00:00:00:00 - 00:00:17:02 Unknown whether someone's just trying to show off what the luxury elevator, still have the conversation about every layer of disability, that someday, if that were happened to you or a family member, you have this, you know, equipment that can allow you to live in your home independently as long as 00:00:17:02 - 00:00:42:03 Unknown you can. So it's it's important to think about that. And then ultimately, if you give the customer that information, then you can start getting to budget discussions, like you said earlier about like the two elevator that's wheelchair size jumps. The cost of tremendously. Lee. But if you don't even have that conversation, you know, when someone makes this investment and then finds out afterwards that, I mean, I could have spent 10,000 more and gotten that, I would have done it. 00:00:42:03 - 00:00:54:11 Unknown Exactly. So that's that's where it's on us, you know, the elevator company to give that level of detail and to paint that picture. So the customers can ultimately make the best choice for, for this investment. 00:01:08:22 - 00:01:25:12 Unknown Hey, everybody, welcome back to the Your Project Shepherd podcast. I am your host, Curtis Lawson. And, we're gonna be talking today about home elevators. And joining me to do that, I have, Derek Shepherd power and Andrew Fisher, both with home elevators of Texas. Hey, guys. Welcome here. 00:01:25:17 - 00:01:43:19 Unknown Appreciate it. Thank you. Thanks for thanks for joining us. I've been, wanting to talk about elevators for for quite some time now, and, it's something that, you know, we've been seeing more and more demand for. And we have a lot of customers that ask about it all the time. And I think there's a lot of, mystery behind a home elevators. 00:01:43:19 - 00:02:05:09 Unknown And we're here to solve some of that today. So, let's get started. Why don't you guys both just tell us a little bit, kind of about about your what you do for him, elevators or Texas and what's your background and how you got into it. So you're going to go first? Sure. I've been with Home Elevator Texas two years and graduated Texas State in 2020 and been in construction all my life. 00:02:05:11 - 00:02:27:17 Unknown All right. And what is your what's your role with? Yeah. Yeah. Me. I'm the branch manager for Houston sales engineer. So I assist with design, a little bit of project management, and, a lot of field work mixed with office work, measuring, planning. Cool. But you. So I've, been in the home elevator now for 11.5 years. 00:02:27:17 - 00:02:50:22 Unknown First job out of college. I, went to Iowa State and did construction engineering work for general contractors throughout college and was always searching for a specialized subcontractor role of some kind. Did not know elevators would be part of that, you know, equation, especially coming from the Midwest, residential elevators were not something I grew up seeing or understood, really. 00:02:50:22 - 00:03:13:12 Unknown Right. But, yeah, the opportunity presented itself. Our owner, Dan Zimmerman, was, Iowa State alumni as well. Oh, well, at the Iowa State connection. So so tell me about the company and like, how long the company has been around and, and, a little history there. So it's actually a good way to answer that question. May 1st and our fiscal year, we're actually hitting our 40th year anniversary. 00:03:13:13 - 00:03:35:13 Unknown So we're pretty proud of that. Our owner, Dan Zimmerman, founded the company in 1985, in San Antonio and Austin. Our headquarters is in San Antonio now. And then we moved to Houston and, the 90s, and then we just expanded to Dallas, about five years ago now. So we're the first one in our industry in Texas to be physically located in all four major metros. 00:03:35:15 - 00:03:55:21 Unknown And, I assume that you or you guys are vendor for all the major elevator lift companies out there. Yeah, we are, definitely because of the relationships that, you know, go back 3 or 4 decades now, and North America has a lot of strong, elevator manufacturers within the residential and accessibility lift, demographic of the elevator world. 00:03:55:23 - 00:04:20:22 Unknown And so we are in a fortunate position where we get to kind of choose what manufacturers we prefer, you know, which ones specialize in the nuance and unique things that a customer wants. Our sales team gets a lot of good options from very good manufacturers. So cool. So, Derek, I think, the question that most people have, about elevator is, is it just price? 00:04:20:22 - 00:04:40:03 Unknown That's like the that's the first question that we always get is, you know, what does it cost to do a home elevator? And, I think it's something that's not just for the rich people anymore, I think. I think maybe back in the day, it was really seen as kind of like a very premium luxury item, but really, cost wise, has gotten to where it's within reach for a lot of people building a custom home. 00:04:40:03 - 00:05:04:22 Unknown Right? It is. It is, I mean, out of the gate. A good range to plan on is that most home elevators are going to cost between like 30,000 to 40,000 pretax. Yeah. And, it's definitely accessible to, a much wider range of people. So there's a lot of different products we can do that aren't necessarily just luxury. 00:05:04:22 - 00:05:34:06 Unknown And it's, we're finding a lot of folks are doing it to stay in their home and for, medical necessity, those things are important. And so, the manufacturers we represent, you're going to see the full range of, price points. Yeah. So, yes, I mean, 30 or 40 grand on a on a price tag is even an $800,000, but a 1 to $3 million home, you know, 30 or 40 grand is really a pretty small budget line item. 00:05:34:10 - 00:05:58:01 Unknown Exactly. Right. For most of those clients right there. Then just if somebody really wanted to go hog wild on a residential elevator, what's like the most expensive situation that you've seen? They can get up to the 150,000 and up range for a single unit. Yeah. I mean, there's there's some pretty, you know, magnificent homes that they're simply just trying to show off a little bit more than maybe what the neighbor had. 00:05:58:01 - 00:06:25:13 Unknown And. Yeah, those are fun, right? Those are the ones that, definitely take a lot of, engineering, a little bit of stress, you know, from sales project management to installers. But we, we really take pride in doing those types of units. But it does have a very big range from accessibility to luxury. And that to your point, Curtis, is what has evolved in just my 11 years is that this isn't just the rich people's game anymore. 00:06:25:13 - 00:06:46:23 Unknown Right? Which I would say when I got into the business in 2014, nine out of ten of our residential contracts were new build, custom homes. And that's dramatically shifting to remodels, both, you know, high end remodels and what Derek was alluding to, just trying to stay in this house. So we don't have to move because our main bedroom is upstairs. 00:06:46:23 - 00:07:06:12 Unknown Yeah. And that with the housing market currently, you know what it is, a lot of folks are not interested in leaving a house that they love jumping into that market because they're meeting rooms upstairs, right? Yeah. Or something that they're paying a 2% interest, 2 or 3% interest on. You know, they don't want to build a new house for 6 or 7% interest exactly these days. 00:07:06:12 - 00:07:36:20 Unknown So that's dramatically shifted since the pandemic, honestly. And it's fun to actually see the accessibility side of our business, too. I mean, the luxury home elevators, you see some just exquisite homes, you know, 20,000 to 30,000ft² and it's just fun to see projects like that. Right? But when you actually get to help someone stay in their home, it definitely has another layer of fulfillment where this business isn't just aimed towards the luxury side anymore. 00:07:36:22 - 00:08:02:02 Unknown Derek had a customer here in Houston. They've lived in River Oaks for almost 50 years, like 47 years, right? And they simply could not get up the stairs anymore. And their stairs had some unique turns in them. And built in the early 1900s. That home originally, even the stair chair was going to get up to like the $20,000 range because it had to be custom bent around this. 00:08:02:04 - 00:08:25:00 Unknown And so now at this newer through the floor elevator that's out there, a simple cut through the floor and a little bit of sheetrock and finished floor touch up. You know we get to put an elevator in their house and let them stay in that house as long as they want to. So that's that's fun to, you know, see that side of it, which wasn't there as much as it was as it is today. 00:08:25:02 - 00:08:50:03 Unknown Yeah. So so people who have immediate needs, right. That, that that's a big thing. Like people who you either they're they've aged and they just don't have the ability anymore or sometimes like a kind of a sudden onset medical condition and injury. Right. A disease, something like that, that's causing them to, to lose mobility. You know, that's that's something they're going to need that done, you know, immediately, as soon as possible. 