Can A Home Lift Be Removed?
Home lifts are a lifeline for many, and they can add value to family homes, but what happens if you no longer need them, you move house, or you want to sell your property? Can a home lift be removed? You’ll be pleased to know that you can remove them, and you can even reinstall them into another property, so you’ll never have to worry about losing your investment.
In this complete guide to removing, relocating, and reinstalling a home lift, we’ll provide you with all the information you need to complete the job at hand. But first, we need to determine which type of lift you have.
Home Lifts Available In The UK today
Thanks to advances in technology and manufacturing processes, home lifts come in various shapes, sizes, and designs to suit every home, and you can install one without making significant structural alterations. But not all lifts are the same. Here we provide a brief overview of the most popular domestic lifts in the UK today, along with details on how to remove them.
Removing Conventional Built-In Lifts
Much like the lifts found in office blocks and commercial buildings, conventional home lifts are recessed into the wall and operated using hydraulics. As a permanent structure, they require a certain amount of work to install and relocate, and removing one can be a costly operation.
If you are considering installing a home lift but think that you may want to sell your home in the future, this may not be the best option. To remove a conventional domestic lift, you will need to employ the services of a professional company. Factors such as size, location, and accessibility will influence the total cost, which is likely to run to several thousand pounds.
Removing Self-Supporting Home Lifts
Self-supporting home lifts are hugely popular today and, as they require minimal building work, you can fit them in almost any home. They run on rails, so installing them is easy, with only a small opening required between the two floors, and they are powered with intelligent electric motors that you can plug in to any wall socket.
Self-supporting lifts are compact and streamline, and you can fit one in almost any room. Thanks to their small footprint, they are ideal for family homes and a smart investment for anyone who wants to install a home lift but thinks that they may want to move in the future.
You can remove a self-supporting home lift with ease, relocate it to another property, or even sell it second-hand. You’ll likely need to employ a professional company to remove your home lift without causing structural damage but, as it is not built-in to the wall, it should be a quick and relatively inexpensive process.
Removing Platform Home Lifts
Domestic platform lifts remain a popular choice for wheelchair users due to their wide-open platform that makes them highly accessible. However, this type of home lift requires a significant amount of floor space and is best suited to homes that you intend to stay in for the foreseeable future.
There are two options available in this category, enclosed platform lifts and open platform lifts. The former is more difficult to install and remove due to the significant amount of framework involved. However, it is possible to remove both types of lift.
While installations typically take four or five days, it takes just a day to remove a platform lift, but there will be a significant amount of wall and ceiling repairs to do, so bear this in mind when calculating costs.
Removing Stairlifts
Stairlifts remain the most affordable option when it comes to home lifts, and as such, thousands of them are installed in the UK each year. As they are attached to an existing staircase, they are relatively easy to install and remove, with many companies completing the job in a day. But relocating stairlifts is not always an option.
Staircases come in many different shapes and sizes, so if you want to install an old stairlift in a new house, you will most likely need to purchase new rails. It is worth remembering that stairlifts, no matter how compact, obstruct part of the staircase and are not suitable for anyone with severely limited mobility. Homelifts, on the other hand, are perfect for everyone.
Home lifts can add value to properties, especially if you choose a modern design, but you should consider your options carefully if you think that you may want to move home in the future. You can remove home lifts and reinstall them elsewhere, but it could be a costly move if you have a built-in structure, so keep this in mind when shopping for the perfect lift for your home.