Accessibility installation and service across Kirkland — the lake-slope homes in Houghton and Juanita, the older stock on Rose Hill, and the tall new builds infilling everywhere between.
Kirkland runs downhill to the lake, and that shapes almost every accessibility conversation we have here. Homes in Houghton and along the Juanita shoreline frequently have their parking above and their living space below, or the reverse — which means the level change starts before you reach the front door.
The other half of Kirkland is the infill: narrow, tall new construction replacing older single-story homes, often three levels on a small footprint. Those are strong candidates for a residential elevator precisely because there’s no room to spread out horizontally. Outside Seattle city limits the elevator permit itself comes from Washington State L&I rather than the city, while the city issues the building permit. We handle both.
Kirkland rarely gives you a simple two-story with a straight staircase. We plan around what’s actually there.
Yes, and it’s one of the most common requests we get here. Depending on the rise and the space available, that’s either an outdoor stairlift or, for a longer run on a real slope, an inclined tram. Both are weather-rated for the Puget Sound climate.
Usually. A pneumatic vacuum elevator has a compact, self-supporting footprint and needs no separate machine room, which makes it well suited to exactly this kind of house. Our pneumatic vacuum elevator page covers the space requirements.
Washington State L&I issues the elevator permit; the City of Kirkland issues the building permit for the associated construction. We handle both as part of the project.
Typically several weeks from permit to commissioning, with the variables being permitting turnaround and how much structural work the house needs. Our installation timeline guide breaks the stages down.
Tell us what the level change is — inside or outside — and we’ll tell you the realistic options for your house.
