Compact Home Lift

Engineering notes

The three numbers that decide whether a project is possible

Shaft plan size, headroom above the top floor and pit depth determine whether a lift can be added to an existing house. In older buildings all three are usually short. The compact home lift is designed to work within those limits rather than to demand new ones.

At 1,000 mm × 1,000 mm the shaft fits inside a typical stair void or a 1.2 m wide service recess. A 2,600 mm headroom is achievable under a normal residential floor-to-ceiling height, and a 150 mm pit can be formed by local screed removal rather than structural excavation — or avoided altogether with a ramped threshold.

Small footprint, full safety specification

Nothing about the reduced size reduces the safety package. The compact model carries the same governor, safety gear, door-zone detection, ARD rescue device and one-touch emergency telephone as our larger villa lifts, and the car is finished to the same standard in stainless steel, laminate or glass with LED ceiling lighting.

The trade-off is capacity: 250 kg for three persons, with a car around 800 × 1,000 mm — enough for a wheelchair, a pram or the weekly shopping, which is what a household lift is actually used for.

Ideal for renovation, not only new build

Because the structural impact is limited to a 1,000 mm opening and a shallow pit, the compact lift is the usual choice for renovation work: a ground-floor extension, a converted attic, a two-generation house where stairs have become the obstacle to staying put.

We provide a shaft drawing and load data for the structural engineer, and a self-supporting frame option so the lift can stand inside the void without bearing on existing walls or floors.