Home Elevators for New Construction in the Wichita Area

What We Do for Builders and Architects

Pre-Construction Plan Review

Send us the plans early and we’ll check the details that make or break an elevator install:

• Shaft space sized for the unit you or your client have in mind
• Pit depth the manufacturer calls for
• Top-floor overhead above the highest landing
• Power, including the dedicated circuit
• Load paths for the rails and equipment

Shaft Framing, Pits and Pads

We frame elevator shafts with the anchors and blocking the rails need, and we pour pit and pad concrete to manufacturer spec. Your crew isn’t left guessing where the blocking goes.

Layouts, Drawings and Engineering

We provide elevator and lift layouts and drawings for permit submittals and for your field team. If the job calls for stamped drawings, we coordinate the structural engineering.

Permits, Inspection, Installation and Service

We handle the permit submittals and inspection coordination for the lift, install the equipment with our own crew, and stay on as the service contact after your clients move in.

Elevators and Lifts Builders Spec

• REI Luxury Lift LLT: 950 lb capacity, machine-room-less. Plan for 102″ of overhead and an 8″ pit.
• REI The Level: no pit cut, just a 2½” step up. The go-to for remodels and retrofits.
• Savaria Eclipse: Savaria’s best-selling shafted elevator, up to 5–6 stops.
• Savaria Vuelift Mini: a glass elevator with a 50″ footprint, 3″ pit and 96″ overhead.
• Stiltz home lifts: no shaft, no pit, no machine room. Runs on a dedicated 220-volt outlet.
• Residential dumbwaiters for groceries, laundry and everyday loads between floors.

You’ll find spec sheets and manufacturer documents on our home elevators page.

Elevator-Ready Homes Give Buyers a Reason to Stay

Nearly 8 in 10 adults 50 and older want to stay in their homes as they age (AARP). A two-story home that can take an elevator later speaks directly to those buyers. Even if your client doesn’t want an elevator on day one, you can build the house elevator-ready:

• Stack closets on each floor and size them for a future shaft.
• Plan the pit and top-floor overhead into the design now.
• Rough in the dedicated circuit while the walls are open.

It’s a selling point you can put in the listing, and it saves the next owner from tearing into finished space.

Why Builders Work With Us

• Founded by a licensed elevator mechanic, so plan review comes from people who install and service elevators.
• One point of contact for review, framing, concrete, drawings, permits, install and service.
• Six manufacturers: Savaria, Residential Elevators, Inclinator, AmeriGlide, Staying Home and Stiltz.
• 5.0 stars on Google.
• Long-term service after the closing, including on lifts other companies installed.

How It Works

1. Send your plans by email or give us a call.
2. We review them and flag shaft, pit, overhead, power and load-path items.
3. We provide layouts and drawings and coordinate engineering where it’s required.
4. We frame the shaft and pour the pit or pad, or coordinate with your crew.
5. We install, handle inspection coordination and stay on for service.

MRL, Hydraulic and Custom Luxury Elevators for Wichita-Area Builders

We plan residential elevators for new construction in the Wichita area from the first set of drawings. The model you pick sets the shaft, the pit, the overhead and where the equipment lives:

• MRL (machine-room-less) elevators keep the drive in the hoistway, so there is no machine room in the plan: the Savaria Eclipse and Zenith, the REI Luxury Lift LLT, and the Inclinator Elevette with its MRL drive.
• Hydraulic home elevators give a smooth, quiet ride and the lowest overhead, with a small machine room or cabinet for the pump.
• Custom luxury elevators help sell the house: handcrafted Residential Elevators cabs in real hardwood, the commercial-grade Savaria Zenith, or a glass elevator as the centerpiece.
• Pitless and low-pit options for a slab that is already poured: REI The Level and the SHC EZ6 need no pit.

Figures are from each manufacturer’s published specifications. Local code can change them. We send the manufacturer’s hoistway drawing for your exact cab and door layout before framing.

More questions answered on our builder services page.

Areas We Serve Around Wichita

We work with builders in Wichita, Andover, Maize, Derby, Goddard and Bel Aire, and on projects across Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.

