Make the parts of your home you use every day reachable without stairs, bending, or risky transfers — ideally before your surgery date. In practice, that means setting up a comfortable space on the main floor, securing the bathroom with grab bars and a shower seat, clearing trip hazards, and arranging safe access to your […]
Can a Home Elevator Fit a Wheelchair?
/in Residential Elevators/by Micky DemingYes — many residential elevators are designed to carry a wheelchair user, but not every model or cab size will fit every chair. The details that decide it are the cab’s interior dimensions, where the doors are, the height of the threshold, the controls, and the total weight capacity once you add the chair, the […]
Where Can You Put a Home Elevator in Your House?
/in Uncategorized/by Micky DemingMost homes have more than one workable location for a residential elevator. The most common are stacked closets on two floors, a corner of a room, a space beside the staircase, and the garage or a small exterior addition. The right spot is the one that connects the rooms the person actually uses every day […]
What Does It Cost to Maintain a Home Elevator — and Who Services It?
/in Residential Elevators/by Micky DemingA residential elevator should be professionally serviced at least once a year. That annual service visit is the main ongoing cost of ownership; beyond it, most owners budget for occasional wear items such as batteries and door components as the equipment ages. The larger question isn’t the dollar figure — it’s whether the company that […]
Do You Need a Permit to Install a Home Elevator in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, or Connecticut?
/in Residential Elevators/by Micky DemingYes. A residential elevator is regulated equipment in all three states, and installing one requires permits — typically a building permit and an electrical permit — plus an inspection before the elevator can be put into service. Permitting and inspection are usually the longest part of an elevator project, not the construction itself. At Home […]
How Long Does It Take to Install a Home Elevator?
/in Residential Elevators/by Micky DemingThe physical installation is usually quick — often just a few days for a shaftless model, and up to a couple of weeks for a full traditional elevator. The longer part of the timeline is everything around it: the in-home assessment, design, permitting, and any structural prep. For most New England families, planning and approvals […]
Can You Put a Home Elevator in a House Without a Shaft?
/in Residential Elevators/by Micky DemingYes. A shaftless home elevator can be installed in an existing house without a traditional hoistway or a separate machine room. Instead of a framed shaft, it travels on one or two guide rails mounted near a wall — which means far less construction than most families expect. For many New England homes, especially older […]
How Do I Prepare My Home for Recovery After Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery?
/in Senior Safety/by Micky DemingMake the parts of your home you use every day reachable without stairs, bending, or risky transfers — ideally before your surgery date. In practice, that means setting up a comfortable space on the main floor, securing the bathroom with grab bars and a shower seat, clearing trip hazards, and arranging safe access to your […]
Curved vs. Straight Stairlifts: Which One Does Your Staircase Need?
/in Stairlifts/by Micky DemingThe difference comes down to the shape of your stairs. A straight stairlift runs along a single, unbroken flight and can often be installed in a matter of hours. A curved stairlift is custom-built to follow a staircase that bends, turns, or pauses at a landing. If your stairs run straight from bottom to top, […]
How Long Does a Stairlift Last? Maintenance, Lifespan, and When to Replace
/in Stairlifts/by Micky DemingA well-maintained stairlift typically lasts between 10 and 15 years, and many units remain fully functional well beyond that with regular servicing. The biggest factors are usage frequency, the quality of the original installation, and whether the lift receives scheduled maintenance — not just repairs when something goes wrong. At Home Health Smith, which has […]
Multi-Generational Living in New England: Making One Home Work for Every Generation
/in Uncategorized/by Micky DemingMulti-generational households — where grandparents, adult children, and sometimes a third generation share a single home — are one of the fastest-growing household configurations in the United States, and New England is no exception. Making that arrangement work long-term requires thinking about the home at two levels simultaneously: what does the oldest generation need today, […]