We are supporters of Foundations, the National Body for Home Improvement Agencies in England. Their website is a leading resource for Disabled Facilities Grants and has published our guide: “Stiltz Homelifts: making caseloads easier for Grant and Technical Officers”. This information outlines why our homelifts and holistic services support housing professionals responsible for specifying access adaptations in the community. It also explores factors that benefit tenants and residents so they can move safely between floors and live more independently without the need for care intervention. A copy of the guide to Disabled Facilities Grants is here:
Stiltz Homelifts: making caseloads easier for Grant and Technical Officers
Stiltz is a committed supporter of Foundations and endeavours to support all professionals responsible for improving housing. As a specialist manufacturer whose homelifts are designed specifically for the domestic environment, the business successfully works with Home Improvement Agencies to ensure vulnerable clients can remain safe in their homes whilst benefiting from purposeful living.
Helping to achieve sustainable accessibility for residents is fundamental to Stiltz. However, supporting Grant and Technical officers is equally key. Stiltz understands the pressures of current workloads and hence has provided information below that highlights why its versatile homelifts and dependable services facilitate easier implementation. Overall, there are clear benefits to both household members and those responsible for specification.
Long term value
Stiltz Homelifts are engineered to last. Their quality and reliability ensures the inconvenience of breakdowns can be minimised. As a proven solution to the accessible housing crisis, homelifts provide a cost-effective option that remains suitable for residents even if mobility needs change, unlike a stairlift. Stiltz strives to meet all budgets with a considered approach to financial constraints and maintenance warranties can be extended up to 10 years if needed.
Ease of installation
It is essential that home adaptation equipment is supported by efficient installation and maintenance. Stiltz provides a clear advantage to technical officers as its homelifts can be fitted quickly and are supported by a dedicated nationwide team of in-house surveyors, technical surveyors, installers and service engineers. With one Project Coordinator as point of contact for all project stages, there is no need to manage multiple trade suppliers, thus reducing stress and opportunities for errors and misunderstandings.
Once a ceiling/floor aperture has been created by Stiltz own building teams, a homelift can be installed in as little as a day with minimal disruption to residents and tenants. Each homelift is delivered pre-assembled with only two vertical rails needing to be adapted on site. These rails, which facilitate lift car movement, are self-supporting so it is rare for complex building adaptations to be required. The simplicity of this process is reflected in a straightforward electrical connection – Stiltz Homelifts operate from a standard 240v domestic wall socket.
A proven Disabled Facilities Grant track record
Stiltz fulfils Disabled Facilities Grant homelift installations on a daily basis. The company has comprehensive experience of the provision process and represents excellent long term equipment value for local authorities. Stiltz is committed to supporting a streamlined approval process and reducing challenges for all professionals involved with the Disabled Facilities Grant application form process. To enhance this, Stiltz provides a range of informative material and guidance within its Healthcare website ‘Pro-portal’ which is freely available to Grant Officers and Occupational Therapists. Residents and tenants also have access to consumer versions of these online resources.
Safety
Eliminating risk is a must when specifying home adaptations. Equipment must be fit for purpose, and ideally excel in performance. Stiltz Homelifts represent a choice that is proven to provide peace of mind through dependable operation and multiple safety features. These design elements include:
- Door Light Curtain – lift travel in a Stiltz Homelift will cease immediately if the light curtain is breached without waiting for entrapment to occur. This unique safety measure provides a robust and reassuring emergency stopping device.
- Car Sensors – sensitive microswitches on the top and bottom of a homelift detect any contact with external immovable objects. Lift travel will immediately stop. This includes passage through the floor aperture lid.
- Winding Mechanism Safety Features – Stiltz Homelifts have fall arrest detection within the drum. This means if a homelift were to suddenly accelerate, an automatically applied brake would safely bring the lift to a gradual stop. Sensors are also in place to monitor balance and detect lift overload.
- Lift Car Autolock – a homelift door locks automatically and only auto-unlocks on reaching its final position. It will not open during travel.
- Specialist Protection – customized features and tailored options, such as safety padding, are available to meet specific user needs and enhance personal safety within the homelift.
- Accreditations – Homelifts from Stiltz are fully compliant with all fire safety regulations. The company is certified to BS EN ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001: 2018 and BS EN ISO 14001:2005 as well as the European Machinery Directive.
Saving time
Stiltz supports smart working with a 360-degree service that covers all aspects of homelift provision. Its holistic team will manage projects from concept to completion, so HIA and Local Authority resources are not drained. Management costs are kept to a minimum with Stiltz handling all aspects of planning, building regulations and control, pre-enablement works, install, safety commissioning, repairs and servicing. Grant and Technical Officers also have 24/7 access to specification material hosted in the Stiltz Healthcare Pro-portal. The option to choose video meetings can reduce the need for physical site visits along with speeding up any snagging sign off.
Neighbour friendly
When specifying home adaptations for clients, their needs are the priority. However, it is wise to consider neighbours and how such additions may affect them. Traditional hydraulic lifts are renowned for producing noise and vibration which can cause a nuisance, especially against a party wall. Whereas electrically powered homelifts, such as those from Stiltz, operate smoothly via an exceptionally quiet motor.
Self-supporting
By choosing Stiltz for homelift provision, complex structural issues can be avoided which are commonplace with traditional through-floor and shaft-based lifts. Stiltz solutions are specifically designed for home use, they are not commercial lifts that have been adapted inappropriately. Lift cars travel on two self-supporting rails which means no significant structural modifications are required – resulting in the integrity of a building remaining untouched. This has several advantages including:
- Highly flexible positioning
- Fast installation
- No party wall issues
- Property resale value is maintained/increased
For further details contact us.