How is a home lift installed?
The lift company measures and draws the lift, the surveyor issues the building permit, your builder and electrician prepare the shaft, pit and power, and the lift company checks the built shaft before the lift is made. Then it's delivered, installed and commissioned, and three sign-offs close the job.
The install itself is the short part, usually about a week to four weeks on site. Most of the calendar goes on the drawing, the permit, the building work and the lift being made. Here is every step for a home lift, house lift, residential lift or home elevator in Victoria, who does it, and where jobs go wrong.
By Liam, founder of Rise Lifts, who has installed 142+ home lifts around Melbourne for other brands. Updated 1 November 2026. Victoria.
What are the steps to install a home lift?
Nine steps, in this order, for a residential lift in an existing house. Skip one and you pay for it later.
- 1
Assessment and drawing
Lift company
The lift company measures your house and draws the lift for it. You should get a list of what your builder and electrician need to do, as well as the lift price.
- 2
Building permit and engineering
Building surveyor, engineer
A registered building surveyor issues the building permit. A heritage overlay, a shaft outside the house or a shaft top above the roofline can also need a planning permit. The engineer designs the openings, the pit floor and any steel for the rails, to the lift maker's loads.
- 3
Order the lift
You and the lift company
Lead times are set per order, and an imported lift can take months. Get yours in writing, and time it so the lift is ready when the shaft is.
- 4
Builder and electrician prepare the site
Builder, electrician
The builder builds the shaft, pit and openings to the lift drawing. A licensed electrician runs the lift's own circuit with an RCD to an isolator, and the cabin phone gets a line or a 4G SIM.
- 5
Check measure
Lift company
The lift company measures the built shaft, confirms in writing that the lift will be made to it, and only then releases the lift to be made. This is the step that stops a lift turning up that doesn't fit.
- 6
Delivery
Lift company
A lift arrives as a kit of parts in boxes, and they need somewhere dry to sit until the install, usually the garage or carport. Rails arrive long, so check the path from the street and whether a crane or scaffold is needed.
- 7
The install
Lift company
About a week to four weeks on site, depending on the lift. Shaftless and vacuum lifts take 1 to 3 days once the floor opening is ready. The shaft has to be dry, clean, lit and lockable, with power at the isolator and nothing else running through it.
- 8
Commissioning
Lift company
The final testing before handover. The lift company gives you the commissioning record.
- 9
Three sign-offs and handover
Lift company, electrician, surveyor
The lift company commissions the lift, the electrician gives you a Certificate of Electrical Safety, and the surveyor's final inspection closes the building permit. Then you get the manuals, warranty and service plan.
Contracts should name who does each job. Our page on what a quote leaves out has the full who-does-what table.
How long does it take to install a home lift?
The time on site depends on the kind of lift. The time before it depends on your permit, your builder and the lift's lead time, so nobody can give you an honest date before they've measured.
| What | Usually |
|---|---|
| A cabin lift on site | About a week to four weeks, once the site is ready |
| A shaftless or vacuum lift on site | 1 to 3 days, once the floor opening is ready |
| The lift being made | Set per order; an imported lift can take months. Get it in writing |
| A RISE 300 on site | About a week for most installs; your shaft and access can change that |
| A RISE 300, assessment to first ride | Usually 10 to 12 weeks (October 2026) |
Those are usual times, and none of them is a promise. Ask every lift company how it will keep you updated on yours.
What has to be ready before install day?
Jobs slip at the handover from one trade to the next, and install day is one of those handovers. Tick these off with your builder first.
- The shaft is dry, clean, lit and lockable
- Power is on at the isolator
- Nothing else runs through the shaft
- The pit is at the depth on the drawing, measured from the finished floor
- Door openings are framed to the lift drawing, and floor levels match at every landing
- There's a dry place for the boxes and a clear path in from the street
From the installer
Get it in writing before anyone starts: if the shaft and the lift don't match, who pays to fix it? One owner paid $8,700 in rework when the lift that arrived didn't match the contract.
How is a lift installed in a new build?
In a build, each lift decision has a deadline. Miss it and the house gets built around a guess. These are the eight stages, with the two hold points where someone checks the work before the next step.
| Stage | What happens for the lift |
|---|---|
| Concept | Choose the spot, the type and the supplier. Get the shaft drawing, the pump cupboard and its sleeve onto the plans. |
| Design | Sign the lift drawings. The shaft, pit, rail wall, openings and cupboard go onto the drawings the builder prices from. |
| Permits | The shaft and cupboard go on the permit drawings. Adding them later means an amended permit. Order the lift so its lead time ends when the shaft does. |
| Slab | Hold point 1: the pit is checked against the drawing before the pour, with the depth measured from the finished floor. |
| Frame | The shaft goes up plumb and square, never smaller than drawn, with headroom set before the trusses are made. |
| Lock-up | Hold point 2: the lift company measures the finished shaft before it's lined, confirms it in writing, and only then orders the lift made. |
| Fit-off | The site is made ready, then the install. |
| Handover | Three sign-offs: lift, electrical, building. Keep every certificate. |
This is the typical order from published supplier and planning guidance. Your builder's program and the lift drawings set your dates. Don't leave the lift till later, and don't take "it'll fit" from anyone without a drawing.
