I'm seeing this as the best solution for keeping up with the laundry room - and the basement in general - because 1) arthritis keeps the number of daily trips up and down those 11 steps to a minimum, 2) Mom gets nervous if I'm all the way downstairs for more than three hours but 3) is unwilling to navigate the stairs, and 4) lugging two loads of laundry upstairs at one time is really hard. Really hard.
I recently learned there are grants available to offset the cost (which I initially misread but starts at $35k).
I'm surprised that more aging homeowners and/or their aging caregivers don't go this route; seems simpler than selling up and moving.
Please share if you've gone this route.
I think there isn't going to be a lot of grant money giving large amounts to put in elevators (if this is Federal or State taxpayer money, at least I HOPE not) but who knows.
I surely don't know anyone who has installed an elevator, and stair lifts have turned out expensive and problematic ENOUGH.
Good luck in your researching of this subject and hope you'll update us.
My laundry is already on the first floor . IF I end up staying in my current home , I’ll get a stair lift to the second floor , and hold a smallish vertical lightweight mesh ( pop up ) laundry hamper on my lap that also slides on the floor
, by pulling it’s handle . My goal is to not have to go down to the basement for anything except to change the furnace filter . This is what my aunt did . For some extra money her landscaper used to put a new furnace filter in for her and go check the basement out quick for leaks etc . She also used a company who routinely serviced the furnace and hot water heater . My aunt had absolutely nothing in her basement besides the furnace and hot water heater . This is my goal also .
Prior to selling a home , It’s easier to remove a stair lift than an elevator to regain a bedroom lost to an elevator .
But if your house is very large maybe the loss of space is not an issue .
I’d rather downsize at some point if possible to one level .
I had to replace my washer a few months back and I got one of the "all in one" washer / dryer combo machines. I LOVE it. It does not need a vent so it can be placed anywhere there is a water source. (It is a bit larger than a traditional washing machine but not as large as a washer and a dryer)
If you are only putting in an elevator because of the laundry it seems to be a waste, to me at least. Now if you had laundry in the basement and then 2 levels of living spaces that might be more justifiable.
And I'm not comfortable with abandoning the basement altogether.