Home Lift Installation Across Preston
People usually start looking at a home lift because getting upstairs isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. Sometimes that change happens gradually; in other cases, a lift is being considered following an illness, injury or change in mobility.
We supply and install home lifts across Preston and the surrounding area.Before recommending a lift, we need to understand the house, who will use it and which floors need to be accessible.
That starts with a survey. We’ll look at possible positions for the lift, the space available at both levels and what work would be involved in fitting it. A lift that looks suitable from a brochure may not be the right choice once the layout of the property and the needs of the person using it are taken into account.
Finding Space for a Home Lift in Preston Properties
There is a considerable difference between fitting a lift into an older terraced house and planning one into a larger detached property, extension or new-build home.
Around Preston there are older terraces and traditional housing closer to the centre, alongside larger properties in areas such as Fulwood and Ashton and more modern housing towards the outskirts. The amount of space available and the way rooms are arranged can change the options considerably.
In a property where floor space is limited, the first job is finding a position that works upstairs as well as downstairs. Using part of a living room may appear straightforward until you look at where the lift would arrive on the floor above. Doors, windows, bathrooms, bedrooms and circulation space all need to be considered.
Where a house is being extended or substantially refurbished, there may be more scope to plan the lift into the work rather than adapt the finished property around it. If a lift is likely to be needed, involving us before the layout is finalised can help avoid designing a space that won’t accommodate the chosen lift.
Installing a Home Lift in an Existing House
Most people enquiring about a home lift already live in the property, so installation often has to work around an existing layout.
Some home lifts can travel through an aperture formed between floors, while other lift systems have different structural and installation requirements.
Requirements for a pit, enclosure, supporting structure and associated building work depend on the particular lift being specified.
That’s why we don’t make assumptions about what a house will need before seeing it.
During the survey we’ll look at the proposed route between floors, access to the lift at each level and how equipment could be brought into the property. If alterations are required, these need to be understood before the installation is agreed.
Home Lift Options
The right home lift depends on more than its dimensions. How it will be used, the number of stops required and the space available around the entrances all matter.
TJ Lift Solutions can advise on residential lift options for different properties and accessibility requirements.
Home Lifts for Wheelchair Access
When a lift is needed for wheelchair access, measuring the lift itself is only part of the job.
There needs to be enough usable space for the wheelchair and, where required, another person travelling with the user. We also look at how somebody approaches the lift and where they will come out at the other end.
Door position can make a significant difference. Depending on the lift and property, entering and leaving from the same side may work well; elsewhere a different entrance arrangement may be more practical. These are things we need to establish before specifying the lift.
Disabled Facilities Grants in Preston
If a home lift is being considered because of a disability, financial assistance may be available through a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).
Preston City Council currently administers DFGs in partnership with Lancashire County Council Adult Social Care. The process begins with an assessment of the person’s needs, and the council advises that an Occupational Therapist may recommend the adaptations required. The council’s current guidance also states that applications are means tested in relevant cases and that waiting lists currently apply to parts of the assessment and application process.
Preston City Council
If you’re going through the DFG process, tell us when you enquire so we understand who else is involved in the proposed adaptation.
What Happens Before We Install a Home Lift?
We start by talking through why the lift is needed and what parts of the house need to be accessible. That gives us enough information to know what we need to look at when we visit.
At the survey we’ll measure the available space, look at the floors the lift needs to connect and check the proposed position at each level. Access into the property and any work required around the installation also need to be considered.
From there we can identify suitable lift options and explain what would be involved in fitting them.
Once the lift and specification have been agreed, the installation can be planned alongside any preparatory building work that is required.
Home Lift Installation Across Preston
TJ Lift Solutions is based in Darwen, so Preston sits comfortably within the area we cover for home lift surveys and installations.
We can assess properties across Preston and surrounding areas, including Fulwood, Ashton-on-Ribble and neighbouring parts of Central Lancashire.
If you’re outside Preston itself, get in touch with the postcode and we can confirm whether the property falls within our installation area.
Planning a Home Lift in a Preston Property
A home lift doesn’t automatically mean you’ll need planning permission. Much depends on the work required to install it and whether alterations affect the building externally or involve a property with additional planning or heritage controls.
This is particularly worth checking with older or protected properties. Preston has designated conservation areas including Fulwood, Ashton, Avenham, Fishergate Hill, Moor Park and Winckley Square. Some conservation areas, including Fulwood, Avenham, Fishergate Hill and St Ignatius Square, are also subject to Article 4 Directions which remove certain permitted development rights. Preston City Council
If the proposed installation involves alterations that may require consent, this should be established before work begins. Preston City Council advises householders to check whether planning permission and other approvals are required, and notes that building regulations may still apply even where planning permission isn’t needed.