Indoor or Outdoor Elevator; Which One is Right for You?

So you’ve decided to install an elevator in your home, and now you’ve got one more big decision to make — where exactly do you want it installed? Your choice will be between an indoor or an outdoor elevator, and your needs, your space availability and your home’s layout will determine your ultimate decision.  Here are a few things to take into consideration when you are making your final decision between the two:

Space Availability:

Installation of an indoor elevator will require more interior space as you’ll have to make a place for it. You’ll have to adjust your layout slightly in order to accommodate your new addition.

If you’re short on space in your home, or simply don’t want to lose any valuable square footage, an outdoor elevator may be a good choice for you as you will not have to allot any interior space to make room for installation.

Aesthetic Preferences and Overall Convenience:

Consumers often choose an indoor elevator because installing it will not change their home’s outside appearance.  Since it is in the interior of the home, there is little indication from outside that it has even been installed.  If you don’t want to change the outside look of your home, an indoor elevator is definitely the right choice for you.

An outdoor elevator is, as the name simply states, installed on the outside of your home.  Installation requires little interior construction, minimizing disturbance during the entire process as there is no need to move plumbing, ductwork or electrical work to accommodate the new elevator. With an outdoor elevator, users can reach a higher level of the home without having to access the traditional entranceway, like the front door or garage door. For example, you could unload your car and travel from your ground floor garage to your second-floor kitchen right up to your third-floor bedroom in a quick trip.

Local Weather:

It is important to consider the weather in your area when you’re deciding between an indoor or outdoor elevator.  While outdoor elevators are built to withstand normal weather fluctuations, an indoor elevator would be a better choice if you live in a climate with harsh or extreme conditions, like long, snowy winters.

At Liftavator, we offer a wide range of indoor and outdoor elevator options. Our residential elevators provide up to 50 vertical feet of elevator service, and even small properties with limited space can take advantage of one of our indoor elevator options.  Our outdoor elevator is the most durable, weather resistance vertical platform lift on the market today. Short lead times and an easy installation process means creating access to your multi-story home is a quick, easy process!

About Liftavator

Liftavator, the number-one source for residential, limited use/limited application (LU/LA) in North Carolina, designs, builds, and installs only the highest quality elevators and platform lifts. In addition to the company’s revolutionary designs and ideas, it offers a 90-day guarantee on all labor and materials. Liftavator doesn’t consider a job complete until the customer is 100% satisfied.

For more information on residential and commercial elevators, home stairlifts, vertilifts, ramps, and more, visit www.liftavator.com or call (252) 634-1717 today.

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Mobility Help Available to Disabled Veterans

As a disabled veteran, remodeling for better accessibility can keep you in a home you love; but, the process can be beyond budgetary resources for many disabled service members and their families. If you desperately need a chair lift or wheelchair lift, what can you do?

Fortunately, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has grants available to assist with renovation or to even buy a new home to accommodate disability. These grants supplement other funding options available to the general public, and the money can be used to make major modifications to improve independence or just add small aids such as grab bars, wider doorways, or a handicap ramp.

If you’re a disabled Service member or Veteran, find out if you can get a grant to help meet your housing needs.

Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant

The SAH provides up to $67,555 to veterans injured in service so they can create a home that is fully accessible. The money is available to veterans who were disabled permanently and totally as a result of activities during wartime service (100% service-related disability). The majority of veterans who qualify are confined to a wheelchair and require modifications to existing house plans for wheelchair access.

This grant may be used for new home construction or for substantial housing modifications that help eligible veterans function independently in their own homes.

You may be able eligible if you’re using the grant money to buy, build, or change your permanent home (a home you plan to live in for a long time), and you meet both of the requirements listed below.

Both of these must be true: You own or will own the home and you have one of these service-connected disabilities (disabilities related to your service):

  • The loss or loss of use of both legs, both arms, or an arm and a leg;
  • The loss or loss of use of a lower leg along with the residuals (lasting effects) of an organic (natural) disease or injury;
  • Blindness in both eyes having only light perception along with the loss or loss of use of one leg;
  • Certain severe burns; and/or
  • The loss or loss of use of one or both lower extremities (feet or legs) after September 11, 2001, that makes it so you can’t balance or walk without the help of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair.

Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grant

This grant can be used for any home improvement that will help those with service-connected disabilities (100% service-related disability) increase mobility throughout their existing homes. Maximum grants are currently $13,511 and are available to veterans with permanent and total disability (blindness or loss of limbs) as a result of military service. The majority of those who qualify are confined to a wheelchair and require modifications to existing house plans for wheelchair access.

