A Rancho Santa Fe agent once told me, “If you live in Rancho Santa Fe, you better have a pool.” She didn’t mean for swimming laps or splashing kids, she meant, status symbol. There aren’t many home features more status symbol-y than an elevator and when a home has one, its inclusion in real estate marketing is front and center.
Many years ago, I helped a retired couple in their 70s buy a home across the street from the sand in Point Loma.
Almost as good as the views and nearness to the water was the marvelous elevator that opened to the living room. I was as excited as a four-year-old who loves pushing elevator buttons.
Every time I rode the elevator, I marveled that it opened to their couches and coffee tables. No schlepping groceries or luggage down a common hallway, just you, your living room and your elevator. The home was 70s glam and I referred to it as the Zsa Zsa house.
Buns of steel or not, people over 50 do not want lots of stairs or multi-level – I’m even seeing people in their 30s and 40s not wanting to deal with flights of stairs.
Ten homes with elevators have sold in San Diego County this year.
Their prices ranged from $2.8M to $13.5M, and the average was $6.5M. Currently, nine homes with elevators are on the market in San Diego County. Their prices range from $3.4M to $43M (I’d love to see the prequel letter on that offer!), with the average price at $12.8M.
Compare those figures with the 235 homes currently on the market in San Diego County with swimming pools, and it’s clear how much rarer and, therefore, exclusive elevator homes are.
According to the MLS, only seven homes with elevators have ever been sold in La Mesa. Three of them were my listings, and one of the homes I sold. The buyers added one afterward, and they love it.
For those wanting to give their knees a break while upping the snob appeal, here are six things to consider when installing an elevator (for this article, we’re going to focus on residential elevators and not vertical platform lifts or stairlifts):
1. Space. A traditional home elevator (a rectangular shape with a sliding-door opening) will take up at least 20 – 25 square feet, plus additional space for the elevator shaft, cab, and entry and exit pathways. Growing in popularity are pneumatic vacuum elevators that are clear and cylinder-shaped. They can use up as little as nine square feet of space. If interior space is too limited for an elevator, some people opt to install one outdoors, accessible by a deck.
2. Weight. Most residential elevators are designed to carry multiple people or up to a thousand pounds. The pneumatic vacuum elevators can hold two people and up to 450 pounds.
3. Stories. Most residential elevators have a shaft length of 25 to 50 feet, which easily accommodates two or three levels. Four stories will need a longer shaft. Count basements or garages if the elevator services that floor.
4. Type/Cost. Budget and space will be the determining factors in choosing a type of elevator. A quick glance at Google San Diego Elevators Shopping reveals luxury elevators starting at $15k—$25k. Rope and belt-driven elevators are the least expensive, starting as low as $9,000; pneumatic (air) elevators are the most expensive, starting at $35,000.
Other types of residential elevators and their price ranges include:
Hydraulic cable elevators: $15,000–$35,000
Chain elevators: $20,000–$50,000
Hydraulic elevators: $20,000–$50,000
Glass acrylic elevators: $80,000 and up
Traction elevators: $30,000 for two floors, plus $10,000 for each additional floor. The labor cost for a cable-driven elevator might be around $15,000, while a pneumatic elevator could cost around $50,000.
5. Time. A traditional elevator takes four to five weeks to dig the pit, install the elevator shaft, build the machine room, and wire. Once the site is fully prepared, technicians can install the elevator in three days. Pneumatic elevators take just a few days because they’re entirely self-contained and self-supported, so no additional construction is needed.
6. Permits. Check with your city or county for any needed permits. Always work with a licensed professional. Read their reviews. A Google search turned up 14 residential elevator companies in San Diego County.
– Reach eXp Realtor and La Mesa Councilwoman Laura Lothian at: [email protected].