Permits, Inspections and Planning Resources for Wichita-Area Builders

Kansas has no statewide elevator license, so the permit runs through your local building department. In Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County, that is MABCD. Smaller cities may run their own permits, and we confirm which office handles your project during plan review.

• Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD): building permits and inspections for Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County.
• ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators: the national safety code. Section 5.3 covers private residence elevators.
• NAHB Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS): training for builders and remodelers who design for aging in place.
• AARP 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey: 75 percent of adults 50 and older want to stay in their homes.
• Savaria: planning information for the Eclipse, Infinity, Zenith and Vuelift.
• Residential Elevators: cab styles and planning for the Luxury Lift LLT, LLH and The Level.
• Inclinator Elevette planning guide (PDF): a manufacturer example of hoistway, pit and electrical requirements.

Want the full picture? Our builder hub walks through where the elevator fits in the build schedule, a residential elevator rough-in checklist, and new construction vs. adding an elevator later. Building for a family that needs help now? See home elevators and stair lifts in Wichita.

Builder FAQs

When should we bring you in?

As early as possible, and before framing at the latest. Once the shaft, pit and overhead are set in the plans, the rest of the job goes smoothly.

What do you need from us?

Your floor plans and the elevator your client is considering, if they’ve picked one. If they haven’t, we’ll help narrow it down.

Will you work with my framer and electrician?

Yes. We can frame the shaft ourselves or give your framer the anchor and blocking locations. Your electrician gets the dedicated circuit requirements up front.

Do you handle inspections?

Yes. We handle the permit submittals and inspection coordination for the lift, so it’s one less item on your schedule.

What is an MRL elevator, and why do builders spec it?

MRL means machine-room-less. The drive rides inside the hoistway and the controller fits in a closet or small utility space, so you never have to find room in the plan for a machine room. The Savaria Eclipse, Savaria Zenith, REI Luxury Lift LLT and the Inclinator Elevette with its MRL drive all work this way. On the LLT, even the controller sits overhead in the shaft.

Should we plan an MRL or a hydraulic elevator?

It depends on where the house has room. An MRL elevator needs no machine room: the controller fits in a closet, or on the REI Luxury Lift LLT it rides overhead in the shaft. A hydraulic elevator needs a small machine room or cabinet for the pump, but can need less overhead, as little as 92 inches on the Savaria Infinity. We compare both against your plans.

What hoistway, pit and overhead should we draw?

It depends on the model, cab size and door layout. Pits run 8 inches on the Savaria Eclipse and Infinity and the REI LLT and LLH, and 10 inches on the Savaria Zenith and the REI Vision glass cab. Overhead runs from 92 inches on the Infinity to 108 inches on the Zenith. We send the manufacturer’s hoistway drawing for your exact configuration.

What custom and luxury options can we offer our buyers?

A lot. Residential Elevators cabs are hand-built in the U.S. from seven-ply, cabinet-grade plywood with all-hardwood trim and custom stains, in Classic, Shaker, Signature or Reserve styles, or glass and stainless. Savaria offers the Luxury Flush Door and the commercial-grade Zenith, which carries 1,400 pounds. We bring samples to the design meeting with your buyer.

The slab is already poured. What are our options?

You still have choices. REI’s The Level is a pitless shafted elevator that sits on the existing floor with a 2-1/2 inch step up, the SHC EZ6 needs no pit and only 86 inches of overhead, and a through-the-floor elevator needs no shaft and no pit at all. The same options work for remodels and additions.

Who permits a residential elevator in the Wichita area?

Kansas has no statewide elevator license, so permits run through the local building department. In Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County, that is the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD). We handle the elevator permit and coordinate the inspection.

Can we build a home in the Wichita area elevator-ready and add the elevator later?

Yes. Stack closets on each floor sized to the manufacturer’s hoistway drawing, plan the pit and top-floor overhead, and rough in the dedicated circuit and phone line while the walls are open. When the owners are ready, the closets become the shaft. See the rough-in checklist on our builder hub.