00:08:50:03 - 00:09:07:17 Unknown Right. But yeah, there's there's definitely a lot of value. And I always tell people to, to think about what you might need if you're going to be in this house for a long time. I pick people always say, this is, this is going to be my forever home. Okay. Well, if it's going to be if it's going to be your forever home, plan for it to be that way. 00:09:07:17 - 00:09:26:08 Unknown Right. Because and we'll get into this in a minute. But the, the kind of the upfront planning required, the design work to do a future elevator is really not that much on the architectural side if you just go ahead and plan for it. Right. Exactly. Right. So just put the infrastructure in place so that it's ready for you when you when you're ready to pull the trigger on it. 00:09:26:10 - 00:09:45:12 Unknown That's exactly right. And I think in Houston specifically where you have, densely populated metro where there's a lot of townhome construction, right where they're trying to build up, not out, and stack as many units as they can there go 3 or 4 levels up. And so what we're trying to do right now is really connect with architects. 00:09:45:12 - 00:10:22:16 Unknown To your point, Curtis, that an elevator ready home isn't always elevator ready. And if they do just a few items in the design phase and in the construction phase, they already have framers on site, they already have electricians on site. So if they just prep for it accordingly and stacked closets above each other, the clients that move into that home and then have that abrupt surgery or that life, you know, situation happen where accessibility to one, two, 3 or 4 levels now, an elevator is what they're paying for, not a construction of a hoist way for an elevator. 00:10:22:18 - 00:10:39:07 Unknown And that part of it is what we're really trying to do with architects is help them plan and design, you know, for no cost. Just put this into your plans, build stack closets, and then talk to your engineer and make sure exactly it's good to go. Right. Exactly. Yeah. And it doesn't have a lot of cost at the beginning. 00:10:39:07 - 00:10:54:16 Unknown So no, it's it's it's literally like almost no more cost. Again, if you plan and start to stack your closet. So maybe go and run some electrical for it. I think that's one thing I've seen before. Where the closet. They got closets stacked up, but there's no thought of. How are you going to get some power there to it? 00:10:54:16 - 00:11:16:11 Unknown And the breaker box is on the other side of the house, and you got, you know, I-beams for, you know, for your, you know, so you can't just pull wire between the trusses really easy. So there's a little more planning that goes into it than just having the the, the, the stack configuration. But, there is the pit depression at the bottom is one that can get missed, along with the power. 00:11:16:11 - 00:11:34:04 Unknown And then one of the walls we need to attach to. So again, you're just looking at it like just a few details at the very beginning of that construction project. You know, can say that customer tens of thousands of dollars of construction work. Yeah. So and of course that stuff can always be changed later, but it's always cheaper to do it. 00:11:34:06 - 00:11:57:08 Unknown It's cheaper at the beginning. Oh, it's cheaper when the house is being if the slab is being poured in, the house is being framed cheaper to do it earlier. What is a, Derrick? Is is a is a pit still required for all elevators or are there some models where you don't have to have the pit? I mean, we do have peerless models available, and manufacturers are well aware of the need for pit lists. 00:11:57:08 - 00:12:32:01 Unknown But by and large, especially in new construction, people should plan to have a pit and that depth is typically about six inch minimum, 8 to 12 inch preferred. And it does change on some of the equipment on the elevator, for example, like the automatic doors will typically require more than a six inch depression. But it's a good idea for homeowners to just plan in general to pour some type of pit, or at least check with a few manufacturers they're looking at to, to see what they specifies. 00:12:32:01 - 00:12:50:22 Unknown The pit. You know, there's a couple that are a little less shallow, but the majority are going to be like a six inch minimum. Okay. And again, that's that's almost a zero cost item when you're pouring the slab I mean your foundation. But I might charge you a little bit to box that out. But it's, it's a couple hundred bucks, not thousands of dollars. 00:12:50:22 - 00:13:10:01 Unknown But man, if you got to go break concrete later, and, and do a pit after the fact. We actually had a job a few years ago where, it was a it was a, it was an older family member is moving in with the couple and they the only available bedroom was on the second floor. So they had to, get an elevator in. 00:13:10:01 - 00:13:25:21 Unknown And so we had to sort cut the concrete, put the pit in. But it was a post tensioned slab. So you got these cables running through everywhere. And so we had to get with the engineer and say, hey, we have to cut this cable. Let's work together and figure out how to reroute these post tension cables so that we can cut this pit in. 00:13:25:23 - 00:13:46:02 Unknown And that was a chore. You know, cutting the cables, getting the cables reattached, you know, getting the pit report and the concrete at the bottom. It added at least $10,000 for that elevator cost. Just just jacking around with the foundation. Yeah. And there's a lot of subs that won't even touch that once they hear cables like that. Curtis, it's like, find something else, right? 00:13:46:02 - 00:14:11:23 Unknown Yeah. And so to your point, that amount of work can make someone be deterred from even wanting the elevator at this point. Right. And so we understand you're going to have homes that have been built for 50 plus years. And those are different situations. But in new construction right now, why not prepared for this, even if it's I have no interest in an elevator. 00:14:11:23 - 00:14:35:18 Unknown I'm in my 20s or 30s, but there's virtually no added cost if it's just planned right at the beginning. Yeah. So even just for for resale value, I mean, certain, certain neighborhoods, certain price points of homes, it's kind of expected to at least have the preparation there in place. And so, just for resale value, if you can say, hey, this is this home is elevator ready? 00:14:35:20 - 00:14:56:23 Unknown That can be a big deal if you go to sell the home one day. And but also like, you know, culturally, like, certain cultures have more family members living with them, aging parents living with them. Definitely that. But it's also just becoming more common across all cultures, with, you know, the cost of living, the cost of housing. 00:14:56:23 - 00:15:16:22 Unknown I mean, we're seeing more and more, parents moving in with, with children in those situations. So, so even if you're 30 years old and you're building a house and you, you're like, I don't need an elevator, but, you know, think about, hey, well, your parents are in their 60s. What's going to happen with them in a few years? 00:15:17:01 - 00:15:40:11 Unknown And should you, you know, be planning for that issue? Right. What are some other, you know, aside from, aging in place and mobility issues? What are some other situations where somebody, you know, might, you know, need an elevator where it's almost required? You got any? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we're seeing a lot, especially in the coastal areas. 00:15:40:11 - 00:16:09:04 Unknown So Crystal beach, Galveston and, even Corpus Christi, Rockport and Port Aransas, you know, people want these beach homes, but they've got to be raised up, you know, significantly off the ground. So that primary level is sometimes ten plus feet off the ground. And so people are looking for that lifestyle out there, which is pretty leisurely. And so getting things up like groceries and luggage becomes a challenge. 