A lift (elevator) is an installation that moves people or goods vertically in a guided car or on a guided platform. In a building a lift has four parts: the car, the shaft with its guide rails, the drive, and the controls.
The lift made the high-rise apartment and the multi-storey office possible. In housing it is now mainly a way to make a home usable for life.
Drive types
- Traction lift (rope lift). The car hangs from steel ropes or belts over a traction sheave, with a counterweight on the other side. Because the counterweight balances most of the mass, energy use is low. This is the standard for buildings with several storeys.
- Hydraulic lift. The car is pushed up from below by a ram using hydraulic oil. Quiet and compact, but less efficient and limited in travel height. Widely used for goods lifts and low buildings.
- Screw drive (spindle lift). Mainly in home lifts and platform lifts: a nut travels along a vertical threaded shaft. No machine room is required and no oil is involved.
- Vacuum lift. An airtight cylinder in which a pressure difference moves the car. Remarkably compact and needing no pit, but limited in capacity.
| Traction lift (rope lift) | Car hangs from ropes or belts with a counterweight; low energy use; standard for buildings with several storeys. |
|---|---|
| Hydraulic lift | Pushed up by a ram using hydraulic oil; quiet and compact, but less efficient and limited in travel height; used for goods lifts and low buildings. |
| Screw drive (spindle lift) | Nut travels along a vertical threaded shaft; no machine room and no oil; mainly home lifts and platform lifts. |
| Vacuum lift | Pressure difference in an airtight cylinder moves the car; remarkably compact and needs no pit, but limited in capacity. |
The space you need
For a lift in an existing house, three dimensions govern:
- The shaft footprint — the floor area you permanently lose, on every storey.
- The pit — the recess below the lowest stopping level. On classic lifts easily over a metre; home lifts are available with a pit of only a few centimetres, so a small ramp will do.
- The headroom — the clear height above the highest stopping level.
A lift in an existing house almost always means an opening through one or more floors. That is a structural intervention: the joists or hollow-core planks are cut and the load has to be diverted with a trimmer construction. Have it calculated by a structural engineer — this is not DIY work.
Rules and inspection
Lifts fall under the European Lifts Directive, and in use under national workplace and equipment safety rules. New lifts are inspected before being put into service and then re-inspected at set intervals by an approved body. The owner or operator is responsible for that inspection and for maintenance, including a lift in a private house. When buying, always ask about the maintenance contract and inspection costs — those run on for years.
For accessibility, additional dimensional requirements apply to the car and control panel in publicly accessible buildings.
Costs
Prices vary widely by type. A simple platform or screw lift serving one storey in a house typically falls in the region of 15,000 to 35,000 euros including installation but excluding building work. A full car lift with a shaft over several storeys costs a multiple of that. Budget the building work — floor opening, trimming, finishes, electrics — separately; in an existing house it is often a substantial part of the total.
Where a lift is needed on medical grounds, national or local care schemes may contribute. Find that out before placing an order.
Related terms
- Lift shaft
- Stairlift
- Ladder lift
- Trimming (trimmer)
- Lifetime homes
- Escape route
- Stairwell
Want to know more about building terms? Take a look at our knowledge base on fredsdiyplans.com.