[fintstone]

Originally Posted by group911@aol.co

Look into what standard size a shaft would be and frame it into the house you are building.
Use as closet space until the time comes.
Staying active by using the stairs will push that time out- hopefully until you drop dead on the stairs someday.

This is what I would do if I currently had no need for an elevator. Stacking storage closets or an additional back stair case (or both) will ensure you have the needed room for a small elevator if needed. You may never lose the ability to climb stairs and may well sell the home and move before you do. You likely would not get your money back. Elevators are much like pools and gold-plated Porsches...you are often best to buy one that was part of someone else's dream.

I was considering building one for my mostly immobile mother to use...but she refuses to even visit, much left live here...so I almost wasted a bunch of money that I may well need for her nursing home.

If you wait until a doctor tells you that you need one as a "medical necessity"...you can likely write off most of the expense against taxes (IIRC medial expenses over 7.5% of income). Probably would save close to $20K.