For many customers, the ability to continuing to live in the same house as they age is a huge driver. Vaila Morrison of Stannah discusses the home lift types available to fully futureproof your home

In the 1980s, people moved home on average every eight years; in 2017, this rose to 21 years. With people moving house less often, there’s been a rising trend for buying or building ‘forever homes’ they will live in for many years. 

Our home is our sanctuary, and it’s worth futureproofing the spaces to ensure you can live there and navigate it safely for as long as possible. The wonderful news is that a futureproofed, functional home can still be fashionable.

Futureproofing should not feel like a compromise on your style. It should be an asset that makes you feel liberated and adds value, both financially and emotionally, to your life. While thinking about reduced mobility or ability as we age is something most of us tend to put to one side, futureproofing isn’t just relevant to older age; all ages can benefit from good, inclusive home design.

One key way to futureproof is to invest in a lift. Not only is a lift for futureproofing, but it is also the ultimate ‘statement,’ a lifestyle choice, and a practical feature – often boosting the value of a home.

Types of lifts for a home

Properties come in all shapes and sizes – and so do lifts. In a new dwelling, a lift can be part of an architect’s plans. In an existing home, there is a need to place the lift around the current house layout. 

The choices available for self-builders looking to futureproof forever homes are seemingly endless, but broadly fall into the following categories:

Domestic platform lifts

Platform lifts can carry up to five people over two or more floors and provide an enduring benefit to your property, enhancing life and bringing the ultimate convenience. A choice of door and platform/cabin arrangements and sizes means there’s a wide range of options. As platform lifts require building work separate from the cost of installation, you’ll need an architect or builder to help ensure a seamless installation. 

Through-floor lifts

A through-floor lift runs on a track that goes through a hole in the ceiling (called the aperture). These lifts are best suited to smaller spaces and provide access for up to two people travelling between the ground and the first floor. Due to their compact arrangement, they can often fit in even the smallest spaces; with minimal building work requirements and quick install time, they are a growing popular alternative to a stairlift.

Residential dumbwaiters

Service lifts/dumbwaiters are the answer if food, groceries, and goods need to be transported between floors. They are particularly ideal for properties with three or more floors or where the kitchen, garage, and/or dining area are on different levels.

What to consider when choosing a lift

Narrow your search by deciding whether you want your lift to take people or goods only, how many floors it needs to travel between, and your available space. 

From a cost point of view, you need to put aside £15-£25k in your budget for the supply and installation of a lift to move people or £6-7k for a dumbwaiter.

When considering the location of your lift, it’s always a good idea to locate a lift for people next to the stairs and in a central location. That way, it will be easily accessible from every part of the home.

It may seem a better idea to fit in a smaller lift, but go for the largest you can. Ideally, create a space that is big enough for a wheelchair and another person. That way, you will also be able to use the lift to transport furniture and other larger items between floors.

If the lift is designed into a building project from the start, you’ll be able to design around the desired lift’s footprint. For an existing home, you will need to get a survey and speak to a lift company for guidance.

Even if you decide a lift isn’t an option for now, you can futureproof it by designing a space where it can be installed later. Whatever you decide, there are products available to suit every home. 

Our homes are probably the biggest single investment we’ll ever make, so it seems only sensible to think about making them work for us. This means making them sustainable in the broadest sense: investing sustainably so we don’t have to throw large amounts of money at them or rush into inappropriate adaptations in times of crisis.

Vaila Morrison is inclusive design expert at Stannah