St. Louis Metro, MO

Residential Elevator Installation

Adding a home elevator is a bigger structural decision than most homeowners expect going in. The right approach depends on whether you're building new, finishing a basement, or retrofitting an occupied multi-story home — and each path has a different cost, timeline, and disruption profile.

What types of residential elevators are installed in St. Louis homes?

The three most common residential elevator types are shaft-based hydraulic elevators, machine-room-less (MRL) traction elevators, and self-supporting pneumatic (vacuum) elevators, each suited to a different structural situation.

Traditional hydraulic elevators need a framed shaft and typically a small equipment closet for the pump unit, which works well in new construction or a home with room to sacrifice a closet on each floor. MRL traction elevators cut the equipment-room requirement but still need a full shaft. Vacuum elevators skip shaft framing entirely — the cylinder is self-supporting and only needs a level, load-rated floor opening — which is why they're popular for retrofits into existing St. Louis two- and three-story homes where opening walls for a shaft isn't practical.

Can a home elevator be added to an existing house without a full renovation?

Yes — many St. Louis retrofit projects use a vacuum elevator or a compact hydraulic cab stacked through closets or a stairwell, avoiding a full renovation, though feasibility depends on whether the floor plan lines up vertically across levels.

The deciding factor is whether you have a consistent, stackable footprint from the lowest to the highest floor you need to serve — a closet over a closet over a mudroom, for instance. Older St. Louis housing stock, especially the classic brick two- and three-story homes common near the Hill, Dogtown, and South City, often has this kind of vertical alignment from original construction. Homes with additions or non-aligned floor plans may need more creative shaft routing, which a contractor can only confirm after an in-person site walk.

How does new-construction elevator installation differ from a retrofit?

New construction lets the shaft or vacuum cylinder footprint be designed into the framing from the start, which is typically less expensive per installed elevator than retrofitting the same footprint into a finished, occupied home.

If you're already building or doing a major addition in Chesterfield, Wildwood, or St. Charles County, roughing in elevator provisions — even if you don't install the cab immediately — is far cheaper than adding a shaft after the fact. A rough-in typically means framing the shaft opening, running a dedicated electrical circuit, and reinforcing the floor opening per code, so the finished elevator can be dropped in later without cutting into finished walls or floors.

Typical Cost Range

Most fully installed shaft-based residential elevators in the St. Louis metro run $20,000–$60,000+ depending on stops and finish level; vacuum elevator retrofits commonly land in a similar $35,000–$55,000 range. Use our cost estimator →

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