00:16:09:04 - 00:16:39:04 Unknown Older guests again, older guest, everything. And so it's, becoming very important to plan for those, those houses to have an elevator. Some others are like, we discussed the building in the densely populated Houston areas. It's just going straight up. And so when you're talking about people wanting to access the third and fourth floor, no one wants to climb up that high. 00:16:39:04 - 00:17:16:23 Unknown So. Very important. Yeah, yeah, we, we just finished a house, in the museum district here in Houston. That was for, four levels. And our clients, shockingly, were both, like, 80 years old, and they're building a four story house. And, so for them, from the very beginning, elevator was a key part of the discussion. And they definitely put it in kind of a Cadillac, you know, steel and glass tube, you know, high end, you know, and of course, as you know, those things, the wider the bigger you get on, the more expensive they, they start to get. 00:17:16:23 - 00:17:33:07 Unknown And and this was capable of having somebody in a wheelchair with somebody in there with them going up in a glass tube. So it's a pretty big circle. And that was a pretty pricey elevator. But again, when you're 80 years old, I mean, that's a requirement. That's not even a right a nice to have. You got to have that. 00:17:33:07 - 00:17:54:14 Unknown Yeah. Yeah. We had a, customer in Dallas that was buying, a very high end home, but. Well, you made a comment about the different cultures and moving family members. There was, grandparent that was moving in with them. And part of the decision of buying and renovating this house was, can an elevator work in these existing conditions? 00:17:54:16 - 00:18:18:12 Unknown So it is a very real day to day, application for us to help people solve. And that is, you know, where's your price point? What's the need? Sometimes the wheelchair size puts you out of that price point or the physical constraints of existing conditions where you start getting into a structural beam that just makes it unattainable at that point. 00:18:18:14 - 00:18:39:07 Unknown Okay. So now let's see what other lifts in elevators that we have where maybe we can't fit a full wheelchair in there, but we can get a seat or a walker. And then you have a wheelchair that stays upstairs and stays of a transfer. Exactly. So you really get into the weeds with every customer and how to make this, you know, unique for them. 00:18:39:07 - 00:18:57:10 Unknown Right? So that by the end of it, you don't want to find a place that's maybe the cheapest place in your existing house to put the lift or the elevator, but by the time they get up stairs, they have to hike 30 40ft to get to their main bedroom and bathroom. So you have to think about it like through their lens, right? 00:18:57:12 - 00:19:20:16 Unknown What are they going to actually use this for day to day? Yeah. So we're actually going to do a whole nother episode on on planning for aging in place. But there's there's other considerations besides just how you think you get the elevator, the elevator up there, as you mentioned, it's how far away is it? But also are all the door, all the door frames between where you're coming up and where you're going? 00:19:20:16 - 00:19:37:22 Unknown Are all those door frames wide enough to fit through? Right. You know, on especially older homes, you get lot like a lot of 24, 30 inch doors. And then you get the, the, the, the doorstop on there at shrinking it down another inch sometimes. And you can't fit a chair or a walker through some of those doors. 00:19:37:22 - 00:19:54:14 Unknown So it's not just how are you going to get there, but once you're up there, how how are you getting from from point A to point B? The total destination is what you got to keep in mind the whole time. That's exactly right. Also here in Houston, you know, we, we deal with, the, the floodplain. 00:19:54:16 - 00:20:14:06 Unknown And so we have, we have a lot of elevated houses in the floodplain and by necessity. So like, we've built several where, you know, we had to go, let's say four feet to clear the floodplain. But then the clients were like, okay, since we're already going for let's just go ahead and go a, we can park a car underneath it or have some covered space under the house. 00:20:14:07 - 00:20:39:19 Unknown And then at that point we're like, okay, well, we're going eight feet and we have guests and older family members. We should do an elevator. Right. And so, this part of town that we are physically in right now has a lot of that issue going on where you've got these 5 to 8ft, 5 to 10ft elevated homes, where it's almost a requirement to so what, what kind of planning has to take place? 00:20:39:21 - 00:21:00:18 Unknown For either that type of situation where, where you're in the floodplain, where that, that might get wet at some point like that, it might get full water or as you mentioned, direct like coastal homes where that thing is probably going to get a hurricane. You're going to have waves washing under it at some point. What kind of special planning has to take place to, to prep for that? 00:21:00:20 - 00:21:22:05 Unknown Yeah. I mean, starting at the lower level. Right. The pit is a big concern because it's a depression, essentially, like a pool that can collect water if there's a way for water to get in. So, we recommend things like a sump pump or a drain pit. And then we pair that with our elevator equipment, like a float switch. 00:21:22:07 - 00:21:43:09 Unknown So that will help send the elevator up in case of water or prevent the elevator from being called dirty. So it's sensing water in the pit, and it's going to make sure it doesn't come down as long as ours are shut. And the safety sensors are, you know, all given the green light. Yeah. And another thing that's big for us is especially on the coastal homes, we can set the home for the elevator. 00:21:43:11 - 00:22:10:16 Unknown So we'll home during the install to an upper level so that when the elevator is not in use, after a preset time, it'll go up to its home level. Kind of keep it up off the ground level. Are there any special, materials also for saltwater considerations? Right. So for a coastal home, are there any, different models that are made for kind of like saltwater exposure that have like maybe more stainless steel parts and less things? 00:22:10:16 - 00:22:33:07 Unknown It'll corrode. Yeah. So that's where you start getting into kind of a conversation about is it an exterior rated unit number one. So when you have like what's called a lift or it's a actual vertical wheelchair lift that needs to be signed off by the manufacturer that this has been, you know, tested all the parts and components alike for outdoor cases. 00:22:33:09 - 00:22:50:19 Unknown Now the coast in Texas is going to throw everything at it, right, compared to other parts of United States. So we have to kind of make peace with the, you know, the between the humidity, the salt and just the wind that you can get out here, that you got to do everything you can leading into that. 00:22:50:21 - 00:23:09:21 Unknown But there are certain products that just need to be dried in and are only interior and some that are exterior. And then you're really looking at which components do we want to make sure never get wet? It's the most expensive. So like for example, the brain of the elevators, you know controller box. We're always going to put that as high as we possibly can right. 00:23:09:21 - 00:23:30:04 Unknown In Galveston. That needs to be nine feet minimum for their floodplain because like what Derek was saying, you leave this home if it's your second home, especially this is a vacation weekend home. You're not going there that weekend. Here comes the storm. You don't have to remember. Did I leave the elevator downstairs? Right. It's the elevator already ran itself upstairs. 00:23:30:04 - 00:23:46:03 Unknown I mean, if that flood does happen, there's a couple pieces of steel that are getting wet, right? You know, electrical components are getting wet. The elevator cab's not getting what you're going to be, most likely scot free. Yeah. So or any of those components going to have to be replaced because they get damaged by water in a flood. 00:23:46:05 - 00:24:12:20 Unknown It can happen. Yeah. I mean it just depends on that situation. There's, you know, wheelchair lifts that we're only traveling 4 or 5ft. And if a flood in Houston you can get over that mark depending on what part of the city you're in pretty fast. Yeah. So there's definitely some replacements that have to happen. So we're doing everything we can on the front side to make sure we've done what we can control with the manufacturer options and with our planning of like where the electrical goes. 00:24:12:22 - 00:24:38:18 Unknown Some products you get more, you know, freedom to make those choices than others. But, our wheelchair lives, for example, you can actually put the motor in the tower mast up higher instead of at the bottom. So you pay more for that. So we'll talk to some of the customers and just say, you know, for this part of Houston, I think it's worth the money because, you know, two, three, two, three feet of water, it's going to hit the base model and wipe out that motor. 