A vertical platform lift, often called a wheelchair lift or porch lift, carries a person and their wheelchair or mobility scooter between short changes in elevation. It can provide access to raised porches, decks, garage entries, and other areas.
A vertical platform lift provides a direct route past steps and raised entryways while allowing the rider to remain comfortably in their wheelchair or mobility scooter.
Travel between landings without transferring out of your wheelchair or mobility scooter.
Create a convenient path to a porch, deck, garage, entryway, or another raised area.
Shorter level change when a long ramp would require more space than the property allows.
Watch how the rider enters the platform, travels between landings, and exits at the destination while remaining in their wheelchair.
The platform, controls, gates, and entry direction are configured around the rider, mobility device, available space, and layout of the home.
Enter while remaining in mobility device.
Onboard controls to move between landings.
Traveling around your home on your own.
Designed for different kinds of travel. A platform lift typically addresses one shorter level change, while an in-home elevator connects multiple floors.
| Short-Rise Access Vertical Platform Lift | Multi-Level Access In-Home Elevator | |
|---|---|---|
| Placement | May be installed indoors or outdoors, depending on the selected model, travel height, and site conditions. | Primarily installed inside the home and incorporated into the floor plan. |
| Suited for | Shorter vertical distances and specific access barriers, such as a porch, entry, garage, or split-level transition. | Regular travel between full floors in a multilevel home. |
| Space and construction | Requires room for the platform, landings, approach path, supporting base, gates, and applicable safety components. | May require a hoistway, landing doors, structural preparation, power, and coordination between floors. |
| Appearance | More visibly reads as accessibility equipment and is typically positioned around a specific access point. | Can be integrated more closely with the architecture and interior finishes of the home. |
| Planning priorities | Travel height, mobility-device dimensions, entry direction, landings, gates, weather exposure, site drainage, and power. | Number of floors, cab dimensions, structural requirements, door locations, entry configuration, power, and finishes. |
| Project scope | Generally a more focused project addressing one entrance or a shorter level change. | Usually a more extensive home project designed to provide access between multiple full levels. |
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