Pneumatic Elevators as a Solution for Aging in Place

Getting around the house can be a hard thing as people age, especially when it comes to using stairs. Whether it’s due to knee conditions, physical ailments or the toll of getting older, many aging homeowners with multi-story homes have found it increasingly difficult to use their stairs as they once did.

One of the solutions that some Long Island homeowners have been turning to is installing pneumatic elevators in their homes to avoid their stairs and help them get between floors more quickly.

A pneumatic elevator features a cylindrical cab inside a glass-paneled shaft. The tube is connected to an electric pump and motor, which creates an airtight vacuum. This vacuum uses the airpower to move the cab up and down between floors, which only takes 15 to 20 seconds.

The elevators, which are free-standing from walls, feature multiple features to ensure the safety of the riders. There are separate doors for both the cab and the elevator structure, both of which become locked when the cab leaves the floor. They also feature a backup braking system in case the main one fails.

In an instance where the cab loses suction, the cab will go into five centimeters of free fall before stopping. From that point, the cab will go into emergency mode and slowly descend until it safely reaches the bottom floor.

One of the benefits that pneumatic elevators offer is they let homeowners continue to live in their multilevel homes and make use of all floors — allowing them to “age in place.”

“People want to age in place in their homes,” said Neil Cornfield, the owner of Custom Renovators, a Port Washington-based company that specializes in installing these air-powered elevators. “It allows them to avoid looking for a single-level home and allows them to be comfortable.”

Custom Renovators has installed pneumatic elevators across Long Island for the past decade, including on the East End. Cornfield explained that he branched into installing them when he had a client who wanted to have one as an investment for when he sold his home. The client ended up staying in the house, and Cornfield said that his client is “very grateful” to have the elevator to help him get around, especially after his knee surgery.

The elevators installed by Cornfield’s company come in three different sizes: single, mid-sized and handicapped. Each of them features a 450-pound lift capacity, which allows homeowners to carry luggage, groceries, laundry or whatever else they need to transport between floors, which Cornfield said is a “huge asset” for older residents to have.

The cost of these elevators ranges from $30,000 to $70,000. Included in this cost is an electrician and contractor provided by the company to work with homeowners. It also includes an eight-to-10-week testing period where each elevator is assembled, undergoes a thorough check to ensure it works safely and properly, and then is disassembled and shipped to the customers for home installation.

Though the cost may be a turnoff to some, those who have had these elevators installed have greatly enjoyed their purchase. Among those people is Henry Vigilante, who had a pneumatic elevator put in his split-level home in Westhampton two years ago. Vigilante didn’t want to install an elevator outside due to his home’s proximity to the water, nor did he want one with tracks. But when he looked into what Custom Renovators had to offer, he was sold.

“I checked a lot of elevator companies, looked at all the options, and I’ll tell you, this is the greatest thing,” Vigilante said.

Vigilante also expressed how much he enjoyed working with Cornfield and the team during the process.

“The whole process was great,” Vigilante said. “The elevator came out immaculate, and so far, I love it.”

Another benefit of pneumatic elevators is that the sleek, glass-dominated design makes it less of an eyesore for homeowners and is something that won’t stick out compared to the rest of the house.

“The advantage of our elevators is that it’s an attractive-looking device,” Cornfield said. “It’s not a stairlift, it doesn’t look like there’s a handicapped person in the house, there’s no rails. It’s a freestanding elevator that fits in with most decors.”

Additionally, there’s very little maintenance involved once the elevators are installed. The elevators require scheduled maintenance every 10,000 hours of use, in which a seal needs to be replaced at the top of the elevator. However, Cornfield explained that this mark takes a long time to reach since it takes less than 30 seconds to move between floors.

For more information, visit 
customrenovatorsny.com.