00:24:38:18 - 00:25:02:19 Unknown Right now it's complete replacement. Yeah. Versus you go up to like seven eight nine feet. And now you're probably going to be okay. So I mean it's about setting expectations like Andrew said I mean we're going to be real. You know people in Houston I see almost every year firsthand what it's like when storms hit. So, oftentimes there's just no other choice but to put it in. 00:25:02:19 - 00:25:27:15 Unknown And just, hope insurance covers part of it. But yeah. Yeah, we we're we're pretty clear upfront. And most people know in the area they live how high the water gets or is expected to get. And it's just important to take all that into consideration and planning for it. Yep. So, shifting gears a little bit, what what are the different types of elevators that are available for, for home use? 00:25:27:17 - 00:25:49:11 Unknown And and what I mean is like the operational types, like, you know, I mean, the ones that we've installed have been like a, you know, the glass tube, the pneumatic elevators. I've seeing some that are like a cable chain drive, but I know in the commercial world there's all sorts of operational styles. What are the general, you know, options for residential? 00:25:49:13 - 00:26:18:15 Unknown I mean, there's there's kind of two main categories. And, maybe Andrew could think of a third, but as far as interior residential, you've kind of got your traditional enclosed shaft way or hoist way where like solid walls are built, enclosing the unit, the moving car inside versus some of the newer styles, which are what you talked about with the glass and steel tube, like a shaft or a through the floor. 00:26:18:16 - 00:26:43:10 Unknown So the shaft and through the floor don't require as much construction prep work because the elevator factory provides the enclosure for it. And, but the more traditional, you know, enclosed style that we saw for many years and still see and still do, a little bit more construction work, but it's, all kind of enclosed, tucked away and usually like a corner. 00:26:43:12 - 00:27:16:21 Unknown So big difference between those two and, now on shafts, there's a lot of different styles, squares, rectangles, circles, many different shapes versus the traditional, shaft way elevators, usually square or rectangular. They're there are most of them now like a cable driven system where there's a wine, a winding at the top. Right. So the drive system within those products that Derek's describing, the most common one right now, Curtis, is, electric gear drive. 00:27:16:23 - 00:27:36:05 Unknown So you have, like, a two horsepower motor at the top with roller chains that go through a drive box and a counterweight system. And the reason that's becoming the most popular right now is because it doesn't require a machine room space or the hydraulic. And then some drum systems, depending on your manufacturer, require that to be up in the attic. 00:27:36:07 - 00:27:57:22 Unknown Well, there's a lot of modern homes right now, right? Flat roofs. No attics. Yeah. So that drum isn't a great option. Drum at the bottom is going to require like a small compact closet. But again you're giving up what's valuable space to most people's square footage. So a machine room less elevator now is, is by far people's first choice. 00:27:57:23 - 00:28:20:22 Unknown Because you're not losing any speed. You're not losing any capacity, you're not giving up that room. So the gear drive is definitely becoming the most popular one out there. And then you'll still have hydraulic systems, right? Where people that do have space underneath their stairs do have a little closet. They can tuck away this hydraulic pump. And the hydraulic has some advantages in general. 00:28:20:22 - 00:28:47:04 Unknown I mean, it's definitely an upgraded unit. But the drum is still out there. It's becoming a little bit more obsolete and less popular. Those are the main three that have been around forever, but the gear drive is the one that's really spiked. Here. Is one of the, like, smoother in operation than the other? I mean, they're going to and most people will say that the hydraulic it's it's considered an upgrade especially price wise. 00:28:47:04 - 00:29:20:13 Unknown It's a little bit quieter and a little bit smoother. It's hard to quantify exactly how much smoother or quieter every home is a little different, but in general, most people that, are new to the elevator world are going to be just fine with an electric. You know, the the premium hydraulic system is for those folks that want to just go the extra level and kind of max out their upgrades or it's important if, someone has had a hydraulic elevator in their home before then they might notice a difference. 00:29:20:15 - 00:29:38:12 Unknown But by and large, most new folks side by side, it's going to be pretty similar. The the last pneumatic one that I did, the thing, like, shuddered a lot like it. First of all, it felt really slow, and then it felt like it kind of shuddered as it came to it, as it came to the levels. 00:29:38:12 - 00:29:58:10 Unknown And I don't know if that was a problem with the elevator, but I've heard that, that that style is sometimes not as not as smooth as some of the, the, there's, there's like a nuance, you know, between not just the manufacturers but those drive systems. Right. Which we really try to get into the weeds with those customers before they decide on one and pull the trigger. 00:29:58:12 - 00:30:21:06 Unknown You know, with the pneumatic specifically when it's installed properly in that vacuum machine is in a great location. It shouldn't have the vibrations that you're talking about. Yeah. But like anything, you know, with the application that you're in the way it was installed, if those details in our business are not followed through, you're going to have problems with elevators, right. 00:30:21:06 - 00:30:44:15 Unknown And then that leads to, you know, potentially entrapment and people getting stuck. And that can be a very, you know, overwhelming thing. So you definitely want to explain all of this in detail upfront with your customer. And in addition to what Derek was saying, just about the operation and the ride is manual lowering of a unit, you want to know how to manually lower every elevator car that you're in. 00:30:44:17 - 00:31:00:21 Unknown And for like a hydraulic that's very simple. You go up to a hydraulic pump and you you turn a knob. That's the pressure out for the gear drive in the winding drum. Usually you have to kind of get up towards the top, maybe in the attic, and maybe get on a step stool, depending how tall that elevator is. 00:31:00:23 - 00:31:22:03 Unknown So these are things you really want clients to think about when they're making their decisions. And even though the hydraulic might jump that price 5 to $10,000, do you actually imagine, you know, a family member getting up in the attic, getting on their stomach and then pulling a lever, like, you know what I mean? While someone's screaming downstairs that I'm stuck in the elevator. 00:31:22:03 - 00:31:44:12 Unknown So you really try to picture that and and make sure it's encapsulated enough that, like, they have all the information because you don't know what questions to ask for products you've never had before, right? It is literally our responsibility to make people picture all those scenarios good and bad. Yeah. Before they decide on what that's a great segue into my my next, set of questions, which is about safety, right? 00:31:44:12 - 00:32:18:12 Unknown I think, you know, some people are like, I would never get on a home elevator just doesn't it is a in my mind, it doesn't feel safe. But how? You know, how safe are residential elevators? Do people get stuck in, you know, what do they do if they get stuck? Yeah. So entrapment can happen. You've got, you know, a lot of working parts, and it can be a combination of a manufacturer part default or the application, something that triggered a safety sensor, a really common one. 00:32:18:12 - 00:32:41:03 Unknown You know, there's some elevators that have what's called a light curtain, which acts like a garage door sensor wood. And if some debris gets on that sensor, it thinks there's an object there and it'll stop the elevator. So there's sometimes the safety sensors accidentally get, you know, flipped, and it'll stop between floors. So there can be a litany of different reasons why it stops. 00:32:41:03 - 00:33:07:11 Unknown So that's why it's really important at the time. You transition from, like, the home builder finishing the project to the clients moving in, they actually understand, you know, what the error codes mean, how to get out, you know, is the phone working? A lot of folks don't want landline phones anymore. So we're trying to find new technologies to get a phone system that at least makes that elevator phone work, because every elevator is going to be fabricated with a phone. 00:33:07:13 - 00:33:30:11 Unknown So that's required in most in most cities, right. Is that you have a landline still for that reason. Right. So it's it's a code. But within Texas there's not mandatory inspections for an elevator for private residents. Houston is one of the few that has that requirement. And Houston's the only one that has an independent elevator permitting department. 00:33:30:13 - 00:33:54:10 Unknown So the City of Houston treats residential elevators similar to a commercial elevator. In a sense. You have to get it, reviewed with the shop drawings and then have a third party inspector, you know, go through and go through his checklist. And honestly, even though a lot of people, you know, don't want to go through maybe that extra layer of steps to to pass a permit and inspection, it absolutely makes a difference for not cutting corners. 