What does a home lift quote leave out?
Most home lift quotes price the lift, its doors, delivery, installation and commissioning, and leave out the shaft and pit, the electrician, the permit, making good, crane or scaffold, and often the GST. The builder's part alone usually runs $5,000 to $20,000 or more, and only 1 in 12 of the supplier documents we read said what was left out.
That's how the same two-stop lift showed up in published prices anywhere from $19,000 to $70,000. Compare quotes on the headline number and you're comparing different jobs, whether the quote says home lift, house lift, residential lift or home elevator. Below is every missing line, what it costs, and the checklist that makes every company price the same job.
By Liam, founder of Rise Lifts, who has installed 142+ home lifts around Melbourne. Published Australian prices, checked October 2026. Updated 1 November 2026. Victoria.
What does a home lift quote usually include?
Hold every quote you get against these two lists.
Usually in the lift price
- The lift, its doors and controls
- Delivery and installation
- Commissioning and testing
- A warranty, and sometimes the first year's servicing
Usually left out
- The shaft, pit and openings (your builder)
- Power to the lift (your electrician)
- The building permit and the surveyor
- Making good: plaster, paint, floors
- Crane or scaffold to get it in
- GST, when the quote says plus GST
If a line isn't written on the quote, assume it isn't in the price.
What does each missing line cost?
These are the lines you pay for whether the quote shows them or not, with who does each one and what it typically costs in Australia in 2026.
| Missing line | Who does it | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Shaft, pit, openings and the engineer | Builder | $5,000 to $20,000 or more, and a hard retrofit costs several times that |
| Power to the lift and any switchboard work | Electrician | $500 to $1,000, more with a switchboard upgrade |
| Building permit and surveyor | Building surveyor | Ask before you sign |
| Making good: plaster, paint, floors | Builder | Almost never in the lift price |
| Crane or scaffold for delivery | Builder or lift company | Agree who pays before you sign |
| GST, when the quote says plus GST | Added to the lift price | Get GST-free written on the quote if you qualify |
| Servicing after the first year | Lift company | $325 to $1,500 a year |
Add these up before you compare anything. A low lift price that leaves out the shaft can cost you more than a higher one that includes it. In our worked example a two-level lift comes to about $65,000 once the building and electrical work are in, and the full cost breakdown shows every line.
Which eight lines should every quote answer in writing?
This is the fastest test we know. Tick a line only when the quote answers it in writing, and treat every blank as a question to ask before you sign. Take it to every company you talk to, us included.
- 1
Building work
Ask: "What does my builder have to do, and to which drawing?"
- 2
Electrical work
Ask: "What circuit, isolator and switchboard work does the lift need?"
- 3
Permit and engineer
Ask: "Who gets the building permit, and who pays the engineer?"
- 4
Plus GST or not
Ask: "Is this price plus GST? If I qualify for GST-free, is that written here?"
- 5
Crane or scaffold
Ask: "Who books and pays for getting the lift into the house?"
- 6
Servicing after year one
Ask: "What does servicing cost each year, and what does a visit include?"
- 7
If the site isn't as drawn
Ask: "If the shaft and the lift don't match, who pays to fix it?"
- 8
Expected lead time
Ask: "When will it be made, and how will you keep me updated?"
How do you compare three quotes side by side?
Put every quote on the same 20 lines. Where a quote doesn't say, write "not stated" and ask them. The company that answers the most lines in writing has told you the most about your job. The free guide has this as a worksheet with a column for each quote.
- Company and model; who makes it, imports it and installs it
- Price installed and commissioned; plus GST or including it
- What the price includes, as a list
- What it leaves out: building, electrical, permit, making good
- Levels, travel, rated load, cabin inside size
- Pit, headroom and shaft size on their drawing, with its date
- Power needed, and the phone type
- In a power cut: what happens, and how long the battery lasts
- Expected lead time, and how they keep you updated
- Days on site; floor and dust protection
- Warranty years for structure, parts and labour; what voids it
- Servicing: how often, the yearly price, what a visit includes
- Call-out fee, and a response time in writing
- Their own technicians or a contractor; where parts are held
- If the company closes: can others service it, are the parts generic
- Payment stages; deposit size; what protects the deposit
- The AS 1735 part the design is verified to
- Documents at handover; an owner you can phone
- Ten-year total: the lift, the building work and servicing
- Your score out of 10, and why
Who does what on a home lift job?
