Stiltz Home Lifts in Orange County, CA
For Houses Never Built for an Elevator
A Stiltz lift for an Orange County house that already has its staircase
Most Orange County homes were framed long before anyone planned an elevator. The bedrooms are upstairs, the stairs are where they are, and there is no spare column of floor space from the garage to the roof. A Stiltz is built for exactly that house. It is a self-contained home lift that arrives in sections small enough to carry through a normal doorway, and it goes together inside your home with no concrete hoistway and no machine room.
Advantage Elevator sells, installs and services Stiltz lifts from our Costa Mesa office at 2942 Century Place, Suite 742. We are a licensed California elevator contractor (CSLB C-11 #1027832) with more than 20 years in the business and a 4.9-star Google rating from over 300 reviews. We also install Savaria and Cambridge Elevating, so when we tell you a Stiltz is the right fit, it is because we measured your house and checked the other options first.
- Three models: Duo, Trio and Trio Alta
- No hoistway: the lift is its own structure, so no shaft is framed through your rooms
- Free in-home visit to measure your stair, your landings and the ceiling above
- Local service for your lift after the install, day or night
What to know about Stiltz before you call
Duo: the compact lift
Trio: room for a chair or a walker
Trio Alta: tallest and strongest
Which Orange County homes a Stiltz fits
A Stiltz is a retrofit answer, so the best candidates are houses where a conventional shaft would cost too much living space. In Orange County that covers a lot of streets.
Two-story tracts in Mission Viejo, Irvine and Laguna Niguel. These master-planned cities are full of two-story homes with the bedrooms upstairs. Many owners bought decades ago and want to stay. In an older Irvine village or a Laguna Niguel hillside tract, the floor plan often has a closet stacked over another closet, or a landing wide enough to give up. That is where a Duo tends to land. We find the spot on the free visit, not from a brochure.
Narrow lots in Newport Beach and on Balboa. A coastal lot that climbs three or four stories leaves almost no spare floor. A lift that stands on its own guides and needs no shaft walls takes less of that floor than a framed hoistway would. On a lot like this we usually compare a Stiltz with a Savaria Telecab or Luma before suggesting either.
Townhomes and condos. Attached homes often have a staircase, a shared wall and nothing else to work with. A shaftless lift avoids tearing into the neighbor side of the house. Your association will want to see the plan, and we provide the drawings.
Remodels with no shaft space. If a hoistway would take a bedroom or cut a kitchen in half, a Stiltz usually ends the argument. If you want three or more stops or a custom cab, we will say so and show you a conventional elevator instead.
HOA review, design approval and city permits
A Stiltz lives inside the house, so it rarely changes the street view. That makes the conversation with a homeowners association easier than it is for an addition. Many Orange County communities still want a short written request before any interior structural work, and some want to see how the floor opening is framed. We supply the plan sheets and the lift dimensions so your board has something concrete to read.
The city side is separate. Cutting a floor opening and running a dedicated circuit are building work. We handle the building permit and inspection coordination with your city’s building department, so you are not carrying paperwork between offices. We cannot promise how any city will rule or how long its review will take, but we will tell you what we know about the process before you commit.
Power, ceiling height and floor opening
Three details decide whether a Stiltz fits. First, the floor opening. The lift passes through the upper floor, so a clear opening has to be framed and finished. We mark it out on your ceiling and floor during the visit so you can see it in the room.
Second, ceiling height. Travel limits differ by model, and the Trio Alta needs a minimum upstairs ceiling. If the two floors sit far apart because of a tall entry or a vaulted room, we measure the real distance before we say yes.
Third, power. A Stiltz does not run from a wall outlet. Plan on a dedicated circuit from your panel, listed by Stiltz as 220 V for the Duo. For the Trio and Trio Alta we confirm the electrical requirement on your written quote, because it depends on the version. If your panel is full or far from the lift, tell us early, because the electrical run can shape the schedule more than the lift itself.
Installation day and what Stiltz claims
Stiltz states that an installation can take as little as one day. That claim covers assembly of the lift itself. It does not cover the work around it: framing the floor opening, running the circuit, finishing drywall and paint, or waiting on a permit inspection. We give you a written schedule for the whole job with your quote, and we test the controls, the safety devices and the battery lowering before we hand it over.
Plan for a few days of dust and noise in the stair area, and keep pets away from the open floor while the opening is framed. After the lift is in, most households stop thinking about it, which is the point.
Service, parts and keeping a Stiltz running
Stiltz lists a 24-month parts warranty on the Duo, Trio and Trio Alta. Parts come through Stiltz, and we do the service work on your lift in Orange County. If you ever need a part, we order it and install it, and we keep notes on your lift so the next technician knows its history.
A home lift stays reliable when someone inspects it on a schedule. Our Orange County maintenance visits cover the full inspection and safety-device testing, and our repair team answers emergency calls at (714) 905-5092 day or night. We also service Stiltz lifts that other dealers installed. Our brands page lists every make we work on.
For full model details, see our main Stiltz page. For a side-by-side look at the no-shaft options, read the shaftless elevator guide. Pricing depends on the model, the electrical work and the opening, and we quote it after a free visit; our cost page explains what drives the number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Stiltz home lift be installed in an existing Orange County house?
Yes, that is what it is designed for. The sections pass through a normal doorway and the lift stands on its own guides, so no hoistway is built. You do need a clear floor opening and enough ceiling height, which we measure on the free visit.
How long does it take to install a Stiltz?
Stiltz says an installation can take as little as one day. That is assembly only. Framing the opening, the electrical circuit, finish repair and permit inspections add time, and we put the full schedule in writing.
Does a Stiltz lift need a permit in Orange County?
Cutting a floor opening and adding a circuit are building work, so your city’s building department is involved. We handle the permit and inspection coordination with your city. We cannot promise how a particular city will rule.
Will my HOA allow a Stiltz?
Because the lift sits inside the house, it often needs only interior-work approval, but every association is different. We provide plan drawings and lift dimensions that you can hand to your board.
Who services a Stiltz after it is installed?
We do. Parts come through Stiltz and we handle the service work in Orange County, including lifts other dealers installed. Call (714) 905-5092 for repairs or to set up regular maintenance.
Wondering if a Stiltz fits your Orange County home?
We measure the stair, the ceiling and the panel, then tell you straight. Call (714) 905-5092.