00:33:54:10 - 00:34:12:14 Unknown Right. And we know that we have seen other elevators out there that we maintenance and service to. That feels like that shouldn't have been done that way. So Houston is pretty picky on their inspections too. I mean, yeah, I mean, we've had we've had inspections fail for something being off like a quarter of an inch on a threshold or, or something like that before. 00:34:12:14 - 00:34:39:13 Unknown So they're so picky on that, right? Notorious. They are now all of our elevators that we install, Houston or otherwise, any of the cities, they're all going to be to code. Right. And we do offer a third party inspection so homeowners can choose if they're not in a, inspected jurisdiction, they can choose, to have it as an additional cost, but have a third party inspector come review it. 00:34:39:15 - 00:35:07:00 Unknown Yeah. And so the issues that I've had haven't been there with the installer, but you're also relying on a lot of times your carpentry team who's putting that, that door on, who's aligning, you know, for thresholds, all that kind of stuff. Usually that's where we've seen issues is the the guy doing the finished carpentry, you know, he's not up on the elevator code so he doesn't know what has to be aligned a certain way, and the door has to not have a gap and all that kind of stuff. 00:35:07:00 - 00:35:26:01 Unknown Right. So, I assume part of what your, what you guys are doing, you're also educating the builders and educating the carpentry teams on what they need to be doing so that you guys, you're and you're inspections because they can affect you. Right? And we don't want to just send the builder and set up shop drawings and say build this box. 00:35:26:01 - 00:35:54:21 Unknown Right. If we get time with you on that jobsite and we get to show you examples of photos, talk to your framer directly, knowing that what everything that you just said is going to come into fruition at some point, because these homes, especially a custom home in Texas right now, is taking about 18 months to 20 months. So that first meeting you have after the foundation has been poured and the framers get started, there are subs that are not on that jobsite that will be later that do affect our elevator. 00:35:54:21 - 00:36:14:02 Unknown Right? And if you choose a car gate that's transparent, you're going to see the backside of that sheetrock as you go up and down that might get forgotten about. So now they're trying to paint around an elevator that is finished. So there's a lot of detail there that, you know, is on us to give to the builder and be there to talk to those other subcontractors directly. 00:36:14:02 - 00:36:44:00 Unknown Because not that other subs don't deal with that kind of transition and working with each other, but it will lead to potential entrapment. It will lead into an elevator not working when it should have. And so you're trying to narrow down what all of those possibilities can be, right from the installation and manufacturer side. That's on us. And then making sure that when finish outs happen, there is a piece of flooring or a door that can trip a safety sensor when it shouldn't. 00:36:44:02 - 00:37:00:23 Unknown And then at the last phase now we're just teaching the, the end users. Right. That you can't leave this gate open and expect the elevator to run. Right. So there's a little bit of just like a muscle memory that we have to teach them that. Shut the door. Shut the gate. You know if this code flashes, that's something simple. 00:37:00:23 - 00:37:23:21 Unknown You can fix that yourself. If this code flashes, you have to call us. This one's easy. We can talk over the phone. So it's kind of three layers to, like preventing entrapment in elevators from stopping. But the manual lowering Kurtis is probably the biggest one that just teaching clients how to do that, knowing that that circumstance is going to be pretty intense and overwhelming, right. 00:37:23:21 - 00:37:48:04 Unknown If they're if their spouse is yelling out there that they're stuck and, you know, it's intense, you're going to find out if you have any sort of claustrophobic, inside of you or not. Right. But if you are trained ahead of time, it can be a very simple process, you know, and we designed this so that you don't have to call 911, because when the fire department gets there, they're breaking doors down. 00:37:48:04 - 00:38:11:02 Unknown They're not worrying about saving you money, Curtis. They're worrying about getting your family out. Right. So, it's important to, to get that level of intimacy. And it's kind of hard right now because we work with builders directly so much. By the time we finish our elevators, some of these homes might be another 4 or 5, six months before the clients move in, or it's a second or third home for them. 00:38:11:06 - 00:38:44:18 Unknown Right? So like actually getting you don't get that training face to face with them. Yeah that's tough I think builders need to to to treat you guys. It's almost like you're you're not just a sub who's there one time doing a task, you know, and not coming back like you're, you're someone who needs to be a part of the process really early on during the design, framing, you know, I mean, like multiple checkpoints during the job before you ever even actually install anything because you're on on anything from mostly until the very end. 00:38:44:18 - 00:39:20:21 Unknown Right. But you but yet you need to be a part of the process the whole time. That's exactly right. That's perfectly worded because there's just too many details that are not on those sharp drawings. Right? Those things aren't going to speak to us. So that's where having a conversation and having, you know, I love it when builders have like 4 or 5 questions, they ask us back, because they're engaged, they're actually into the details, and we can show photos of previous examples and there's just such a night and day difference from the builders that we, you know, contract with, and we meet with their framers, but they can't make it. 00:39:20:23 - 00:39:40:09 Unknown And there's always just 1 or 2 things that they didn't catch. Right. And there's just too much to see on a set of sharp drawings that it really does take, you know, a level of intimacy that. So everyone's on the same page. So yeah, you mentioned the finish out on on seeing the backside of the drywall on the shaft. 00:39:40:09 - 00:39:56:20 Unknown I don't know how many elevators I've been on where probably no one ever thought about what that's going to look like as you're as you're going up between the floors and you're seeing, yeah, you know, exposed wood, you're seeing unfinished drywall, you're seeing all this stuff and you're like, man, these guys did not plan this out very well. 00:39:56:22 - 00:40:16:05 Unknown So yeah it's, it's that that goes back even to the design and kind of a selection of the product too. It's like do you want that clear plastic door that you're going to see through. Or do you want that to be solid or is it that's part of the kind of the design decisions. And in fairness to the builder, you know, they might not be at that color selection meeting. 00:40:16:05 - 00:40:35:07 Unknown You can get started under contract and not know that level of detail on like color selections. Or there's a lot of elevator gates that are not transparent. And if this builder is only had, you know, 4 or 5 in the past and none of them had transparent gates, it's on us, right, to tell them like, hey, this one you're going to see a lot. 00:40:35:09 - 00:40:53:23 Unknown And get with the clients about what they want to look at. Right. And then even when they're making those color selections you know Derek is having those conversations with the customer looking at like a scissor style gate versus accordion style gate versus sliding panels. Number one, do you want to see movement so you maybe feel less claustrophobic. 00:40:54:01 - 00:41:16:03 Unknown But some clients maybe just don't want to see maybe how dirty that wall is, right? Like so. You get a wide range of preference and we just give you the information and then let you make the best decision for you. So it's kind of stay on safety. What happens like when, like when your power goes out and like, let's say you're in the middle between floors and the power goes out in the home. 00:41:16:03 - 00:41:37:21 Unknown Is there any kind of is there any kind of temporary battery backup that'll get you to a floor, or does it just stop? I don't know, how does that rule? Yeah. Good question. Very common question. And the answer is all of our elevators that we sell will have a battery backup on it. So most of them will kick in automatically and, will be enough to get you down and out. 00:41:37:23 - 00:42:00:20 Unknown So they're not necessarily the battery backups, not necessarily enough to like, keep running it, you know, two, three times or the rest of the day, but enough to get you down, get you out and, and keep you safe when that happens. Because it does happen. Now, one thing that we love to hear is that a lot of folks are doing the backup generators, whole home generators. 