Lift companies aren't builders, so every job below needs a name against it in your contracts. Unless a contract says otherwise, the lift company answers for the lift, the builder for the building, and you hold the permits and the insurance.
| Job | Usually | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Measure and installation drawings | Lift company | A drawing first, then a measure of the built shaft before the lift is made |
| Building permit for the shaft | Building surveyor | Ask for a pit inspection before any concrete is poured |
| Engineering: openings, pit floor, rail wall | The project's engineer | To the lift maker's loads, before the slab is designed |
| Shaft, pit, waterproofing, openings | Builder | To the lift drawing and its tolerances |
| Circuit, isolator, switchboard work | Electrician | Up to the isolator; the lift company wires from there. You get a Certificate of Electrical Safety |
| Phone line or SIM for the cabin | Often you | Ask who pays the ongoing cost |
| Delivery, install and commissioning | Lift company | About a week to four weeks on site, once the site is ready |
| Making good: plaster, paint, floors | Builder | Almost never in the lift price |
| Final inspection and certificate | Building surveyor | It closes the building permit. Keep it |
| Servicing and the service record | Lift company | Usually yearly. Keep the record with the house |
On an architect-led job, the architect coordinates the drawings, permit and engineering.
Where do the surprise costs come from?
Jobs slip at the handover from one trade to the next. One owner paid $8,700 in rework when the lift that arrived didn't match the contract. These are the handovers that go wrong:
- A shaft built out of tolerance
- A pit too shallow for the floor finish
- A drawing changed after the slab was poured
- A lift that turns up months after lock-up
So ask one question before anyone starts: if the shaft and the lift don't match, who pays to fix it? Get the answer in the contract. And get your builder to price the shaft before you sign for any lift.
Walk away if you hear
- A firm price before anyone has measured your home
- Nobody can tell you what servicing costs after the first year
- GST-free promised, but not written on the quote
- Vague answers about what your builder has to do
What does Rise Lifts put in writing?
One visit, then a written lift plan with a fixed price for everything we do, and a list of what your builder and electrician need to do. We answer every one of the 20 lines above in writing before you sign. If another company's quote answers more of them than ours, tell us and we'll fix ours.
Our price and what it includes are 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 quote questions
What is usually not included in a home lift quote?
The shaft, pit and openings (your builder), power to the lift (your electrician), the building permit and surveyor, making good the plaster, paint and floors, crane or scaffold, and GST when the quote says plus GST. Servicing after the first year is usually priced separately too. Only 6 of the 72 supplier documents we read said what their price left out.
Why do home lift quotes vary so much?
Because they price different jobs. The same two-stop lift showed up in published Australian prices anywhere from $19,000 to $70,000, depending on what was in the price. Put every quote on the same lines before you compare the totals.
Does a residential lift quote include the shaft?
Usually not. Your builder builds the shaft, pit and openings, and that typically costs $5,000 to $20,000 or more, with a hard retrofit costing several times that. Get your builder to price the shaft before you sign for any lift. A glass tower carries its own rails and needs less building work.
Is GST included in a home elevator quote?
Lifts are usually quoted plus GST. Most lift companies take the GST off when the lift is for someone with a disability or a medical condition and you give them a letter from your doctor, and NDIS-funded lifts can be GST-free too. Get GST-free written on the quote, and check the contract doesn't let them add it back later.
Who pays if the shaft and the lift don't match?
Whoever your contracts say, so make sure they say it before anyone starts. One owner paid $8,700 in rework when the lift that arrived didn't match the contract. Ask each company to measure the built shaft before the lift is made, and to confirm in writing that the lift will be made to it.
How do I compare home lift quotes?
Put each one on the same 20 lines: what's in, what's out, the drawing, power, warranty, servicing, call-outs, payments and a ten-year total. Where a quote doesn't say, write not stated and ask. The company that answers the most lines in writing has told you the most about your job.
What does a Rise Lifts quote include?
After one visit 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. Our price and what it includes are on the RISE 300 Series page.
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.
- How is a home lift installed? Every step, who does it, how long it usually takes, and the sign-offs.
- 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 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, tax or financial advice. Prices change, and every lift has to be measured for its own site.
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