An elevator in the home used to be a luxury that would only be found in the most lavish of houses and reserved solely for the super-rich. But those times are in the past, as now more and more Canadians are finding home elevators a practical and affordable addition to their residences, not unlike hot-tubs and walk-through showers.
An increasing numbers of Canadians are turning to the residential elevator to solve their home issues, be it baby-boomers ensuring they can stay in the family home forever, young families living on multiple floors and needing a quick way to access all areas, or people wanting to ensure their new-build home is sale-ready for any prospective buyers.
For some years, at the other end of the scale, less-than-attractive mobility lifts have been made and marketed to people with a disability or a mobility impairment, but now with the advent of new streamlined technology, and smart sleek designs, the market for home elevators has been opened wide to non-traditional elevator customers.
Take for example someone living in a city where space is at a premium, and so whose garage is in the basement of their home. Busy parents will not be keen to haul bags of grocery shopping up a dark flight of stairs, especially with young children in tow. Here a residential elevator is the perfect solution, enabling the whole family and their shopping to travel together up to the living area with ease.
Building firms and architects have reported a huge growth in clients requesting an elevator being included in their plans for new-build homes or remodelling projects. The logic being that it is cheaper to install an elevator at this stage rather than retrofitting into an existing building. But it is also clear that for many the wish for a home elevator is driven by those thinking about the value of their property and how attractive it will be at resale. Real Estate agents have also reported that an increasing number of buyers are expressly looking for a home with an elevator.
Another factor driving the sales of home elevators in Canada might be the shift in the way houses are being built – where cities are becoming more densely populated there is a trend for demolishing old houses and building vertically instead of out. More tall buildings means a greater need for elevators.
Add to all this an aging population where seniors have no reason to move house other than finding the stairs difficult, and are keen to ‘age in place,’ and it seems no wonder that the home elevator is going from strength to strength and elevator companies in Canada are investing more into their technology innovation and product performance than ever before.