What should you get when the lift is handed over?
Get these before the final payment, and keep them with the house papers.
- The lift's commissioning record
- A Certificate of Electrical Safety
- The building permit, and the certificate of final inspection or occupancy permit
- The manual, service schedule, warranty terms, the emergency number on the wall, the door release key and the log book
- The drawings as built
Servicing starts from there, usually once a year. Keep the service record with the house too.
How does Rise Lifts install the RISE 300?
It starts with a free Home Lift Assessment: one visit by an installer, not a salesperson, who checks the fit and measurements, the pit and slab, where the power unit goes, the power supply and the building permit. You get a written lift plan with a fixed price for everything we do, and a list of what your builder and electrician need to do.
Most RISE 300 installs take about a week on site, and it's usually 10 to 12 weeks from assessment to first ride (October 2026). We service what we sell, at least every 12 months under RiseCare, with the first 12 months included. Our price is on the RISE 300 Series page.
Free 24-page Straight-Up Guide
Will it fit? What will it cost? Who can you trust?
Everyone asks me these three things about home lifts. This guide has my answers, and worksheets to work them out for your own house. Use it on any lift company, including us.
- Where a lift fits, and the eight numbers that decide it
- The all-in cost worksheet, and ten years of owning one
- 15 questions to ask any lift company, including us
- Who can help pay, and when a lift isn't the answer
It's yours.
Print it, grab a tape measure and work through it at the kitchen table. We've emailed you the link too.
Download the Straight-Up GuidePDF, 24 pages, 4 MB. Ready to talk? Book my free assessment
Want a figure first? Get my instant price
Noted. The next emails will fit your situation.
Home lift installation questions
How is a home lift installed?
In order: the lift company measures and draws the lift, the surveyor issues the building permit, the builder and electrician prepare the shaft, pit and power, the lift company measures the built shaft before the lift is made, then delivers, installs and commissions it. Three sign-offs close the job: lift, electrical and building.
How long does it take to install a home lift?
The install itself takes about a week to four weeks on site, depending on the lift, and shaftless and vacuum lifts take 1 to 3 days once the floor opening is ready. Before that come the drawing, the permit, the builder's work and the lift's lead time, which can be months. A RISE 300 usually takes 10 to 12 weeks from assessment to first ride (October 2026).
How much does lift installation cost?
Installation and commissioning are usually inside the lift price, which runs about $25,000 to $120,000 in published Australian prices. The building work is extra: about $5,000 to $20,000 or more for the shaft, pit and openings, and about $500 to $1,000 for the electrician's circuit. Our cost page has every line.
Who installs a home lift or home elevator in Victoria?
The lift company installs and commissions the lift. Your builder builds the shaft, pit and openings, a licensed electrician runs the circuit and gives you a Certificate of Electrical Safety, and a registered building surveyor issues the permit and the final certificate. Your contracts should name who does each job.
Can a lift be installed in an existing house?
Yes, in most two-storey houses. What decides it is the floor under the spot, a wall that can take the rails, the ceiling over the top landing, and the permit. Our page on lifts in existing houses goes through each check.
What does the site need before a lift can be installed?
The shaft dry, clean, lit and lockable, power on at the isolator, nothing else running through the shaft, the pit at the drawing's depth from the finished floor, door openings framed to the drawing, and somewhere dry for the boxes with a clear path in from the street.
Will installing a house lift make a mess?
There's building work, so there's dust. Before you sign, ask how many days the lift company will be in your house, what dust barriers and floor protection they use, whether they clean up daily, and their list of what the builder must finish first.
When should you plan a lift into a new build?
At concept, before the design is signed. The shaft, pit, rail wall and pump cupboard need to be on the drawings the builder prices from, the pit gets checked before the slab is poured, and the lift company measures the finished shaft at lock-up before the lift is made.
More straight answers
- The Straight-Up Guide Every answer in one place, the readiness scorecard and the glossary.
- How much does a home lift cost in Melbourne? Every line of the job, the ten-year cost, GST and funding.
- How do you choose the best home lift company? The 15 questions to ask, the red flags, and five lift types compared.
- Platform lift or home lift? The difference, the standards, the cost, and which one you need.
- How much space does a home lift need? Shaft sizes, the smallest lifts, pit, headroom and the eight measurements.
- What does a home lift quote leave out? The missing lines, what each costs, and the checklist for every quote.
- What does a home lift cost to run each year? Servicing, call-outs, parts that wear, and ten years of running costs.
- Is there funding for a home lift in Victoria? Support at Home, DVA, the NDIS and SWEP: what each covers and how to start.
- Do you need a permit for a home lift in Victoria? The building permit, planning permit, certificates and contracts.
- Can you put a lift in an existing house? Where it goes, what to check, and the eight measurements.
- Home lift, stairlift or moving? Six options side by side, and when a lift is the wrong answer.
- The RISE 300 Series Our lift, our price, and what's in it.
General information for Victorian homeowners. It isn't a quote, or engineering, legal or building advice. Times are usual times, not promises, and every lift has to be measured, drawn and approved for its own site.