Invalifts were contacted by Heather Turner MBE, for advice on how to add a platform lift to her home in Cheltenham, as she has a disability which means she needs to use a wheelchair. After visiting the site, and finding there was no room in the house to fit a lift shaft, the experts at Invalifts worked closely with local building contractor, Tradecraft Construction and the architect to design and build a three floor external lift shaft.
The shaft was designed to accommodate Invalift’s most popular platform lift, the MC2000, with a shaft size of 1150mm x 1560mm. There were also some tricky planning difficulties to overcome, to ensure that the shaft matched the external design of the home’s stonework. The client wanted some light to enter the shaft area at each landing and so the external shaft was designed with windows at each level.
Upon completion of the external shaft, the MC2000 platform lift was fitted inside, with matching shaft glazing. The lift was supplied with automatic doors and wireless remote pushes, so that Heather could access the lift without assistance. White solid doors with vision panels were used to ensure that the lift didn’t look out of place within the home.
As there wasn’t quite enough headroom height at the top level for the standard 2M door and frame, Invalifts utilised a slightly smaller 1.9M door and frame. The building company provided a sculpted ceiling in order for the door frame to be installed and allowing free movement of the door when in use.
Mr and Mrs Turner were delighted with the lift and commented, “the lift has made life so much easier, we do not have to transfer from wheelchair to stairlift and back to wheelchair when just moving between floors and it has made the top floor accessible to Heather.”
With a full parts and labour warranty for 12 months, and a 5 year parts warranty on the motor and gearbox plus a 10 year warranty on the drive chains, the lift will provide access for the home owners for many years.
If you would like to know more about the Commercial Platform Lift or other access solutions, please contact the Invalifts team on 0845 468 2543 or alternatively, email sales@invalifts.com
