“Elevating Luxury”

by Traci Findley

Kansas City Home Design, June 2004

 

 

Modern technology continues to change our lifestyles. Inventions we couldn’t dream of owning a few years ago are now daily necessities.

 

One rapidly growing trend in home building is incorporating a residential elevator into the design. For many of us, this is a new concept. However, others are already aware of the benefits that come from living with this state-of-the-art technology. They have seen a rapid increase in demand, which has lead them to wonder whether the residential elevator is on its way to becoming a common amenity in our households.

 

Architect Scott Bickford, of Bickford and Company, attests to the growing trend. Sixteen years ago, Bickford says, his home designs included only one elevator a year, but today the market is definitely—as they say in elevator biz—on the way up. “It’s becoming less of a practicality for mobility and more a trend toward luxury,” he says. “And why not? With the cost of the elevator significantly reduced over the last decade, 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.”

 

Brett and Corey Childress of Timberstone Development build some of the homes Bickford designs. They agree that the expense of installing an elevator is relatively minimal when considering the overall price of a home and its appeal as a selling feature. Corey says, “One reason to install an elevator is that as you get older, you’re not forced to change the style of your home. As a builder, I think it will become a common feature for future home buyers.”

“As an absolute, not a luxury,” adds architect and builder Bill Sixta of Sixta Homes. He thinks the home elevator will one day be as common as the air conditioner. “It will become a normal part of a home purchase, versus being a luxury.”

 

Randy McKittrick, of McKittrick Homes, believes the aging of the baby boomer generation is one of the reasons for the trend. He is building the “universal design” style of homes in response to the needs of empty nesters. “Elevators are becoming so popular because consumers want to ‘age in place.”

Architect Chad Nimmo, of Don Julian Builders, agrees, and then adds an interesting point of view. He says we as a society are simply building bigger houses than we ever have before. Along with the added space comes the fact that we want more amenities in our homes: a home theater system, a workout center and the convenience of an elevator to go with them. Nimmo says, “People are saying, ‘I don’t want to have to go to those places. I want all of those things right where I live.”

 

According to Nimmo, another reason to consider elevators is the question on the minds of many boomers building dream homes: What if I become disabled? Will this house meet my needs through the years? Nimmo estimates that 50 percent of the elevators installed in Julian homes are for consumers thinking long-term.

 

 

Don Julian is installing an elevator in the home he’s building for himself in Parkville’s Riss Lake. He attests to the mobility, freedom of design choice and resale value that an elevator provides. “Elevators have become such a popular trend that I urge buyers who may not feel ready to install an elevator during the construction process to go ahead and invest in the framework of an elevator shaft.” Julian says the cost is minimal to build the shaft and use it as a closet or pantry before converting it to an elevator in the future.

 

 

Extra storage space now and an elevator later; it’s a smart design element that may cost less than you think. Pat Schmidt, architectural product specialist with Access Industries in Grandview, Missouri, says while the pricing can vary significantly depending on the model and number of stops planned, “the average price for a typical home elevator starts around $15,000, installed. While there are approximately 10,000 residential elevators installed each year, the number is growing as more designers, builders and buyers discover their many advantages: convenience, efficient use of land and a trend toward larger homes with more amenities.”

 

Retired builder Bob Bordner and his wife, Jerry, are very much aware of these benefits. After 30 years in the building and painting business, the Bordners are about to move into their reverse story-and-a-half dream home offering one of the finest views of Raintree Lake. Bob Bordner says they have considered every detail because “this is the last home we will live in.” They included an elevator in their blueprints because they want the convenience, luxury and peace of mind it affords now and in the future. “We are in great shape now,” Bob says, “but I don’t want Jerry to feel we have to move if anything were to happen to me.”

 

While the majority of elevators are designed into custom homes, some builders are including elevators in model homes. Timberstone Developers will feature an elevator in their model located in Tuscany Reserve for the Fall Parade of Homes.

 

 

We’re 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 life will undoubtedly improve. Elevators might become another daily household item that we take for granted. Going up?

End of article. (Reprinted with permission.)