00:42:00:22 - 00:42:22:00 Unknown And, those can absolutely work in conjunction with the elevator and are a great solution when you're in a city like this, especially. Yeah, more power outages are a concern. What are the electrical requirements typically like like how many how many amps is that? Is it a 122 to 240. What is it. Yeah. Most are going to be a 220 plus a 120. 00:42:22:00 - 00:42:44:07 Unknown Some of them are only requiring a 120. But in general, most traditional shaft way residential elevators are going to be like a, a 222, 30 on a 30 or 20 amp and then a 120, usually a 15 amp for your lighting supply. Okay. That will really very courteous when you get into the selection process of the type of elevator you want. 00:42:44:07 - 00:43:07:01 Unknown So like the constant pressure hold to run lifts and elevators, they are not going very fast, right? They're legal by code to not have walls around them because they have safety sensors above and below, but they also go relatively slow. So if you're only, you know, going 12 to 15ft per minute, you can do that on a 110 dedicated circuit. 00:43:07:03 - 00:43:29:06 Unknown But when you get to the maximum 40ft per minute, which is the, you know, code maximum for residential automatic elevators, you're going to have to have a two 30 volt in 20 amp typically. Okay. So that's the consideration. Again when you're planning for something in the future is that you have capacity in your panel to add that in the future without having to bring in a whole separate sub panel that jacks your cost. 00:43:29:07 - 00:43:47:02 Unknown Exactly. Or if you want to back it up on your on your on your generator, or you're planning for that capacity on right on your generator as well. Right? So a lot of planning that goes into it that people don't always think about. Right. I had a couple other, little or one of the other question that I've made a note on. 00:43:47:04 - 00:44:06:01 Unknown And I think this is like everybody's fear because I've seen it in a movie. Right. It's like the the elevator plummets down, you know, like freefall, death drop. Right? Yeah. That's probably not like a realistic situation as or are there some safety mechanisms that would stop that from happening? Yeah. There is. That should not ever happen in today's world. 00:44:06:03 - 00:44:36:03 Unknown I have seen some kind of do it yourself elevators over the years where people just kind of made something and we walk away and say, you know, good luck. But every manufacturer in today's world, regardless of lift or elevator, you know, automatic, constant pressure, there's safety brakes, you know, there's there's a lot of, codes that require these manufacturers, regardless of jurisdiction, needing inspections or not. 00:44:36:05 - 00:44:58:08 Unknown Like Derek said earlier, we are installing every elevator in lift like it's being inspected. So that fear is not something, that should ever happen outside the movies, you know? So, if it does, you know, God help you. And I'm not sure who installed it, but, yeah, not something that's very realistic anymore. So that's good for me. 00:44:58:11 - 00:45:24:04 Unknown Makes me feel better. Yeah. So you you touched on appearance a second ago. We talked about, you know, the door types. There's a lot of different appearance and finish options out there these days. They don't have to look like a commercial elevator. They could be really nicely finished out, like, like luxurious. Right? So, I know that we've done somewhere where it kind of gets ordered from the factory is kind of really unfinished. 00:45:24:04 - 00:45:48:08 Unknown Almost. And then we have our carpenters go in and finish out the walls with paneling and all kinds of stuff, just like it's part of their, their hallway or their kitchen or whatever. It's the the same look and feel feels the house. Right. So, I assume that there's, there's obviously that option where I, as the builder, finish it out, but then I assume that we can also order them from the manufacturers with a variety of finish styles. 00:45:48:08 - 00:46:15:06 Unknown Right? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, most folks that we install new elevators for do want it to match the house and want their trim. Carpenters and painters to trim it up, finish it out. But each elevator manufacturer, you know, they will offer different interior upgrades or, finish out options from the factory. It's, very different and there's a lot of different levels to it. 00:46:15:08 - 00:46:46:08 Unknown So there's things as simple as like metal fixture upgrades or changing the wood species. But we've got a few manufacturers who offer like complete, finish out packages. A couple of them, such as like Symmetry Elevator offer their Asterix package, which is just, like a turnkey, ultramodern finish out. And so once installed, there's nothing required from the contractors or, carpenters, anything like that. 00:46:46:10 - 00:47:07:23 Unknown And some people prefer it. It's just really up to, the designer and the homeowner trying to see which direction they want to go. Some folks do want it as a blank canvas. Others prefer just a factory complete, product that they don't have to modify. So do you want it to look like a, like a commercial elevator, like you're in an office building or a hotel? 00:47:07:23 - 00:47:24:20 Unknown Or do you want to look like part of the rest of your home? Right. And I'll usually start that conversation with customers, Curtis, about, are you trying to hide this and blended in with the rest of the home and make it look like just a regular closet door? And then, oh, actually, there's an elevator there? Or do you want to kind of show this off? 00:47:24:20 - 00:48:01:12 Unknown Right? Like start with that simple decision. And what's fun right now is the industry is really starting to change. There's so much growth in this industry that European manufacturers and North American manufacturers are just all starting to add more unique items that make it more fun, because I would say, especially when I first started, what you described earlier was 8 or 9 out of ten of our elevators was kind of an unfinished wood box that we let your carpenters add trim and paneling to, and your painters do stain or paint, and part of that was it's just cheaper because you already have the subs there. 00:48:01:12 - 00:48:17:16 Unknown And for the factory to slow down and do that kind of customization, it's 3 or 4 times what you would do it for, right? And then then that stain will never match perfectly like the cabinets down the hallway. So that still is a factor. It just gets into that conversation of what do you want this to feel like? 00:48:17:17 - 00:48:38:01 Unknown And like what Derek said, the symmetry asterix that just came out, this past year has led ribbons embedded into the cab. Oh, well, so just one little detail, right? That that no one else has right now in the industry that it could just be something the customer says, yeah, I want something unique. So yeah, as far as the doors go, I mean, again, it can look like just like a closet door. 00:48:38:01 - 00:48:59:07 Unknown The same if in fact it's the exact same door everywhere else in the house, albeit with some safety features. Right. But, then I've had customers that have requested I want the, the, the automatic sliding door. The term is, you know, those sectional sliding doors just like a commercial elevator. They want that kind of like, sleek commercial look. 00:48:59:09 - 00:49:22:09 Unknown Just having that at a at a lot of cost versus just the regular wooden swing door. They sure do. I mean, to be totally honest there. One of the costliest upgrades you can do, but functionally one of the best, especially for medical necessity folks. But they are very different than the typical interior swing doors and that they're fully automatic. 00:49:22:11 - 00:49:41:14 Unknown So there's no, manual operation involved. And, that's very attractive for a lot of people. So if there's somebody that's in a wheelchair, they're not having to open one door, pull aside, you know, either, a curtain or, accordion style thing there. Just you just push a button and go down. Right? That's exactly right. 00:49:41:15 - 00:50:15:02 Unknown No, that was a good answer, Derek, because it gets back into that functional for accessibility purpose or just esthetically preference. And the automatic sliding doors can start off as just like a cosmetic discussion. But if you do have someone that's already in a wheelchair and what we try to start that conversation with, with Grace is that most people get an elevator that are not yet in that in a wheelchair or in that situation where they're still walking or in a walker. 