Preparing Your Home for an Elevator Install

So you have decided to include a residential elevator and you contacted us for a quote, you may be wondering what the next steps are.

While Federal Elevator will provide you with a quality residential elevator, we are do not provide you with the hoistway that will enclose the elevator. We recommend that you work with a reputable contractor who can construct a proper hoistway, and also have the drawings of the hoistway approved by a structural engineer to ensure safe operation.

Here are some other items that we will require you to provide before we can install your elevator:

GENERAL

  • The hoistway should be adequately enclosed, with smooth interior surfaces and with one load-bearing wall to meet the requirement of local codes.
  • 8” minimum pit depth.
  • A substantial, level pit floor slab to support loads (as indicated on General Layout).
  • If required, pit waterproofing or sump pump.
  • Adequate support for guide rail fastenings (as indicated on General Layout).
  • 96″ minimum overhead (this measurement is the distance from the floor at the upper level to the underside of the roof).

MACHINE ROOM

  • A machine room to meet the requirement of local codes.
  • A lockable Fused/Cartridge Type Disconnect Switch with auxiliary contact/switch to provide for emergency battery lowering that will allow the elevator with power to operate.
  • 110 VAC lighting supply and fused disconnect for cab lights.
  • Sleeves/Conduit for hydraulic hose and electrical ducts from machine room into hoistway as required.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

  • All doors, frames, and door hardware for all landings must be provided by you. Please note that the return walls on either side or above entrances must not be constructed until after the elevator contractor has marked where the doors and frames shall be located.
  • It is necessary to add barricades outside the elevator hoistway for the protection of other trades or building occupants while the hoistway is without landing doors.

We will provide you with the General Layout which contains dimensions that were calculated for your project. You should always refer to and follow these dimensions and specifications as they pertain to your specific job.

All of this may sound complicated, but it is pretty straightforward. You can contact us if you have any questions or require clarification. Trust us, we’ve been doing this for almost 30 years!

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