Many of the public buildings in a New England town were built long before accessibility was considered: the church with a sanctuary up a flight of steps, the grange hall, the small office over a shop. A LULA elevator is often the practical way to make them usable by everyone.
What LULA means
LULA stands for Limited Use, Limited Application. It is a class of elevator for low-rise buildings, sitting between a wheelchair lift and a full commercial elevator in size, speed and cost.
What it offers
Our LULA is a hydraulic elevator that carries up to 1,400 pounds, with 18 square feet of floor space and four cab sizes. It travels up to 25 feet and needs only a 35 inch pit, a small machine room and minimal overhead. With automatic sliding doors and commercial fixtures, it looks and feels like a conventional elevator.
LULA or wheelchair lift?
A wheelchair lift is usually enough for a short rise, such as a few steps at an entrance or up to a stage. When people need to travel a full story or more, in an enclosed cab that anyone can use unaided, a LULA is usually the better fit.
Planning the project
The questions to settle early are where the shaft can go, how the building structure will carry it and what the code requires for your type of building. We work with building committees, architects and contractors from the first sketch.
Older buildings
A LULA can often be placed in an addition at the side or rear, which leaves the historic interior untouched. We can advise on what has worked in similar buildings.
Nationwide Lifts of Massachusetts is based in Wilmington, MA, with a second office in Raymond, NH. Call (978) 218-7161 or request a free quote.