From cradle to grave, one Aussie domestic trend has taken off

From cradle to grave, one Aussie domestic trend has really taken off as more of us look to elevate the ease factor.

One quirk of the current economic climate is that more people are considering investing in a home elevator. With the real estate market seeing price drops as much as 12 per cent over the past year, sellers are keen to stay put and wait on a market correction.  Renovating or correcting issues with liveability makes the wait more palatable, while those who do move have a wider property pool when accessibility issues are removed from the equation. From cradle to grave, lift living is on the way up.

From cradle to grave, lift living is on the way up. Picture: supplied

TAKE THE STAIRS

Between eight and 50 years old, going up and down stairs is usually no big deal.

Unless you are on crutches, or have a baby or three, at which point dragging the stroller, groceries and squirming bundles of joy up from the garage to the kitchen takes a herculean effort. Over 50 and a flight of stairs can become a ‘should do’ rather than a ‘will do’, then before you know it, it morphs into a ‘can’t do’. Enter the domestic elevator, an obvious asset to a long life lived at home.

“Staying in your house has always been a big part of what we do,” says Easy Living Home Elevators head of national sales Michael Heltborg, whose Italian-built lifts come in a range of sizes with rather elegant finishes. “When you add in stamp duty and agents’ commissions and associated costs, it’s always been cheaper to retrofit a lift and stay in your house than move.”

A lift was part of Richard and Lyn Atkinson’s practical plan when they relocated to Brisbane from the bush. Picture: Glenn Hunt

HIGH LIFE

Uppermost in people’s minds as the cost of living crisis spirals is one simple question: how much does a home elevator cost? As a ballpark figure, $45,000 is in the zone, though some models can be found for $35,000 and others cost much more.

“It’s a bit like buying a car nowadays,” says Heltborg, noting that the company offers both hydraulic and electric traction models. “You have an electric version, you have petrol, you have diesel – each suits a different driver.” To carry the analogy one step further, you could also add in ‘two seaters versus a mini bus’.

There is a wide range of sizes and fit-outs, with the smallest designed for one passenger and a bag of groceries.

This snazzy-looking lift is a mid-range model that looks a million bucks clad in timber panelling. Picture: supplied

SAFETY AND SPEED

With a footprint size as small as 0.8 sqm, (less than a shower cubicle) the range at Compact Home Lifts is designed for just two passengers, with a half-height door.

“Our lifts are ‘shaftless’,” says marketing manager Caleb Terpstra. “They require minimal building works.”

In fact, this sort of installation can be as quick as a few days, compared to a larger, hydraulic lift, which needs a supportive shaft and can take weeks or more to complete.  And the energy cost? According to Terpstra, a trip in a Compact lift costs about the same as boiling the kettle.

No matter the size, all lifts are licensed through WorkCover, must abide by the Australian Building Code 1735 (unless a variation has been granted) and must be serviced at least once a year to maintain the licence – much the same as car rego and it will cost about the same too.

Interestingly, residential lift speed is regulated at .3m per second; a work around is installing a small commercial lift, which allows increased speed of 1m per second.

Some lifts are smaller than a shower cubicle and can sit snugly in a corner. Picture: supplied/Compact Home Living

PEOPLE AND PETS

While the market is primarily older people keen to avoid retirement villages and nursing homes, a wider group is appearing.  Thanks to Australia’s ageing population, future proofing homes for extended liveability is now part of just about every architect’s brief.

Empty-nesters Rosemary Byrnes and husband John are wildly active grandparents with lots of kids, babies and others traipsing through their multi-level home at Aireys Inlet on Victoria’s Great Ocean Rd. Their architect insisted a lift would one day be worthwhile and the Byrnes eventually went along with it.

“I thought it was a waste at first, to be honest,” says Byrnes. “But it was a godsend.”

Moving luggage from basement to bedrooms, and food from car boot to kitchen, is never a hassle, she says.

Injuries have been avoided and Gypsy, a beloved 15-year-old dog, couldn’t manage the stairs while unwell last year.

“She’d sit patiently by the lift doors if she wanted to go outside, it was so sweet,” says Byrnes.

Gypsy couldn't take the stairs at Aireys Inlet while she was unwell last year – but luckily her people had a lift installed. Picture: supplied

EASY DOES IT

After a life in the bush, Lyn Atkinson and husband Richard, both in their 70s, recently moved to Brisbane for practical reasons.

A home lift was part of a commonsense plan.

“We didn’t want to go into a retirement village so soon,” says Atkinson.

Adds Richard: “We figured if we put a lift in before we needed it, we’d have it when we wanted it. Our friends are getting older too and some of them don’t want to walk up stairs when they come to visit us.”

Happy days: Richard and Lyn Atkinson with their newly installed lift at their Brisbane home. Picture: Glenn Hunt

The purchase wasn’t cheap, but they have no regrets about their elevator, which is installed on the outside of their home.

“It was nearly $60,000 for the lift, and another $50,000 for the building (work),” says Richard.

As for the ease and safety of moving between floors? That’s just about priceless.

NEXT LEVEL LIVING

From entry options to opulence, we have lift off.

An Easy Living accessibility project, the actual lift was mid-range. Picture: supplied

Known as ‘the Fairhaven’ after its Victorian location, this mid-range Easy Living Home Elevators lift, pictured above, was encased in timber panelling, delivering a striking accessibility feature for a wheelchair-bound owner.

There is now a next generation release of the award-winning Advantage lift. Picture: supplied

Also from Easy Living and voted best in the world, with five prestigious international awards to its name, the next generation Advantage v2 offers stunning Italian finishes, with 36 new colours available to complement any home.

Lifts are becoming a central feature of more Australian houses as our ageing population looks to remain independent and at home. Picture: Easy Living Home Elevators.

No two Easy Living elevators are the same. Customised to meet individual requirements, from style and colour to materials and textures, the possibilities are endless. Right: is another Advantage.

The unobtrusive Elegance model from Compact can be quickly installed. Picture: supplied

The Elegance model from Compact Home Lifts, pictured above, can take two people between floors, is quick to install, quiet to operate, and has a small footprint, making it an understated winner.

Originally published as From cradle to grave, one Aussie domestic trend has taken off