You may be eligible for the SHA grant if you’re using the grant money to buy, build, or change your permanent home (a home you plan to live in for a long time) and you meet both of the requirements listed below.

Both of these must be true: You or a family member own or will own the home and you have one of these service-connected disabilities (disabilities related to your service):

  • Blindness in both eyes (with 20/200 visual acuity or less);
  • The loss or loss of use of both hands;
  • Certain severe burns; and/or
  • Certain respiratory or breathing injuries.

For FY 2018, you may be able to get up to three grants—for a total of up to $16,217—through the SHA grant program.

Home Improvements and Structural Assistance (HISA) Grant

The HISA program offers home improvement and modification grants of $2,000 to $6,800 for veterans with service-related and non-service-related disabilities, respectively. This program is open to a wider range of veterans and includes those who are disabled as a result of non-service-related conditions. The money may be used for any home improvement necessary for the continuation of treatment or for the veteran’s disability access to the home and to essential sanitary facilities.

To receive this grant, the Veteran must have a prescription from a VA facility or from a physician providing covered care to VA patients outside VA facilities. Some of the provisions that HISA will pay for include:

  • Lowering electrical outlets and switches;
  • Allowing entrance and exit from the Veteran’s home;
  • Improving access to sanitary facilities;
  • Improving walkways and driveways; and
  • Improving access to kitchen and bathroom counters.

The HISA grant is available to veterans who have received a medical determination indicating that improvements and structural alterations are necessary or appropriate for the effective and economical treatment of a disability. The HISA program does not cover major modifications that are generally covered by the SAH grant program. For instance, handrails installed in showers are covered under HISA, while widening a bathroom doorway is not.

A veteran may receive both a HISA grant and either a SHA grant or a SAH grant.

Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant

If you need money to make changes to a family member’s you’re living in for a short period of time, you may be able to get a TRA grant if you meet both of the requirements listed below.

Both of these must be true: You qualify for an SAH or SHA grant and you’re living temporarily in a family member’s home that needs changes to meet your needs.

How to Get Help

You can apply in one of four ways:

If you have any other questions, please call (800) 827-1000.

The knowledgeable staff at Liftavator is also on hand to answer any questions you have as you look at mobility improvements. If you’d like, a member of our team is available to visit your home to determine which of the solutions we offer can meet your specific needs.

When a final decision is made, we’ll book a day for installation and you’ll be able to use your new installations the same day!

For more information on residential and commercial elevators, stairlifts, vertilifts, ramps, and more, visit www.liftavator.com or call (252) 634-1717 today.

(Sources: Department of Veterans Affairs; Military.com; USA.gov; and Julian Gray Associates.)

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The Outdoor Elevator: Safe, Durable, Built to Last

The Outdoor Elevator: Safe, Durable, Built to Last and unlike anything on the market today! A fully welded, all aluminum uni-body design makes it the most durable, weather resistance vertical platform lift on the market! Short lead times and an easy installation process means creating access to your multi-story home is a quick, easy process!

Adding to the durability of The Outdoor Elevator is a 160 MPH* engineered wind load rating!

About The Outdoor Elevator:

The Outdoor Elevator is available in the following configurations:

– 32″ x 48″ Platform size
– 14′ travel (un-enclosed, regulated by elevator code), Mechanically capable of 25′ travel
– 2 landings only
– 500 lb capacity
– Winding Drum drive train
– Soft start/stop, PLC controller, constant pressure operation
– Plug N’ Play wiring for quick, accurate and easy installation
– 36″ or 42″ gate for top landing, full height door and facia for bottom landing
– Safety underpan for un-enclosed models
– Standard Finish= Mill finish Aluminum
– Optional powder coated finish
– 2 year parts warranty
– Complies with ASME A18.1, elevator code for vertical platform lifts
– The Outdoor Elevator is patent and trademark pending.

If you are in the market for a top-of-the-line Vertical Platform Lift that meets elevator code AND is truly weather resistant, we would like the opportunity to provide you with a complimentary quote and more detailed information.
*Engineered wind load rating details are available upon request. Proper anchoring configuration is required for 160 mph winds.

>>MORE INFO

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To learn more about our many product offerings, or to speak with a member of our team, give us a call or simply complete our contact form. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

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