Ten Things to Check When Buying a Home Lift
“No home lift, no villa.” As people pursue a higher quality of life, many villa owners are adding a high-quality home lift—one that raises living standards and comfort while reflecting the owner’s taste and adding a sense of quality and artistry to the home. Addressing the questions customers ask most, the HOUSTY team summarises ten things to note when choosing a home lift:
1. Installation location and lift dimensions
The location determines which lift type you can choose: whether a shaft is needed, the space available and whether a pit is reserved. Thanks to their flexible dimensions, screw-driven lifts fit in the middle of a staircase, beside the stairs or against a wall, with no separate shaft required. The shaft space is set by the site, with load capacities for 2–6 people (250–400 kg) and a range of sizes. Compared with traction lifts, screw-driven lifts use space far more efficiently, giving owners more choice.
2. Match the lift to your interior style
Designers favour screw-driven lifts for their high adaptability and the way they enhance an overall scheme. An enclosed shaft can be paired with an enclosed car; without a shaft, three-sided or partial panoramic options are available. Different colours and door opening options suit different styles—HOUSTY home lifts offer many custom colours and door choices. Weigh the home’s conditions, the owner’s preferences, and the cost and feasibility of each option.
3. Functions and safety features
Where lift users lack specialist knowledge, safety deserves extra attention; a screw-driven lift, with its high safety level, is a sound choice. Screw-driven lifts can open on three sides, generally with two door options: automatic double doors and manual single doors. A full set of safety components is required to protect users.
4. Car layout and dimensions
Choose the size based on household size and users. If a family member uses a wheelchair, choose a larger size for 4–6 people; where space is very limited but the lift is essential, choose a compact size with a footprint under one square metre. To save space, HOUSTY home lifts offer 11 custom sizes, from 935 mm × 1011 mm to 1495 mm × 1486 mm, with space-saving automatic double doors or elegant large glass swing doors.
5. Pit and headroom
In traction lifts, the pit houses buffers and the car bottom, and some duplex homes cannot be excavated. Screw-driven lifts can be designed flexibly: no pit, or only a 5 cm shallow pit using the finished floor. Traction lifts generally need a machine room at the top, requiring headroom above 2500 mm; for screw-driven lifts the mechanics sit on the platform, with no machine room or overhead pit, so 2300 mm headroom is enough. HOUSTY also offers custom installation for 2200 mm headroom.
6. Complete safety features
To ensure safety, the lift needs a full safety package: automatic levelling on power failure, emergency braking, fire emergency stop, battery monitoring, overload protection and backup-power emergency lowering, to cover incidents over years of use. Always check that the product includes the complete set of safety devices.
7. Running speed
Under the national standard for home lifts, speed must not exceed 0.4 m/s. Villa homes are usually 2–6 floors, with elderly or less mobile users and a relaxed domestic setting, so speed should not be excessive; 0.15–0.3 m/s is sufficient. Lower speed means greater lifting force and allows lower motor power, saving energy and reducing noise.
8. Lift finishes
Aesthetically, a villa lift should match the interior, typically following a simple, practical approach that adds a highlight to the home. With their clean, premium design, screw-driven lifts are an attractive feature and generally need no extra interior decoration. Externally, white paint, tiling, marble cladding or metal trim all work; installing the lift within the staircase, integrated with the stairs, is also an excellent solution.
9. Installation service
For peace of mind, choose a manufacturer offering comprehensive installation—ideally including shaft frame design, fabrication and installation, plus exterior finishing. Screw-driven lifts come with an integrated shaft and are simpler to install than traditional traction lifts, with no separate shaft cost; a vertically continuous reserved space allows direct installation. HOUSTY maintains headquarters-controlled installation to deliver careful, thorough service.
10. After-sales and maintenance
Unlike public lifts, compact home lifts serve a single family and demand higher safety protection, particularly in homes with elderly people or children. Because they are used infrequently by a stable group of users, one or two services a year are generally recommended; thorough servicing keeps the equipment running reliably, so choosing a reputable manufacturer is essential.
HOUSTY commits to: 1) Any fault within the warranty period is repaired on site at no charge; any replacement parts are guaranteed to be genuine new factory parts. 2) During normal maintenance, our engineers proactively schedule on-site visits at least once every six months. 3) All after-sales work is directly supervised and assessed by the customer; each lift has dedicated maintenance and repair records, kept separately by the customer and our quality department.
With these ten points understood, owners can form a clear plan for their home lift. To safeguard quality and ongoing performance, always choose a reputable manufacturer that stands behind product quality and maintenance. HOUSTY is a British home lift brand specialising in the R&D, design, manufacture, installation, modification and after-sales of villa lifts, mainly screw-driven home lifts. We are committed to artistic, safe and practical products and to prompt, professional, concierge-style after-sales service.
