Home Elevator Cost in Houston

A shaftless through-floor home elevator from LiveWell starts from $35,000 installed in Houston. That is a firm written price, with the building and elevator permits, the floor opening and the drywall, trim and paint around it all included. Most homes need no shaft, pit or machine room. Work starts in about two weeks and our own licensed crew is on site for five to six days.

Home elevator prices in Houston by type

How much does each type of home elevator cost?

• Through-floor, shaftless (Pollock): from $35,000 installed, LiveWell price. The cab rides a wall-mounted rail through an opening in the floor. No shaft, no pit, no machine room. Best for existing homes, two or three stops, and a rider who stays in a wheelchair.

• Shaft elevator, hydraulic or traction: quoted after a site visit. A conventional cab in a built hoistway, with a pit and often a machine room, so the building work sets the price. Best for new builds and larger remodels.

• Vertical platform lift: quoted after a site visit. An open platform for a short rise, no shaft. Porches, garages and 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.

We install all four across Houston. This page is about the first one, because it is the elevator most Houston families ask us to price.

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, so most of its price is building work. 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. Battery lowering is standard, so a power cut brings you gently to the lower floor.

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 is 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 cabin 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 getting out of the chair. Every size carries 507 lb. The bigger cabins cost more, and 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. Extended travel to 15 ft 9 in is an option.

• What your floor 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 all 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.

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 in Houston?

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.

Installing a home elevator in a Houston home

Do I need a permit for a home elevator in Houston?

Yes, a building permit and an elevator permit, with inspections. Our installers know Harris and Montgomery County permitting, and the permits are filed and paid for inside our price.

Can you put an elevator in a slab-on-grade house?

Yes. A through-floor elevator needs no pit, so a slab ground floor is fine. The opening goes through the upper floor, and where the floor framing needs reinforcement, that is in the quote. Houston also has raised slabs near the water and houses on stilts along the coast; the elevator rides between the living floors, so those work too.

Will it work in a flood-prone area?

The elevator runs on a 110-volt circuit with battery lowering, and the warranty does not cover flood damage, so we talk through where the lower landing sits on the visit.

Where in Houston do you install?

Greater Houston, from Conroe and Montgomery in the north to Galveston on the coast: Houston, The Woodlands, Conroe, Montgomery, Spring, Tomball, Magnolia, Cypress, Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, Friendswood, League City, Clear Lake and Galveston.

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 will tell you which on the visit.

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.

Is a home elevator worth the cost?

Does a home elevator add value to a house?

Set it 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 sources are in our post, Does a home elevator add value to your home. A home elevator lets the upstairs stay in use, and a sleek 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 Houston home

What does a typical installation look like from quote to first ride?

An example, not a customer. A two-storey home, bedrooms upstairs, slab foundation. 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. We also service lifts other companies sold you.

Get a firm price for your Houston home

Free in-home consultation, no obligation. 4.7 stars across 164 Google reviews in Houston. Our own licensed crews, here since 2016. Call (281) 815-9059 or book your free assessment.

The Texas-wide guide: How much does a home elevator cost?

If a seat on the stairs would do: stairlift cost in Houston, from $4,000 installed.

Bathrooms: accessible bathroom remodel in Houston, from $10,000.