Elevator shafts can be roughed in
Prices vary, but many are available in the $30,000 to $60,000 range.
Some are small enough for one person and a couple bags of groceries. Most are big enough for a wheelchair to easily move in and out. Others are even larger.
Some are hidden from view; others are clearly visible. Some have doors that swing out; others have the sliding doors that we see in, say, office towers.
Depending on what's needed, it can take as little as two days to install one.
Gallant's team recently worked with a builder to install elevators in every unit of a 44-unit condo development. The condos are four storeys high, so with an elevator, owners can drive into their basement garage and bring their shopping easily to whatever floor they want.
An elevator also makes a home's space more useful. Laundry can be easily transported to a basement, for instance, and kitchens can be located on a top floor to take advantage of mountain views.
“If you have an elevator, you can really take advantage of those views,” Gallant says.
Tony and Lina Ribecco are the co-owners of Grandscape Homes, a custom luxury homebuilder in Alberta and British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. They have also noticed an increase in people requesting elevators in their custom home builds, and if they can't justify an elevator at the time of building, they're often still asking for a closet space roughed in as preparation for an elevator in the coming years.
“Even younger couples, they're starting to think about longevity and staying in their homes as long as they can,” Lina says.
“Then there are couples who are older, very active. They want those amenities that long-term care offers, but in their own home. An elevator is one of those things.”
As for the Lucchinis, who are in their late 60s and early 70s, they don't currently use their elevator a lot.
“We strive to be as active as possible, and going up and down the stairs is good exercise,” says Simon.
But Simon had an ankle injury while hiking a while ago and found that the elevator made his life easier and safer.
“It would be pretty silly to go up and down the stairs and risk falling, when you have an elevator,” he says. “We are active and we can do things now, but we also know that can easily change. We like knowing the elevator is there if we need it.”