Free in-home consultations in central PA and northern MD. PA HIC #13596045.
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Home elevators
A clear tube, a cab that rides on air pressure, and no shaft, pit, or machine room. The PVE fits an existing home like nothing else, goes in within days once the floor is cut, and looks like a piece of the architecture rather than medical equipment.
Same technology in three round sizes and one square. Pick by who rides, what they ride with, and where it goes. Each model page has the spec sheet, drawings, and manual to download.
The smallest residential elevator made. One passenger, 30 inches across, fits in a stairwell corner.
Two passengers, or one with a walker or a small transport chair. The size we recommend first.
Wheelchair accessible. Three passengers or a chair and a companion, with a wide in-line door.
The square PVE. Two passengers in a 36 by 36 inch footprint that tucks into a corner or against a wall.
The tube is the structure. It stands on the floor and passes through an opening above, or attaches to a balcony edge. Nothing below grade and nothing in the attic.
Once the floor opening is cut and the circuit is run, the tube goes up in sections and the cab is set inside. We have done them in a long weekend.
Lose power and the cab settles to the bottom landing with the door unlocked. There is no scenario where it stops between floors and stays there.
Polycarbonate panels all the way around. People put them in foyers on purpose. The cab has LED lighting and a fan.
Power is used only going up. Coming down uses none. A typical household circuit handles it.
No hydraulic oil, cables, or counterweights. The main wear item is the cab seal after thousands of rides.
The first photos are our own installs. The rest is PVE's photography, useful for seeing the sizes with people in them.
The sound and the speed are the two things people want to know about. This clip shows both, plus how the tube fits into different homes.
Questions about the sound or the space it needs? Ask us during your free in-home visit.
We start with a visit to pick the spot and confirm ceiling heights at each landing. Your contractor (or ours) frames a round opening in the floor and runs a 220V 25A circuit. The unit ships in sections; we assemble the tube, set the cab, connect the turbine head, and test. Options include cab colors beyond the standard, a fold-down seat, an acoustic package, and door openers.
In Maryland we register the elevator with the state. In Pennsylvania a residential elevator is exempt from state inspection, though a township building permit may apply to the floor opening. We take care of both.
Not sure between a PVE and a Pollock shaftless elevator? The Pollock is a closed cab on a standard 115V circuit; the PVE is glass, can do more than two stops, and takes a smaller footprint. The comparison table lays it out.
Straight answers
Turbines at the top of the tube pull air out above the cab, and normal air pressure below pushes the cab up. To go down, a valve lets air back in and the cab descends by gravity, controlled. There are no cables, pistons, or counterweights, and no pit or machine room.
Going up, the turbines sound something like a vacuum cleaner for the length of the ride. Going down is nearly silent. An acoustic package reduces the sound further, and placing the turbine head remotely in an attic is possible on some installs. The video below lets you hear it.
The cab lowers to the bottom landing on its own and the door unlocks. You cannot get stuck between floors.
A PVE30 is 30 inches across, which fits where no other elevator will. The PVE37 is 37 inches, the wheelchair-accessible PVE52 is 52 inches. The tube is self-supporting, so it can stand in a stairwell, next to a balcony, or in the corner of a room.
Two to four days once the floor opening is cut and the 220V circuit is run. Lead time on the unit is usually several weeks.
Very little. The main wear item is the cab seal, replaced after many thousands of rides. We recommend an annual checkup like any elevator.
Call and you will reach a person who installs these for a living. Or request a free in-home consultation and we will come to you, measure, and give you a written price with no pressure.
