How Much Does a Home Elevator Cost?
What a home elevator really costs installed, what moves the price, and how a shaftless elevator starts from $35,000 in Houston, Austin and San Antonio.
A shaftless through-floor home elevator from LiveWell costs from $35,000 installed in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. That is a firm written price with the building and elevator permits, the floor opening and the drywall, trim and paint around it included. An elevator with a shaft costs more, because most of its price is building work. A stairlift costs far less, from $4,000 installed in a day, if a seat on the stairs would do.
Home elevator prices by type
How much does each type of home elevator cost?
Through-floor, shaftless elevator (Pollock): from $35,000 installed. The cab rides a wall-mounted rail through an opening in the floor. No hoistway, no pit, no machine room. The elevator most Texas families ask us to price, and the one this guide is about.
Shaft elevator, hydraulic or traction: quoted after a site visit. A conventional cab in a hoistway built floor to floor, with a pit and often a machine room. The building work sets the price, so there is no honest "from" figure without seeing the house. Best for new builds and larger remodels.
Vertical platform lift: quoted after a site visit. An open platform for a short rise: porches, garages, raised entries.
Stairlift: from $4,000 installed in a day. A seat that rides a rail on your stairs, straight or curved. For a rider who can transfer to a seat.
How much does a Stiltz home elevator cost?
Stiltz is another shaftless through-floor brand people search for. We do not sell it, so we do not quote its price. We install Pollock, built since 1983, from $35,000 installed with three cabin sizes, a 507 lb capacity in every size and battery lowering as standard. If you have a Stiltz quote, bring it to the free visit and compare the two installed prices like for like.
What a shaftless home elevator costs
How much does a shaftless home elevator cost?
From $35,000 installed. That buys the Pollock through-floor elevator in its compact cabin, the opening cut and finished through your floor, the rail fixed to the wall, the electrical connection on its own protected 110-volt circuit, the permits and inspections, and the drywall, trim and paint around the opening.
Is a shaftless elevator cheaper than one with a shaft?
Usually, yes. A shaft elevator needs a hoistway built floor to floor, a pit below it and often a machine room. A through-floor elevator needs an opening in one floor and a wall to carry the rail. When the cab is upstairs, the floor space it used downstairs is open again. Travel is up to 13 ft 9 in as standard, or 15 ft 9 in with extended travel.
Small home elevator cost and the three cabin sizes
How much does a small home elevator cost?
The compact cabin is the $35,000 starting point. It has the smallest footprint of any elevator you can put in a home and carries one person, or one person with a walker.
Is there a home elevator big enough for a wheelchair?
Yes. Pollock builds the same elevator in three cabin sizes: compact, twin for two riders, and a larger wheelchair-friendly cabin you ride into without leaving the chair. Every size carries 507 lb. The bigger cabins cost more; we confirm which one fits your floor plan and your price on the free visit.
What drives the price up or down
Why do home elevator quotes vary so much?
Cabin size. Compact, twin or wheelchair-friendly.
Stops and travel. Two stops is the base. A third stop, or travel beyond 13 ft 9 in, adds equipment and work.
What your home needs. Floor framing, reinforcement where the joists need it, electrical access and the finish work around the opening.
Doors and finishes. A power-operated door, a tip-up seat, LED mood lighting, a 7-inch colour display, custom cabin colours, oak or marble-effect floor vinyl and surface-mounted landing controls are extras, priced in your quote.
Permits and inspections. Included in our price, but part of the work.
Our written proposal is a firm price, not an allowance that grows later.
What "installed" includes
What is included in the installed price?
The elevator, the floor opening, the rail fixing, the electrical connection, the permits and inspections, the drywall, trim and paint around the opening, the handover where we show you how to use it, and the standard features: wireless remote control, battery lowering, LED lighting, large vision panels, handrail controls, an in-car telephone, a diagnostic display and soft start and stop. It is ETL approved to the ASME A17.1 and A17.5 elevator codes.
Are permits included?
Yes. Building and elevator permits and the required inspections are part of the project, filed by us. We hold Texas Elevator Contractor licence #20399, which residential elevator work in Texas legally requires.
Questions to ask any installer
Is the price firm, or an allowance that can grow?
Are the permits and inspections in the price?
Who does the drywall, trim and paint around the opening?
Who services the elevator after it is in?
How long installation takes
How long does it take to install a home elevator?
About two weeks to start and five to six days on site. We keep Pollock elevators in stock in Texas, so work typically starts within about two weeks instead of the eight to ten week factory wait. From the first day on site to handover is five or six days, by our own licensed, trained crew, including the floor opening and the finish work around it.
Cost to put an elevator in an existing home
Can a home elevator be added to an existing house?
