Installing elevators for renovation projects is a complicated job. The reason is because there are many restrictions on the area, height, depth of the PIT, must not affect the structure, architectural aesthetics of the house… Therefore, it is necessary to carefully calculate and have a suitable solution if you do not want to “lose money”.
Expenses that do not come from the elevator
Mr. D lives in Xuan Dieu street, Tay Ho district and wants to install an elevator for his 5-storey house. After being consulted, he chose an elevator with a famous brand imported completely from Europe. It is expected that the cost of installing the steel structure and 12mm colored glass panels for the outdoor elevator will cost about 2 billion VND. However, after installing the steel structure, the owner found it did not match the house’s architecture.
After being consulted by the architect, this person decided to combine the installation of the elevator with the repair of some work items accordingly. In the end, the entire cost reached nearly 5 billion VND, more than 2 times higher than the original estimate!
Perspective of Mr. D’s house after renovating and installing an outdoor elevator
There are many cases like Mr. D’s house. Due to various reasons such as financial capacity, “vision” or difficulties in construction conditions, many civil construction works (private houses, project buildings, old apartments) are not designed to be ready to install elevators.
An incomplete statistic has also shown that 20% of the total projects in Vietnam need renovation to install more elevators. And if not carefully calculated, each renovation project will cost a lot for investment which is not too difficult to understand.
Difficulty installing elevators for renovation
Installing elevators for renovation works is not easy. Because for a new house, people put the elevator mold indoor right from the design stage. As for the renovation project, the owner is forced to choose an elevator that is suitable for the existing conditions of the old house.
A common difficulty when installing elevators for renovation works is that there is no spare space for elevators. Therefore, the solution to the problem of choosing the location for the elevator is sometimes very difficult. In some cases, it is necessary to cut or tear down other areas in the house to ensure that the elevator can be installed. Some houses have to sacrifice a part of the toilet or the stairs to save space for the elevator…
Construction of steel structure for renovated house
It is important that when carrying out the renovation and installation of the elevator, it is necessary to ensure that the original architectural elements and the structure of the house are not affected. This is not only an economic issue but the safety of the people living in the house is potentially at stake.
In addition, the renovation of a house to install a new elevator often requires a longer construction time than building a new house. In these cases, homeowners are forced to consider finding temporary accommodation during the completion of the renovation.
Which solution?
Elevator installation is often a major part of a home improvement plan. Therefore, the selection of the appropriate elevator should be taken into account first. Renovation works are often limited in terms of area, height, location, etc., so it is necessary to consider which type of elevator, load, and elevator size is appropriate.
In this regard, experts in the field of elevators give some suggestions. For projects with a construction area for elevators over 1m2, it is possible to choose a traction elevator without machine room. This type of elevator uses a gearless tractor, small in size, saves space, improves space utilization efficiency…, bringing practical benefits to customers.
For projects with only construction area for elevators under 1m2, hydraulic technology elevators and screw elevators are the optimal choices. These types of elevators can be installed in very small areas, just need a pit (PIT) from 50mm – 150mm, avoiding entanglement in underground water tanks, septic tanks, or beams, water pipes… There is case where the elevator is installed in an area of only 60x60cm, which considered impossible.
Ultra-small hydraulic elevator installed for a project
There are 3 places in the renovated house that are often chosen to install the elevator, that is the skylight, the old toilet area or the outdoor. In which, the skylight space is chosen the most. In addition, the corners of the house are also a good choice for installing elevators.
In terms of making shaft, new builders, the best solution is to build a shaft with bricks and concrete columns or pour a concrete shaft. Brick or concrete shaft, homeowners can face with wood, stone, wallpaper or can be painted normally. While for shafts for renovating houses, in conditions of small area, limited height, the shaft is almost only made of steel structure. And this structure can almost only use tempered glass as the wall. With the current price, the steel structure and tempered glass for a 5-stop elevator for renovators range from VND 150-220 million, a rather large price compared to the option of building a brick or concrete shaft.
It is a regular steel structure, some homeowners have to pay for a bearing stainless steel structure, colored or patterned glass, which makes the shaft structure sometimes cost more than 1 billion dong!
At the present time, some businesses instead of just selling conventional products have provided total elevator solutions for both new construction and renovation. What customers care about, especially for renovators, is not just the elevator, but they need the most feasible elevator solution. Therefore, for these works, technical staff carefully survey to advise homeowners on the best options. This will solve the “Insight” problem or even exceed the customer’s expectations.
Elevators are equipment with a long life span, sometimes used for a lifetime. Therefore, the selection of a reputable elevator product and service supplier with high field capacity will need to be considered. Because if you choose the wrong unit with incompetence, poor technical staff, inexperience, no mind, the elevator will not operate smoothly and safely. At that time, the consequences and the remedy often cannot be calculated in money!
Besides, it is extremely important that customers also need to carefully consider solutions when building a new house. If there are not enough conditions to install an elevator, let the waiting area be suitable, avoid the case of having to renovate the house later to install the elevator, which is both more expensive and can affect the structure of the house.
Only then will the elevator really bring the right meaning to the renovated houses: Elevate the quality of life!
New infomation updated