Exterior Vertical Platform Lift Photo Gallery
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Welcome to the Vertical Platform Lift Photo Gallery! This gallery has pictures of lifts installed outside of a building. Click here to see pictures of interior installations.
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Wheelchair Lift with Factory Hoistway
Here is a picture of a TKAccess PL-S Vertical Platform Lift with a factory supplied enclosure. This PL-S provides wheelchair access to a backyard deck.
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A view of the PL-S from another angle
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TKAccess PL-RA Residential Porchlift - Skokie
This is a picture of a TKAccess PL-RA 24 Residential Porchlift that provides access to the rear entrance of a home in Skokie. EHLS installed the lift and built the deck that serves as an upper landing. In this picture the lift platform is in the up position level with the upper landing. You can see the automtic folding ramp is positioned to prevent a wheeled assistive device from accidentally rolling off.
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Now we see the PL-RA platform at ground level. The folding ramp automatically unfolds as the platform descends moving into position so a wheeled device can roll smoothly off the platform and onto the concrete landing.
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Viewed from straight on we have a nice view of the folding ramp, the platform and the upper landing gate.
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Savaria 1504 Wheelchair Lift With Factory Hoistway
This is a picture of a Savaria 1504 Vertical Platform Lift inside a factory supplied hoistway with clear plexiglass wall panels. EHLS installed this lift inside a two story office building in Arlington Heights mostly occupied by doctors and dentists. This lift serves three levels within the building - the ground floor we see here, the second floor and the basement level.
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Deck and Wheelchair Lift at Rear of Home - Chicago
Here is a picture showing the rear entrance of a home on the north side of Chicago. The client asked EHLS to provide wheelchair access to the doorway along with a deck that could be used for outdoor relaxation.
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The finished project with a view of the lift and a portion of the deck. Note the extra wide stair treads (22") which made the stairway easier for the client to use with a walker. The TKAccess PL-RA Porchlift is supported on a concrete pad that is connected to the adjacent driveway.
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Another view of the stairway and deck.
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A picture of the deck on a sunny summer afternoon. The project was a success as it allowed the client and his wife to spend more time outside enjoying days like these something they had stopped doing as their ability to move around declined.
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TKAccess PL-RA Residential Porch Lift - Chicago
Here is a photo of the front entrance of a Chicago residence being prepared for the installation of a TKAccess PL-RA Residential Porch Lift. At this point the EHLS crew had built the forms for a new walk leading from the stairway to the public sidewalk in front of the home.
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Here we have a picture of the finished project with the lift in place. There are a number of features that should be mentioned. First, note the new concrete that provides a foundation for the lift as well as a smooth surface for wheelchair travel between the lift platform and the public sidewalk. We want to highlight this feature because a solid foundation is required for safe lift operation. We have seen many examples of other firms cutting corners by using wooden planks and other unsafe methods to support the lift. Those planks may be easier to install than concrete but it is virtually guaranteed they will shift and become unstable over time. An unsound foundation is an accident waiting to happen. We also have seen installations without a sidewalk connecting the lift platform to its surroundings. Imagine how difficult it would be for a wheelchair to roll over unpaved grass to reach the public sidewalk.
Next, if you look closely, you will see a wood platform built over the concrete porch. This platform was needed to eliminate the 4" high threshold you have at the entrance to the home. That step would obviously present a real barrier for a wheelchair. But with the platform in place a wheelchair can roll smoothly off the lift and through the front door without encountering any obstacles.
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TKAccess PL-RA Residential Porch Lift - Chicago
This is a picture of the front of a building on the north side of Chicago. A husband and wife own the building and the husband has started using a wheelchair to get around. The stairs made leaving the home with the wheelchair impossible. The family contacted EHLS to discuss solutions to their problem. After assessing the building and the client's needs EHLS proposed installing a TKAccess PL-RA Residential Porch Lift. The clients liked this idea and a lift was installed. Scroll down to see the results.
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Another view of the front entrance to the building. Note the extra high threshold at the front door. As you will see we built a platform over the porch to eliminate this obstacle.
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Here we have a picture of the finished installation taken on a gloomy day in January. Note, as always, that the lift has been anchored to a solid concrete foundation. The layout makes it easy for a wheelchair to roll from the lift platform and onto the sidewalk.
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This angle gives us a good view of the platform that extends over the stairs to provide an upper landing for the lift. The platform also eliminates the step at the threshold. Another important point illustrated in this picture is the clear space left on the existing stairway for use by people on foot.