Yes, and that is most of our work. The compact footprint and the choice of cabin sizes are why the through-floor design suits retrofits: one opening between two floors, one wall for the rail, and the rooms around it stay as they are.
What does the home need?
Some homes take the elevator with minimal adjustment. Others need reinforced flooring, adjusted electrical access, or the opening cut through a floor or ceiling. We tell you which on the free visit, and whatever it is goes in the firm price.
Does a slab foundation matter?
No. A through-floor elevator needs no pit, so a slab ground floor is fine. The opening is in the upper floor.
Home elevator cost in Houston, Austin and San Antonio
The starting price is the same in all three, $35,000 installed. What differs is the permit office, the kind of homes, the areas we reach and the crew that comes. Each city has its own page:
Houston: Harris and Montgomery County permitting, slab, raised-slab and coastal homes, from Conroe to Galveston. Home elevator cost in Houston. Call (281) 815-9059.
Austin: hillside and split-level homes, the two-storey new builds north of the city, from Georgetown to San Marcos. Home elevator cost in Austin. Call (512) 729-6956.
San Antonio: historic homes, Hill Country and ranch-style properties, from Hondo to Seguin and north to Kerrville. Home elevator cost in San Antonio. Call (726) 263-3370.
Low cost options and paying for it
What is the cheapest way to get a home elevator?
The lowest-cost elevator is usually the shaftless one, because there is no hoistway, pit or machine room to build. If your stairs are straight and the rider can transfer to a seat, a stairlift from $4,000 installed in a day may solve the same problem for far less. We tell you which on the visit; we install both.
Can you finance a home elevator?
Financing is available through a third-party lender for those who qualify. Ask us on the visit and we will explain the terms in writing before you decide anything.
Does Medicare, insurance or the VA pay for a home elevator?
Medicare's own policy says home modifications are not covered. Veterans: ask your VA provider; our HISA grant guide explains what the VA pays toward and how long it takes. Our who pays for it page lists the Texas programs that help with home changes.
Is a home elevator worth the cost?
Does a home elevator add value to a house?
Set the price against the alternatives: moving house, or a care facility. Most people over 50 want to stay in the home they have, and a large share of adults have serious difficulty with stairs; the figures and their sources are in our post, Does a home elevator add value to your home. A home elevator keeps the upstairs in use, and a glass cab in the hall is a feature buyers notice. We do not promise a resale number. We do promise a firm price for the work.
Example: a two-storey Texas home
What does a typical installation look like from quote to first ride?
An example, not a customer. A two-storey home, bedrooms upstairs. Free in-home visit; the compact cabin fits beside the stairs with two stops. Written proposal at the starting price, $35,000, firm. Permits filed by us. Work starts in about two weeks. Day one, the floor opening; days two to four, the rail and the cab; days five and six, electrical, finish work and the handover. First ride on day six.
Want a real one? Our post An elevator where stairs used to be walks through an installation where a spiral staircase came out and a through-floor elevator went in.
Warranty and service
What warranty comes with a home elevator?
A 12-month limited parts warranty from Pollock, from the date of installation. Labour is not included in it, and flood damage is excluded, so we say that plainly. Service is arranged through your local dealer, which is us: our own technicians in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. We also service lifts other companies sold you.
Get a firm price in Houston, Austin or San Antonio
Free in-home consultation, no obligation. 4.7 stars across 186 Google reviews across our three offices. Our own licensed crews. Houston (281) 815-9059 · Austin (512) 729-6956 · San Antonio (726) 263-3370, or book your free assessment.
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Common questions
Questions we hear about How Much Does a Home Elevator Cost?
How much does it cost to put an elevator in a house?
From $35,000 installed for a shaftless through-floor elevator with two stops, in Houston, Austin or San Antonio. Bigger cabins, a third stop and options add to that, in a firm written quote.
What is the cheapest home elevator?
A shaftless through-floor elevator in the compact cabin. If a seat on the stairs would do, a stairlift from $4,000 is cheaper still.
How much does a small two-storey home elevator cost?
From $35,000 installed. Two stops is the base price.
How much does a three-stop home elevator cost?
More than two stops, because a third landing adds equipment and work. It is quoted after a site visit, as a firm price.
Do I need a shaft for a home elevator?
Not for a through-floor elevator. It rides a wall-mounted rail through an opening in the floor, with no hoistway, pit or machine room.
How long does it take to install a home elevator?
About two weeks to start, five to six days on site.
What is the smallest home elevator?
The compact cabin of a through-floor elevator. It has the smallest footprint of any elevator you can put in a home.
Is a home elevator expensive to run?
It runs on a standard 110-volt circuit of its own, like a large appliance, with battery lowering if the power fails. We cover service intervals on the visit.
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