Home Elevator Cost in Vermont

Nothing moves the price as much as which kind of lift you pick. These typical installed costs for each type of lift are drawn from the middle points of price ranges that installers publish (how we work these out).

With a shaftless model, the car rises through a hole cut into the floor and runs without its own enclosed tower. That's a big part of why it usually undercuts a shaft elevator. Nationally, putting an elevator in a two-story house runs $30,000 to $60,000 with installation.

Every floor past two adds roughly $9,000 to $15,000 to the total. The shaft is the enclosed space where the car rides. If your house doesn't have one already, putting one up can add $5,000 to $25,000.

Vermont labor costs land right around the national average. Electricians in the state earn a median $30.49 an hour, nearly matching the US median of $30.38. Carpenters, the trade that builds out the shaft and the floor opening, typically make $30.00 an hour.

A dealer who looks at your stairs and floors in person can tell you which of these costs fit your house.

Only "public buildings" fall under the state's elevator rules. A single-family home where the owner lives is not a public building. So for your own home, the state requires no permit, no inspection, and no licensed mechanic for a lift.

But the rules do reach some homes:

• Condos and co-ops. These buildings count as public, so an elevator that serves the units must be permitted, installed by a licensed pro, and inspected.
• Rented homes. Rent your home out, whether for one night or longer, and it becomes a public building. Short-term rentals count too.
• In-unit chairlifts. A private chairlift kept inside a single apartment or condo unit remains exempt, even when the building itself is regulated.

Renting out part of your home now, or thinking about it later? Tell the dealer, because that shifts which rules apply to you.

In places where these rules kick in, the Department of Public Safety has to issue a permit before the work can start. The application fee is $25. After that, a licensed elevator inspector comes out to check the lift, and the rules put a ceiling on what the visit can cost (the limit is set in state rules).

The LULA is a compact, commercial-style elevator designed for light duty, common in small buildings. The state's $25 certificate fee is folded into each of these fees. For buildings like these, the Division of Fire Safety applies national safety codes with Vermont's own adjustments on top.

The state issues separate licenses for elevator mechanics and lift mechanics. A lift mechanic's scope covers only platform lifts and stairway chairlifts. You must hold that license to work on lifts in condos, rentals, and other regulated buildings: a single-family home you own and occupy is exempt.

Our dealers can walk you through what your type of home requires before anything gets underway.

A few Vermont programs can cut the cost or spread it out.

• The Independence Fund. Green Mountain Credit Union will lend you anywhere from $500 to $150,000 to cover assistive technology and updates to your house. You get up to 96 months to pay it back.
• Sales tax exemption. Stairlifts, plus wheelchair lifts that move a person up a staircase, count as mobility equipment and skip Vermont sales tax. No prescription required.
• VCIL Home Access Program. Run by VCIL, this program funds entry and bathroom updates for Vermonters with low incomes and physical disabilities. Elevators aren't covered, but it can help pay for other projects in the same house.

One call gets you connected to a dealer in your area who handles home elevators. That person comes out, takes the measurements, and hands you a written quote, giving you solid figures to plan around. Call today to start your quote.