00:50:15:04 - 00:50:39:09 Unknown But if you're going to make this investment into your home, plan for it to be as conducive for a wheelchair as possible, right? And if you can afford automatic sliding doors, that is a game changer. Or for person that is maybe someday living by themselves and they want to have independent access in their home forever. The swing door turning around, pivoting, right? 00:50:39:09 - 00:51:04:04 Unknown I mean, yeah, like multiple movements or exactly to even enter it. Exactly. It's not as simple as will my wheelchair fit through the entrance. But actually put masking tape on the floor and try to turn your wheelchair within that space and make them feel is this doable. Right. Because like what worse feeling than to have someone spend this kind of money and make this investment invest in their home. 00:51:04:06 - 00:51:19:15 Unknown And then they get into a wheelchair situation and the one person or family actually can't use it the way they wanted to like that is that is what we are trying to avoid at all costs. I'd rather not sell the job, honestly. So it's really eye opening as as somebody who's, you know, able bodied and not able to do that. 00:51:19:15 - 00:51:41:08 Unknown Right. Like it's really eye opening trying to do that. I took a, a, universal design class a few years ago where we talked about planning for this kind of thing, and they they said, okay, if the entire class is going to be in a wheelchair, all day today, and we had to do everything, you know, sit in class, go to the bathroom, go eat lunch, everything all day. 00:51:41:10 - 00:52:04:07 Unknown And it was really eye opening to try to do just typical tasks that we that we take for granted, like trying to open a door and go through a door. So yeah, I can imagine you're trying to get into an elevator. You've got to go up to the door, open it back up, pull the one aside, close the outer door, closed the door. 00:52:04:07 - 00:52:44:08 Unknown It's like six steps required before you can even even start moving. Right? Exactly right. And the exercise that you did is, you know, first of all, it's an awesome thing for people to do, you know, just trying to create a more inclusive world through accessibility. You know, half of our business is actually commercial lifts. And so we are always thinking about it through that lens, whether someone's just trying to show off what the luxury elevator, still have the conversation about every layer of disability, that someday, if that were happened to you or a family member, you have this, you know, equipment that can allow you to live in your home independently as long as 00:52:44:08 - 00:53:09:09 Unknown you can. So it's it's important to think about that. And then ultimately, if you give the customer that information, then you can start getting to budget discussions, like you said earlier about like the two elevator that's wheelchair size jumps. The cost of tremendously. Lee. But if you don't even have that conversation, you know, when someone makes this investment and then finds out afterwards that, I mean, I could have spent 10,000 more and gotten that, I would have done it. 00:53:09:09 - 00:53:38:16 Unknown Exactly. So that's that's where it's on us, you know, the elevator company to give that level of detail and to paint that picture. So the customers can ultimately make the best choice for, for this investment. So, yeah. So I guess the last thing I wanted to touch on and we, we hit on it just a little bit a while ago, I wanted to talk about retrofitting into existing homes, because most of what we talked about is kind of geared toward new construction. 00:53:38:18 - 00:53:59:23 Unknown So obviously we can retrofit into older homes. It's more it's more work, right? If if they weren't set up for it, what what are some of the considerations and limitations, like if somebody called you and said, hey, I've got a 1970s two story home, I want an elevator. What are some of the limitations that that are there and what things should they be considering? 00:54:00:01 - 00:54:31:19 Unknown Yeah, I mean, some of those considerations are shared with any remodel project. Right. So the existing structure, especially like mechanical components, when we're talking about modifying floor systems going up through a floor, you know, we have to look at what plumbing, electrical H vac is in the walls currently and so on. Some of the older homes, like, for example, this river Oaks home, we talked about had not been to wiring that we found as soon as we got into the construction. 00:54:31:19 - 00:54:51:02 Unknown So things like that important to consider, like the age of the structure. What could be behind the walls that we don't know about and, the space within the home. So does it make sense to just put it in the middle of a living room, or should it be tucked away in a closet? Well, does that closet have enough space? 00:54:51:03 - 00:55:15:17 Unknown It's definitely a balance in old homes, and there's certain sacrifices you have to make to provide accessibility through an elevator. So it's something we look at and try to help the customer understand from like past projects. Okay, we did X, Y, and Z and here's what we found. So, you know, we base our recommendations off experience. We've seen a lot of homes. 00:55:15:21 - 00:55:43:16 Unknown We've been in the industry a long time. And we just try to help the customer understand where the best locations are and then, juggle their expectations with, you know, reality. What's the minimum footprint that you would need, for a retrofit situation? Well, it's different for every product. Very different. But in general, for like a shaft way elevator. 00:55:43:18 - 00:56:12:16 Unknown A good minimum size is around like a 50 by 50. So some manufacturers are able to fabricate the equipment smaller than that size. But, in general, we try to recommend to go as large as possible, up to about like a five foot by five foot interior finished size. And so each project's different. And so we'll take the space available and just try to, look at which products can fit there. 00:56:12:18 - 00:56:31:17 Unknown Yeah. And just to clarify, the Derrick's talking about the footprint of the walls that you, the builder, would build, right? The shaft way for a shaft for elevator. And so if it's four feet inside wall by four feet inside walls, that's a pretty small space. It's pretty much one person or two people that are very good friends that are going to share that elevator. 00:56:31:17 - 00:56:51:18 Unknown Right? Where if you get to that five feet by five feet perimeter, that is going to be a much more cozy elevator conducive for a wheelchair. What's important for a customer to know is, are you dealing with the manufacturer that has a customizable platform for no extra cost? Because that is like the builder's best friend, right? Especially in a remodel application. 00:56:51:20 - 00:57:12:17 Unknown Oops. There's a beam right here. There's piping right here that we don't want to touch. Can we just shift it this way or narrow this down? We started with the plan of five feet by five feet for the shaft way footprint. It's actually going to end up being 54in wide and 59in long. Great. We're going to make this big as possible elevator wise to the space that you build. 00:57:12:19 - 00:57:39:06 Unknown But what's really changing, Curtis, is the remodel. Home construction is just so popular right now since the pandemic. You know, going back to the conversation about the housing market, we are seeing our industry change because of it. There are European manufacturers that I never would have thought would have been in America, where you literally cut a hole through a floor in this lift that looks like like a kind of like a phone box. 00:57:39:11 - 00:58:18:12 Unknown It goes up and down and there's no walls around it. And so there's been a transition over the last 6 or 7 years of meeting the American codes, which are quite a bit more strict in Europe, Asia and South America. And it's really changed the ability for homeowners. Going back to our first conversation about this isn't just a luxury rich demographic item anymore, that we can cut a hole through a floor system, just do a little bit of reframing sheetrock, a 110 outlet, and that can be done sometimes under 10,000 for construction cost. 00:58:18:14 - 00:58:42:19 Unknown So now this whole project remodel, you know, can be under 40,000 where a shaft way being constructed in your home. Some people get lucky and have a closet and it wasn't being used. Right. Some people have this atrium space that they can build walls and not have to go through structural, Hvac, mechanical. But for a lot of folks, that discussion quickly turns into like an addition on the outside of your home. 00:58:42:23 - 00:59:10:01 Unknown Yeah, now you have HOA. Now you have, you know, getting the facade to match those building lions. Exactly. So now you're in a hundred thousand and up right out of the starting blocks. Yeah. So it's really changed our industry quite a bit, where the different styles of constant pressure shuffles through the floor elevators can be much more marketable, all under a budget that includes a lot more people now. 00:59:10:03 - 00:59:33:15 Unknown And so that part of it's fun for the business that we actually get to really help people stay in their homes, because that's usually not a luxury situation. Right? That's, how do we help this couple finish their lives out in their home, right? Yeah. So that's the goal. Is another trivia the answer to this. Is there ever any, insurance assistance for medical needs? 