A house that is already built can still have a home lift added later, provided the structure, the installation space and the way it will be used are properly assessed especially when choosing a screw-drive home lift which suits existing houses because it needs no machine room and no deep lift pit to excavate, and it keeps the construction work far simpler. That makes it flexible enough to install in many positions — the hallway, beside the staircase, a corner of the house, or even outside the building in some cases. It is ideal for families who want more convenience, more safety and a home that supports them for the long term, particularly houses with older relatives or users of many different ages.
Can You Really Add a Lift to a House That Is Already Built?
Many families assume that fitting a lift into a finished house will be a headache — demolition work that might weaken the building, interior space so tight that no spot looks right, or even the worry that the design will sit awkwardly against the original architecture.
Today, retrofitting a home lift is genuinely achievable and highly flexible, particularly in renovated houses. The key is to choose a technology designed specifically for existing buildings.
There are several types of home lift and one that suits a house already built is the screw-driven home lift, because it can be installed without a machine room and without digging a lift pit which simplifies the construction work, saves space and makes it much easier to blend the lift into the home’s existing design.
If you are planning to adapt your home in order to fit a lift, you can read more in our article 6 Things to Know When Renovating Your Home for a Lift
Which Homes Suit a Lift Fitted Later?
Fitting a lift later suits homes that want more convenience, more safety and support for the long term — especially houses where several floors are in daily use, or homes being adapted to fit the lifestyle of every member of the family.
1. Two- to Three-Storey Homes in Daily Use
In homes spread over several floors, a Cibes Lift survey found that most people interested in installing a lift live in a 2-3 storey house, accounting for 66% of everyone who enquired and in most cases the household is tired of going up and down the stairs so often. Fitting a lift later connects the spaces they use — the bedrooms upstairs and the living room downstairs — so they are much easier to reach, and it takes the physical strain out of carrying heavy items between floors.
2. Homes With Older Relatives or Users of Many Ages
The fear of a fall on the stairs is the main reason this group of homes is so well suited to a lift. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that falls are a leading cause of injury among older people worldwide and a home lift helps to reduce that risk while giving greater independence to older people, to anyone with limited mobility, or to wheelchair users, so they can reach the shared areas of the house alongside everyone else safely, confidently and happily, in line with Universal Design, the principle of designing a home for people of every age Several Cibes Lift customers have done exactly that, among them Khun Naris and Kru Ngor who installed a lift for their parents, while others fitted one ready for when their parents come to visit, such as Khun Thomas and Khun Ukrit a real gain in both convenience and safety.
3. Townhouses and Homes With Limited Space
There are now lift innovations designed specifically for tight spaces, such as the screw-driven lift, which can be installed in a stairwell or the corner of a room without digging a lift pit. That makes a lift genuinely possible in tall townhouses and shophouses without disturbing the main structure, turning the limits of vertical space into something far more comfortable to live with. If you would like to know how much space to prepare for a Cibes lift, you can read more here https://www.cibeslift.co.th/blog/cibes-lift-size-prepare/
Which Home Lift Suits a House That Is Already Built?
A home lift for a house that is already built should be flexible to install, make the most of the space, be safe, and avoid forcing more structural change than necessary so homeowners should look for a lift designed specifically for residential use.
One option that suits a house already built is the screw-driven home lift because the system cuts the complexity out of the installation while delivering safety, comfort and efficient use of space.
How a Screw-Driven Home Lift Answers an Existing House
A screw-driven home lift suits a house that is already built because it needs no machine room and no deep lift pit, unlike some other types such as the traction lift or the hydraulic lift so it has far less impact on the home’s existing structure. It is ideal for homeowners who want easier movement between floors without tearing the house apart or reworking it more than necessary.
With the Cibes home lift, the drive system is built into the lift itself, which allows flexible installation in a range of positions such as the hallway, beside the staircase, or in some cases outside the building, depending on what the site allows. It is the answer for an existing house that needs a lift which is safe, space-efficient and fits in neatly.
A diagram comparing the structure of three home lift systems — the screw-driven lift, the hydraulic lift and the traction lift — showing the differences in machine room, lift pit and the main components of each system.
Why a Space-Saving Home Lift Suits a Finished House
In a house that is already built, every part of the floor plan counts. Choosing a home lift that uses space efficiently makes it easier to find the right position for it and limits the impact on the living areas you already have. Choosing the lift size , the type of lift door and the entry direction to suit the real space is therefore what makes a lift fit an existing home so neatly.
Why Home Lift Design Matters as Much as Function
Once a lift is fitted into a house that is already built, it becomes part of the living space you see every day. Its design therefore shapes the feel of the whole home — how attractive it looks, how open the space feels, and how well it sits with the existing decor.
