Residential Elevators Are on The Way Up

Whether as part of a high-end remodel on a second home or as an individual home modification, more customers are asking remodelers to add an elevator to their homes. Vince Butler, CGR, of Butler Brothers Corp. in Clifton, Va., says he has seen the number of requests double. "In my opinion, the reason is awareness," he says. "And the real estate values make the cost of an elevator decrease as a percentage of the value of the house." While Butler says a number of his clients need elevators because of immediate chronic conditions limiting their mobility, Bob Black, CGR, with Access of Sarasota in Florida, points to a retired clientele whose homes on the barrier islands are required to have living areas above ground level.