Home elevators might seem, at first thought, like an excessive accessory for your home — but don't make a snap judgement on in-home elevators just yet. There are several good reasons that you might want to install an elevator within your home; here are a few that prove that an in-home elevator is not only a great idea, but also might become a reality for you for one or more of these reasons.
AGE
As you get older, your body begins to show signs of age — your balance worsens, your joints stiffen, and you tire more easily. All of these are good reasons to avoid the stairs, as the strain that stairs can cause can actually damage your body further or even cause an accident that lands you in the hospital.
An in-home elevator can help you navigate around your home with little trouble to yourself and to your body. It can even help to prevent any injuries you might sustain from a bad fall down the stairs, which means that your body will stay in better shape for a longer amount of time, even as you continue to age.
DISABILITY
While old age certainly impairs your ability to traverse stairs, it's not the only reason you might have trouble going between the different levels of your house. Physical disabilities are many and varied, from lower back pain to outright paralysis, but the one thing that they have in common is that they tend to impair your ability to move around.
If you live in a house that is more than one story tall, you might find that your physical disability can prevent you from accessing all the parts of your home that you might want to. In this situation, instead of having to build or buy a new home with only one level, an in-home elevator can help you to reach the upstairs or downstairs with ease, opening your home back up to you.
Elevators easily have room to accommodate wheelchairs, canes, crutches, braces, or any other piece of hardware meant to assist you with mobility. No matter what your disability, an elevator can help you have the run of your home once again.
HOBBIES
While age and disability are both great reasons to have an in-home elevator, they're not the only ones. Sports, travel, and collecting are all hobbies that can involve the need to move and store the tools of your trade — which is easier said than done if you live in a home with more than one level. If you have a hobby — or wish to begin to practice a hobby — that involves the movement and storage of large or heavy implements, an elevator can make your life much, much easier.
Food storage, for example, is an extremely worthwhile hobby, but it does generally involve tucking 25-pound buckets of flour, sugar, and powdered milk into a closet or attic within your home. A passion for auto parts also necessitates the moving of large, heavy objects, as do many other common hobbies.
Having an in-home elevator allows you to transport all of these large, heavy implements associated with hobbies up to a storage room without having to lug each piece individually up the stairs. Having to do so would not only cost you time but also put you at risk for injury — some of which could become chronic, such as back pain or a weakened knee joint. Relying on your in-home elevator allows you to continue your hobby without risk or inconvenience to yourself.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
There are many other benefits to an in-home elevator than the ones detailed here — convenience, aesthetic appeal, increased home value — but the bottom line is that, no matter your lifestyle, there's a good chance that you could benefit from installing an in-home elevator in your house. For more information on residential elevators or to browse elevator models and accessories, click here.