00:59:33:15 - 01:00:01:02 Unknown So if somebody is like, hey, I have this accident. I'm no, you know, chair bound. I know some medical products. Insurance will contribute to that. Some home improvements, even. Does that apply to elevators? It can. The insurance game is tough, you know, no shock to anyone here, but the insurance companies are not trying to add this to their repertoire. 01:00:01:02 - 01:00:25:06 Unknown Right? So unfortunately and sometimes unfairly, you know, we tell them, go to your insurance and, and see what they say. But it's pretty rare. We do work with the VA on occasion. We do, ceiling patient lifts that you see in, like, rooms for kids with special needs or really severely disabled individuals. We do those accessibility ceiling lifts as well. 01:00:25:07 - 01:00:50:00 Unknown Occasionally those get some assistance, but even that's pretty rare. So what we do encourage people to take advantage of is the state of Texas allows a sales tax exemption. If you provide the elevator company a doctor's prescription, which is a simple one sentence, two sentence note that says this person could use physical assistance to get upstairs. Right. 01:00:50:00 - 01:01:07:18 Unknown And as long as that is a primary member of that household, that's all that matters. You send that to us and you know the elevator costs 30 or 40 or 50 grand. That just saved you a thousand bucks. Exactly. So that least helps. But unfortunately it's not as much as we'd like to see from the insurance companies. Okay. 01:01:07:18 - 01:01:28:10 Unknown So. Well, good to know. That's that's a shame. But it is not it definitely is not too surprising. It's about gauging expectations but not surprising. Yeah, probably. Also probably somewhere more elevators if Yeah it would if that was available. So yeah. Well, I think that's about all I had for you guys today. Any any last words from you guys about what? 01:01:28:12 - 01:01:55:22 Unknown You know, any takeaways from you about what people should be considering when it comes to adding an elevator? Yeah. Just get us involved early. Is the biggest thing. We're here to help. We deal with the range of folks, from homeowners to remodel contractors, luxury builders, and everybody in between. So it's just important to think about what they're looking for in an elevator and understanding the requirements for it. 01:01:56:03 - 01:02:21:20 Unknown From the beginning, because it's very costly and sometimes impossible to change to get what you want after the fact. Yeah, yeah. And I would just add, just do your homework when you meet with your elevator company about the manufacturers they represent and how local that company really is, because something that we do see quite commonly is someone will come with this very lowball offer that like no one else can touch. 01:02:21:21 - 01:02:43:14 Unknown But they didn't have any local crews, you know, and then three or 4 or 6, 12 months go by, elevator doesn't work. They get stuck. What happens? And they can't get a hold of that company out of Florida anymore, that national company out of Tennessee anymore. So there are national companies that manufacture in-house, and they send traveling crews and salesmen, but they're not brick and mortar local to Texas. 01:02:43:16 - 01:03:14:22 Unknown And for something that could cause an entrapment, something that could cause, you know, severe injury, if certain precautions are not followed both by the manufacturer and the elevator installer, it can get dangerous fast. Right? And so you really want to have a company that feels local to you. You know, a lot of our, customers become quite close to our service mechanics, you know, first name basis because they just make them feel warm and safe about little things they hear, you know? 01:03:14:22 - 01:03:32:06 Unknown Right, that might not have to actually call bring us out, but just to talk to someone and say, no, that should be okay. Send me a video. But that level of intimacy will go pretty far and so I would just warn people, don't just take the lowest offer out there. This is not an area you want to cut corners on, right. 01:03:32:06 - 01:03:53:14 Unknown And so thankfully, you know, there are places like Houston that actually do hold better accountability. But as soon as you leave those jurisdictions that require inspections, you know, you see people cutting corners even harder. Yeah. But even the ones that are in Houston, you know, their crews that come in install and then they're gone. That could be troublesome down the road. 01:03:53:14 - 01:04:13:12 Unknown So just just talk to your companies about the list here. The city has your back, you know, which is actually unusual because, usually I wouldn't say the city name years have happened back, but, I would say the elevators are one area that they do because they are pretty, pretty on top of things when it comes to elevator code, it's a big safety issue, obviously. 01:04:13:13 - 01:04:38:00 Unknown So fire safety, elevator safety or one of the two of the categories, I think the Houston inspectors are really on very, very good. You know, it's funny, we had the same a similar conversation a couple of weeks ago. We talked about, home backup generators and the, the my guests on that episode talked about, you know, is great once you get out into the counties. 01:04:38:00 - 01:05:09:18 Unknown Yeah. It's the Wild West as far as installers putting in generators. Right. Too close to fences, too close to windows, not safe situations. And there's no there's no one looking over their shoulder. Right. So it's a it's also a great, a great plug for you should have third and third party inspectors if you're not I mean, even if you are in the city of Houston, but really anywhere, having, another set of eyes, checking the work, making sure things are being done correctly and safely, is is super important. 01:05:09:22 - 01:05:33:00 Unknown Definitely. And that part of that episode with the generators, is so valid across the state, you know, the four major metros are all pretty unique to, to themselves, but there is not as much, government, you know, interaction, which most of us like across the Or, but it does get kind of scary when you see things out there that you're like, I can't be there constructing something like that. 01:05:33:00 - 01:05:56:20 Unknown Right? Yeah. It's it's actually almost frustrating to witness. And then maybe it doesn't end up with like, dangerous outcome. But a lot of folks have not been around residential elevators most of their life. And so I think encouraging that third party inspection, regardless of where you live, that is not cost a lot of money. Percentage of your contract is well under 1%. 01:05:56:22 - 01:06:19:17 Unknown So I think it's well worth it. Do you guys do do repair or service on elevators that you do not install? We do. It just depends on the manufacturers. There are some manufacturers that we have not sent techs to training for. But we do cover most of them. We send a lot of our mechanics to factory training so that they're certified with that particular supplier. 01:06:19:19 - 01:06:44:00 Unknown And so we will take, service and maintenance calls for customers that we did not do the original installation for as long as it's a company that we feel we can add to. Exactly. And we can get parts for it. Right. But yeah, we, we take pride in the back end of our business, you know, being after we've installed it, builders shake hands when years gone by, contractors not there. 01:06:44:02 - 01:07:06:00 Unknown Okay. Now, when something happens, who's taking care of that customer? And our owner, Don Zimmerman, you know, took a lot of pride in actually establishing a dedicated service department in our company so that it's, you know, a team in the office and a team in the field physically in San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas that will get to someone's home, right, if something happens. 01:07:06:02 - 01:07:25:00 Unknown And so I think that kind of information and transparency would be what I would encourage customers to look at with their elevator companies that just make sure someone's going to back you up, you know, years after, because it makes a difference. So. Fantastic. Yeah. Well, guys, thank you for coming today. Yeah. Thank you. Really appreciate to have in here. 01:07:25:00 - 01:07:41:00 Unknown And, it's been really informative. I hope our, our, our listeners and viewers, get some good takeaways from this. I know I did so and, so thanks, guys, and thank all of you for watching and listening to the podcast. We'll see you next time. Bye bye.