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Here is a final shot of the lift and platform. Prior to the lift installation the husband could not leave his home unless he had at least two other people to carry his wheelchair down the stairs. This extra help was not always available so he found himself spending a lot of time indoors. Now that the lift is in place he and his wife can leave their home whenever they like.
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Here is an interesting side note to this project. The people living next door to our client chose a different method for providing access to the front entrance of their home. As you can see they built a ramp... a big ramp to get to their front door. While the ramp works, it is a very large structure that completely dominates the front of their home. In urban settings where space is usually limited we believe a lift is the better choice.
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TKAccess PL-RA Residential Porch Lift - Westmont
A neck injury resulted in paralysis that forced Mr. A. to use a wheelchair. His family contacted EHLS and asked us to provide wheelchair access to the front entrance of their home. The plan EHLS proposed called for removing the planting bed to the right of the porch and installing a TKAccess PL-RA Porch Lift in its place. The plan also required a platform and a new set of stairs be built over the existing concrete porch and stairway.
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Here we have the finished project where we see the new stairway , porch and lift. There is one unique feature to highlight in this photograph. EHLS normally uses pressure-treated Wolmanized lumber for outdoor projects. In this case the clients requested that we use TREX, a synthetic lumber, instead of pressure-treated wood. TREX is an attractive, virtually indestructible material that requires very little maintenance. However, it is significantly more expensive than natural wood products.
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TKAccess PL-RA Residential Porch (Wheelchair) Lift - Bridgeview
Mrs. R. asked EHLS for help finding a way to provide wheelchair access in and out of her home. After considering both the front and rear entrances EHLS proposed installing a TKAccess PL-RA Porch Lift at the rear entrance. To install the lift the plan called for removing the existing porch and replacing it with a larger structure that would provide manuevering space for a wheelchair. The existing 24" wide concrete sidewalk between the house and the detached garage at the rear of the lot was also replaced with a new 48" wide walk.
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Here is a picture of the final installation.
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TKAccess Toe Guard Wheelchair Lift - Northlake
A church in Northlake asked EHLS for help in finding a way to provide wheelchair access for their members. After studying the layout of the building EHLS recommended installing a TKAccess vertical platform lift at a side entrance shown in this picture. Church representatives accepted our proposal and we started to work.
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This is a picture of the finished installation with the lift in place. If you have seen the pictures of other porchlifts we have on the website you will notice the equipment used here has a much different appearance. The lift used for this project is called the ToeGuard and is made by ThyssenKrupp Access. The ToeGuard's platform is completely enclosed in a set of nested metal walls. The inner walls move along with the platform as it travels up and down keeping it and the area beneath surrounded at all times. The ToeGuard was designed with this protective enclosure in order to comply with building codes that govern the installation of lifts in public places. Unlike porchlifts installed at a private residence a porchlift in a public setting must have an enclosure. A hoistway that encloses the entire lift also meets code requirements but the hoistway is significantly more expensive.
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EHLS built a small platform over the existing concrete porch to create an upper landing to provide more maneuvering room for a wheelchair.
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Here is a picture of the gate at the top landing. To prevent accidental falls the gate has a mechanical interlock that prevents it from being opened unless the platform is at the upper level. A call button attached to the right gate post allows a rider to summon the platform to the upper level.
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TKAccess PL-RA Residential Porch Lift - Chicago
New TKAccess PL-RA Residential Porch Lift providing access at the front entrance of this Chicago home. EHLS also built a platform and a new stairway over an existing porch.
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Wheelchair Lift With Hoistway - Valparaiso, Indiana
The following series of photos show how EHLS installed a VPL to provide wheelchair access at a home in Valparaiso, Indiana. This picture shows the area adjacent to the garage before work got underway.
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This picture shows the rear of the house before EHLS began to install the lift.
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Here we have another picture taken from the front of the house in which we see a new sidewalk leading from the driveway towards the backyard.
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Moving along towards the backyard EHLS built a wood ramp to connect the sideway with a concrete patio behind the house.
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A side view of the wooden ramp with the new lift and hoistway visible in the background. This picture illustrates why we needed to build the ramp. As you can see the backyard slopes away from the house at a fairly steep angle. A concrete sidewalk that followed the contour of the yard would have been too steep for wheelchair use.
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From this angle we can see the lift and hoistway installed between the house and the stairway leading to the second floor deck. A large concrete patio surrounds the lift and provides plenty of room for a wheelchair to maneuver.
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A final view of the finished installation.
