ᐅ Elevator in a Single-Family Home – Is Concern About Excessive Air Draft Justified?

You already have two doors for the elevator: one for the cabin and one for the shaft.
We use glass doors.
I wouldn’t install a separate door in front of them. I’ve only seen that in some penthouses.
It’s impractical—having to open an additional door every time, especially when your hands are full, etc.
You can get the elevator and shaft doors in all kinds of colors.
The elevator would really have to be located in the living area where I would consider alternative solutions.
However, the elevator will more likely be in the stairwell area.
You shouldn’t seal the shaft too tightly either, as the air needs to escape somewhere when the cabin moves.
Depending on the manufacturer, there are different solutions and requirements.
Have you already been in contact with various manufacturers? You will also need headroom and pit dimensions, exact shaft specifications from the manufacturer, and so on.

Sorry, this is slightly off-topic, but it doesn’t really warrant its own thread.
Instead of a staircase, could you just build a ramp for the cost of an elevator?

A ramp requires much more space. Stairs are still necessary.
For someone who has difficulty walking but does not use a wheelchair, a ramp is not very useful and would be far too steep.
Try pulling something heavy up a ramp, and so on.
These are two completely different things.
Ramps would certainly be much more expensive because the house would need to be much larger.
A home elevator with 3 stops costs between 40,000 and 100,000 euros (€), depending on the manufacturer and model.

rick2018 schrieb:

You have two doors for the elevator anyway. One for the cabin and one for the shaft.
We have glass doors.
I wouldn’t install an additional door in front of those. I’ve only seen that in some penthouses.
It’s inconvenient—having to open another door every time, especially when your hands are full, etc.
The doors for the elevator and shaft come in all colors as well.
The elevator would have to be in the living area for me to consider another solution.
But the elevator will probably be located in the stairwell.
You shouldn’t seal the shaft too tightly either. The air needs somewhere to go when the cabin moves.
Depending on the manufacturer, there are different solutions and requirements.
Have you already contacted different manufacturers? You will also need specific requirements for the pit and overhead clearance, exact shaft specifications from the manufacturer, etc.

The point about having full hands is absolutely valid, good point!
For us, the elevator would also be in the stairwell, and at least two of the three stops are rather off to the side and not directly in view. The third stop is in the entrance area, so also not in the living space.
I haven’t had direct contact with manufacturers yet. Regarding exact pit depth and overhead clearance, I still need to do some research.

rick2018 schrieb:

You already have two doors with the elevator: one for the cabin and one for the shaft.
We have glass doors.
I wouldn’t add a separate door in front of them. I’ve only seen that in some penthouses.
It’s impractical—having to open an additional door every time, especially with full hands, etc.
You can get the elevator cabin and shaft doors in all colors.
The elevator would have to be located in the living area, where I would consider other solutions.
But the elevator will probably be in the stairwell.
You shouldn’t seal the shaft too much. The air has to escape somewhere when the cabin moves.
Depending on the manufacturer, there are different solutions and specifications.
Have you already been in contact with different manufacturers? You will also need bottom and top clearances, exact shaft specifications from the manufacturer, and so on.

Regarding bottom and top clearances again: I have attached a building section for reference, unfortunately not dimensioned.

Do I understand correctly that the stairwell is wide enough to either use the stairs or enter the elevator at ground level?
You would have 3 stops and need an elevator with doors on both sides.
I would program it so that it returns to the ground floor when not in use. You always have to pass through there when coming from or going to the garage.
That is also the most vulnerable area regarding break-ins (from the garage into the house).
Or do you have an additional door there? Still, the elevator needs to have access control.
Manufacturers have different shaft dimensions, so that will need to be adjusted accordingly.
But at least something is already planned. It’s practical that you could also ventilate through the roof.
You will need emergency call, mirror, emergency key, etc. for inspection and commissioning. What you do afterwards is up to you. But only if nothing is rented out.
As soon as cleaning staff or others use the elevator, all requirements must remain fulfilled. Otherwise, you are liable for damages.