A good home lift should have materials, colours, walls, doors and a lift shaft style that work with the house — a glass shaft, for example, keeps the space feeling open rather than closed in, so a lift added later still looks like part of the home. Cibes Lift glass shafts also use tempered laminated safety glass; you can read more in our article What You Should Know About Glass Lifts With “Tempered Laminated Safety Glass”
What to Consider Before Adding a Lift to a Finished House
Adding a home lift to a house that is already built is perfectly possible, as long as the site is assessed correctly from the very start, because an existing house usually comes with more constraints in structure, usable space and remedial work than a home that planned for a lift at the design stage.
1. The Existing Structure and the Site Work Needed
A specialist should check the floor position, the opening between levels, the beams, the columns and the load-bearing capacity of the installation area, so the site work can be planned properly, the main structure is affected as little as possible, and the lift is safe to use.
2. Installation Space and the Right Position
The lift should sit where it connects the floors conveniently while disturbing the existing living space as little as possible — the hallway, beside the staircase, a corner of the house, or outside the building in some cases — always weighed up against the layout of the house and the way the family really lives.
3. The Type of Home Lift That Suits an Existing House
For a house that is already built, a screw-driven home lift or a platform lift is usually the right choice, because it can be installed without a machine room and keeps the construction work simpler than some other lift types.
4. Safety, Standards and After-Sales Service
Choose a brand that takes safety standards, protective systems and emergency equipment seriously, and that has an after-sales team able to handle installation, inspection and maintenance, and to help professionally whenever something goes wrong.
5. The Budget and Costs Worth Assessing
Beyond the price of the lift itself, allow for the other costs — site preparation, structural work, transport, installation, maintenance and after-sales service — so the budget is clear and there are fewer extras to pay later. You can read more about home lift prices in our article How Much Does a Home Lift Cost? The Factors That Set the Price or watch the video below
What Does the Cibes Screw-Driven Home Lift Offer a Renovated House?
A Cibes screw-driven home lift installed in the stairwell of a renovated house, with an open, light glass shaft.
1. Safe to European Lift Standards
Cibes home lifts are designed to the European lift safety standard EN 81-41:2015 the standard for platform lifts used in residential and public buildings across Europe. It covers the structure, the operating system and the safety equipment, so homeowners can use their lift with confidence every day.
2. Quiet, Smooth and Energy-Efficient
Cibes home lifts use the EcoSilent 2.0 drive technology, which keeps the lift quiet and smooth and cuts noise inside the house, running at just 40dB. It is also engineered to use energy efficiently and works with an ordinary domestic power supply.
3. Space-Saving and Ideal for an Existing House
The Cibes screw-driven home lift is a lift with no machine room, known as a Machine Roomless Lift in other words, a lift that needs no pit to be dug and no separate machine room to be built. It suits houses that are already built or being renovated where space is limited. There are up to 41 sizes to choose from, which makes it easier to find one that fits the real site, starting from around 1 square metre of installation space.
4. A Nationwide Service Team With 24/7 Support
After-sales service is another key factor when choosing a home lift, because regular inspections are what keep it safe and long-lasting. Cibes has its own service team in Thailand, ready to carry out maintenance, check the system and handle emergencies such as a lift that stops, a power cut or any other fault, with customer service contactable 24 hours a day.
Which Cibes Home Lift Suits a House That Is Already Built?
1. Home lift model Cibes Air 2
The luxury Cibes Air 2 home lift installed in the living room at the centre of the house.
A platform home lift designed to blend into homes of many different styles. You can choose the design of the shaft colour, the lift walls and the floor material, and you can even set the light tone from the control panel inside the lift, anywhere from 2700K warm, soft light to 6500K crisp white, to create just the right mood at any time of day.
2. Home lift model Cibes V80 Aurora+
The Cibes V80 Aurora+ screw-driven platform home lift installed in the void at the centre of the staircase.
One of the best-selling Cibes home lifts. Its standout feature is the Mood Wall, an interior cabin wall available in as many as 18 designs, together with the Light Up function that builds atmosphere, adds depth of light and gives the space inside the lift real style.
3. Home lift model Cibes V70S Asterix
The Cibes V70S Asterix, a luxury home lift for houses that already have a lift shaft.
If your house already has a lift shaft, a cabin home lift such as the Cibes V70S Asterix is the choice that brings comfort and premium design together perfectly. This model comes with a space-saving sliding door that opens and closes smoothly, and it installs without a machine room. Its highlight is the cabin wall with moving vertical LED lighting, which adds depth of light and a sense of luxury to every journey.
