ELEVATORS: A TREND TOWARD LUXURY
 50+ Magazine, Fall 2006

Modern technology continues to change our life styles. Inventions we couldn't dream of owning a few years ago are now daily necessities. A rapidly growing trend in home building is incorporating a residential elevator into the design. For many builders this is a new concept, however, others are already aware of the benefits. They have seen a rapist increase in demand which leads them to agree the residential elevator is becoming a common amenity in households. It is becoming less of a practicality for mobility and more a trend toward luxury. And why not? It costs no more than an extra guest room, third car garage or even a luxury car! Not to mention it adds to the resale value. Elevators are becoming a popular trend with baby boomers building their dream homes as an "investment in the future." They are thinking long- term by installing an elevator or building the framework during the building process. The cost is minimal to build the shaft and use it as a closet or pantry before converting to an elevator in the future. Pat Schnmidt, architectural product specialist with TK Access Industries in Grandview, Missouri says "while pricing can vary, the average price for a typical home elevator starts around $15,000 installed. We are all aware that elevators have been moving people vertically in commercial environments for decades. Now that this convenience is closer to home, our quality of lift will undoubtedly improve.

• Jay & Linda B. traded a five bedroom, 6,000 square foot home on two acres in the suburbs for a one bedroom, four story house with a postage stamp size lot on an urban hillside. Still Jay and Linda might have dismissed the idea of spending their retirement years in a house with 45 stairs as impractical.
• Except for one thing
• An Elevator