Home elevators are ultra-large machinery installed in homes, destined to coexist with our families for decades—20, 30, or even 50 years. Installing an elevator at home is a significant event, and it's crucial to have a basic understanding of the industry and products before making a purchase. The more you know, the fewer detours you'll take in selecting the right product.
"Home elevators are essentially scaled-down versions of commercial elevators found in public spaces." The majority of clients that Chenao has encountered initially understand home elevators as a "shrinked" version of public elevators. Is that the case? Is a smaller version of a large commercial elevator what we want for our home elevators? Is it that simple?
Absolutely not! This is a misconception when selecting residential elevators. The elevator industry is vast, with residential and commercial being two distinct segments. Just like central air conditioning, there's a difference between residential and commercial use. The focus of residential elevator technology differs significantly from that of commercial. For instance, residential elevators place a high emphasis on shaft utilization. The lower the shaft utilization (similar to the usable area of a house), the smaller the car space, and the greater the wasted space. Residential elevators have lower requirements for construction, whereas commercial elevators demand more.
Through the above comparisons, it is very clear that residential elevators are not just a simple downsizing of commercial elevators. Even when downsized, there are limitations. If the reserved space at home is smaller, such as around 1 square meter, large commercial elevator manufacturers cannot produce them. Compared to commercial elevators, the market for residential elevators is too small and the manufacturing costs are high, so large commercial elevator manufacturers are not willing to invest their efforts in them, merely doing it "by the way." If the dimensions do not meet the requirements, they will放弃 due to "too small to be made" or ask you to remove part of the stairs to increase the space, which indirectly increases our costs.
Therefore, when ordering residential elevators, it's not about seeking out well-known, large-scale commercial elevator brands; instead, look for companies that specialize in residential elevators. Professional brands, dedicated wholeheartedly to the craft, not only offer products more suitable for residential use but also provide comprehensive services. For big brands, even if we purchase ten elevators at home, we are still considered a small customer. However, for professional brands, buying just one elevator qualifies us as a major client, a VIP!
