First of all, you need to ask yourself this question: "How much space do I have available for a residential elevator?" If the answer to this question is "Not much at all," you'll need to look into a small, compact residential elevator. Come to grips with this realization early, as you don't want to fall in love with a model that won't fit in your home. If you have plenty of space, well, you have your work cut out for you, because you'll have your choice of almost any residential elevator on the market. We say almost because the following will help you narrow down your options even further.

Next, you want to identify your home's style. Is it traditional or modern? Vintage or romantic? Whatever your style, you'll want to make sure your residential elevator matches or compliments it. For example, pneumatic elevators are usually very modern looking. With a glass shaft and circular build, this model is ideal in the open foyer of your colonial-style home. On the other hand, if your home is very modern and simple, a pneumatic, futuristic elevator situated as the focal point of the room might be perfect for you and your family.

This is a big one: How much time do you have to work on your elevator, or how willing are you to keep up with regular maintenance? The reason we ask this is some elevator models require more maintenance than others. Maintenance includes checking and refilling fluids; checking machine rooms, cables, and other moving parts for corrosion and rust; and just checking to make sure everything is working efficiently. With some models, it is required to have a yearly maintenance check; with others, you hardly have to check them at all. If you guessed that traditional cable-driven elevators require more maintenance than hydraulic and vacuum models, you would be correct. So, if maintenance doesn't bother you and you like the traditional look, cable-driven might be perfect for you. On the other hand, if you want a model that has little to maintenance at all, we suggest you choose a Aliens Lift