correct. There was no way to frame what they said, legally or otherwise. It's a bitter subject at the moment.

   That being said, they can't be the only ones who make it. The theory is good, just that particular product wasn't. It sounds like what you're looking for. And for the size you're talking about, the ten grand figure might be on par with what to expect, maybe a little more. Each door is going to add about $1500 in material cost into the equation, and then you have to do the install.

   "The child is grown / The dream is gone / And I have become / Comfortably numb "      lyrics by Roger Waters

3. 
   Ronbaby | May 28, 2003 04:44am | #3

   I second (or third) the 10k figure. Talked to an elevator guy here last year anyway who was installing one in a 3 story house.

1. 
   TXJon | May 29, 2003 05:09am | #4

   Thanks to all for the information.  I appreciate the help.

   Jon

4. 
   Framer | May 30, 2003 03:16am | #5

   I'm framing a 5000sf house right now that will have a three story Elevator in it. The cost is $22,000.00. But there's all different options, sizes, floor finishes,wall finishes. Yours is only one story, so it shouldn't be as expensive.

   The only thing is that the company sent out their Rep to show me how to frame for it. If your facing the elevator door, the wall on the right side has to be framed with double 2x10's verticaly and they give you all the measurements to the centers. For me it has to be done three storys and it has to be done exactly the way they tell you.

   They bolt special brackets to the 2x10's to support the elevator. 

   This is the first house or job that I've ever framed for an elevator and was surprised when I was told that I had to frame something special in my walls for it. I just thought that they give us the rough openings and they mounted it to the slab.

   I'll give you the link to the company that we're using. Maybe it can help you and answer a few questions for you.

   Joe Carola

    http://www.unitedlift.com/elevator.htm

   
   

   ---

   Edited 5/29/2003 8:18:17 PM ET by Framer

5. 
   RussellAssoc | May 30, 2003 03:30am | #6

            Last one we did was 2 years ago, $14,000, with up grades $21,000.  It did have a pit, wall framing was conventional, with 5/8" drywall, which was our choice.  It was in a fairly good size village, but the code inspector nor the village wanted to take responsibility for the inspection, so we had to get a letter of compliance from the county.  The county did not make an on site inspection, they just wanted a recognized lift manufacture. 

6. 
   junkhound | May 30, 2003 07:43am | #7

   My humble opinion, as DW figures I'll need to install one soon - ain't gett'in old a pain?

   Notwithstanding the other posts, if you are a TOTAL DIY, about $500 is right. Murray Salvage in Seattle has used dump truck hyd cylingers for $300, a pump is $100, Hoses&etc about $100, you should be able to cobble together the rest from lumber and steel angle iron stored in the back yard.

1. 
   TXJon | May 30, 2003 04:28pm | #9

   My wife and I care for elderly people in our home for a living.  We are looking to move to a larger home, and the best one we have found requires some sort of elevator/lift retrofit.

   Your idea sounds pretty good to me, but I don't think our insurance co. or our clients families would be real hot on a home made elevator, even if it is really fast!

   Jon

2. 
   fdampier5 | May 31, 2003 06:35am | #13

   A simple and reasonbly safe alternative if you are a do-it- yourselfer is to buy a used forklift with a bad motor.. the price can be as low as 500 dollars I've seen running forklifts sell for 1500 so that's your range..

         Take the upright and pump off as well as some of the valving..

       Bolt the upright into place, drive the pump with an electric motor and put the control valve in the car...

     Most forklifts have cartidges with flow control valves so evan in the event of a absolute failure (broken hose sorta thing), the car will decend in a controlled fashion..

     a couple of hints here.. Clark used all roller uprights on all of their recent models where some manufactors used sliding uprights.  Sliders wear out while rollers can always be replaced to tighten up the upright and take the wobble out.  Various manufactors eventually went to all roller uprights eventually.. 

     Narrow isle electrics offer the tallest uprights for those multistory buildings.. plus they are rated at 3000 to 4000 pounds with very large safety factors.

7. 
   RussellAssoc | May 30, 2003 03:40pm | #8

   Junkhound sounds like short for Jesse James and his Monster Garage.  The resulting elevator might shoot you to Cleveland and certainly would require a blowin hemi and flames.

8. 
   GoldenWreckedAngle | May 30, 2003 07:50pm | #10

   I shopped a few systems for the 2 story home I'm building now and the prices were right in the 20K range. I'm planning to add a dumb waiter but I'm leaving room to upgrade it to an elevator if my wife and I do in fact retire in this home and get to the point where we need it. That dumb old waiter probably ain't big enough to carry us up and down the stairs all the time.

   I'm in Abilene, Texas. Can I deduce from your screen name that we share a state of residence?

   Kevin Halliburton

   "I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity."  - I.M. Pei -

1. 
   TXJon | May 30, 2003 08:09pm | #11

   Pflugerville, TX, just northeast of Austin.  Looking to move to Georgetown, TX, if we cadn get this house thing worked out.

   Hey, if you get to the point you need help, you could always come live with us!  We can always use more business.

   Jon

9. 
   RevTed | May 31, 2003 03:04am | #12

   This may help  http://www.silvercross-elevators.com/home-elevators/home-elevators.htm

   T