This installation of our recently-launched Stiltz Duo Alta Home Elevator took place at the home of Mr and Mrs Ricker in Pennsylvania, USA.
The Ricker’s moved to a new home with multiple floors and were looking for a way of ‘future-proofing’ the property as this was to be their ‘forever’ house. The couple were aware that, in later life, they might not able to use the stairs as easily and Mrs Ricker also had a knee problem so they decided the Duo Alta from the Stiltz residential elevator range was the ideal alternative as it would provide them with a simple and easy way of moving between floors. Watch the video below or alternatively read the full transcript below.
What made you start searching for a home elevator solution?
Mr Ricker: We moved into the home about eight months ago, and it was important to us for this to be a long-term home and to ensure mobility through the years. Our home has several floors with a significant number of stairs, so we wanted to make sure it was easy to go up and down, through the years. Particularly in my wife’s case, to maintain that was very important to us.
Mrs Ricker: I have a knee problem, so it made it very easy for me to not have to worry about the stairs. It was a great suggestion when my husband suggested ‘let’s do it!’. We just didn’t know where to put it, but it worked out perfectly for us.
Did you consider any other assistive technology products?
Mr Ricker: We did consider other products. As we started our search, we found that many [home elevators] were very large and obtrusive, and that sort of repelled us a little bit. We wanted to maintain more of a contemporary style to the home, and the Stiltz units had a nice contour to them, they seemed to fit in very nicely with what we had in mind. The size was important. The integrity and reliability of the unit is also important to us. We tried it, we drove up to the factory, and got given a tour and demonstration, and so we felt very comfortable with the equipment once we saw it and then we made the decision [to go ahead].
What do you like most about your Stiltz Home Elevator and how has it made your life easier?
Mr Ricker: The best feature of the system is the way it sets nicely into our décor. We have our unit on the first floor in an office setting. It’s actually installed in a corner location so it didn’t encroach into the room area and it fits very nicely with the style of that room. It’s also very, very handy – towards later in the evening, to just be able to hop into the unit, and quietly and efficiently move up to the second floor – it’s something we’ve never been able to experience for all these years. We’re very excited about those two features.
Mrs Ricker: I enjoy it, I go in the elevator and I use it at least six or seven times a day instead of taking the stairs. My husband will walk up the stairs and I’ll use the home elevator, and we both arrive at the same location in the same amount of time. People have asked me ‘is it going to be slower to get you up to the second floor?’ and I tell them it actually takes the same amount of time to walk up as it does to use the elevator, so I enjoy using it and it’s not a problem.
Mr Ricker: There’s another aspect as well – we have guests of all ages, but some of them are delighted to see that there’s an easy way to go up to the second floor of the home, and to hop in the home elevator, as opposed to climbing the stairs. People perhaps a little older than us appreciate the fact that we’ve installed that to enable them to navigate the home.
What do your friends and family think of your Stiltz Home Elevator?
Mr Ricker: Our friends are very excited about it. It’s a large house and our visitors stay over sometimes and the ability to go upstairs without having to navigate the stairs is very important. We have some elderly relatives as well that we wanted to invite over and share our beautiful home with us, and it’s enabled that. Without this system in place, we wouldn’t be able to have them stay with us. Our friends are delighted to see it as well – they see it and they say ‘oh my goodness, I didn’t even notice!’ In other words, it blends so nicely with our décor.
Is your Stiltz Home Elevator easy to use?
Mrs Ricker: I think I’ve used the lift more than my husband and I use it all the time. It’s very easy to use. In fact, we have four grandchildren under the age of three, and they enjoy using it. Of course, an adult has to be in there with them, but they can press the button to go up or down and we’ve never had any difficulty with it. I use it all the time because it’s very easy to use.
Do you feel the Stiltz Home Elevator has added value to your home?
Mr Ricker: Oh, very much so! When we were searching for a home, we wanted a home of this type, of this scale, of this kind of a yard and what we found was that 98 per cent of the homes we were looking at, had the master suite on the second floor. At this point in our lives, that was prohibitive, we were concerned with our long-term mobility and how we could really enjoy the home. So, by adding the residential elevator feature to this home, if in the future we sell and move on, this house will be the one that is available to a larger number of clients – because of that inherent mobility factor that we’ve added through the elevator.
Would you recommend Stiltz Home Elevators to others?
Mr Ricker: We would recommend Stiltz to others, just because during the selection process, we evaluated lots of other options. In fact, we have recommended Stiltz to our friends that see how it fits into our lifestyle and think to themselves for perhaps the first time, that this is something that they could really benefit from. In terms of the equipment, the integrity, the support behind it, the simple installation, and the whole process that was very straight forward. We convey these things regularly to our friends and relatives.
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