When does an outdoor lift make sense
Typically for houses where the staircase has no landing and the hall is narrow, for terraced houses with street access and a rear garden, and for older homes where you wish to avoid altering ceilings and floors. An external lift connects the garden, terrace and upper floor with bedrooms, and can be designed so that the cabin opens directly into a living room.
How the extension looks
The shaft is a self-supporting steel structure with cladding: glass, sheet metal, sandwich panels or facing matched to the façade. It stands on its own concrete base and is anchored to the building only at discrete points. Access to individual floors is achieved by adapting an existing opening (window, balcony door) or creating a new penetration in the external wall. A pit is either unnecessary or requires only a few centimetres of excavation at ground level.
Without a shaft at all
For one or two floors (typically a garden and raised ground floor, or a ground floor and an upper-floor terrace), a vertical platform with low guarding can be used instead of a full shaft. It is cheaper, less conspicuous and often entirely sufficient for wheelchairs or prams. The disadvantages are slower travel and the fact that the platform is open, making it more suitable for covered parts of the house.
What is required in terms of construction work
- Base plate for the shaft (dimensions depend on technology, approximately one metre by one metre).
- Modification of openings in the external wall on every floor where the lift stops.
- Electrical connection: for screw-driven and platform technologies, a standard 230 V socket; for hydraulic systems, according to the power unit.
- Coordination with the building authority; we will provide all required documentation and utility network statements.
The scope of construction work will be specified by the technician during the survey. If the house is located in a heritage-protected area, we will inform you in advance what to expect.