Gadgetory

[Sawing sounds] [Cambry] I don't even know how to describe it. [Laughing] [Zack] So one of the biggest obstacles someone in a wheelchair might come across is stairs. [Cambry] Yeah, but we have two solutions for that. We can either go up the stairs on our own, which is really hard, especially on my shoulders. And it's not safe. Or, have someone nice and strong carry us up the stairs. [Zack] But, having me always around to carry her up the stairs kind of takes away some of the independence. [Cambry] And it's not practical for a house. [Zack] So today we're going to install a lift that goes from our living room all the way to the master bedroom. Remember, this is just one solution to the stair problem, but it's not for everyone. These lifts can be pretty expensive. But I think it'll still be a fun project. Ready to do your part? [Cambry] Let's get started. [Intro] So obviously an elevator goes between two floors. This is the upper floor in the master bedroom and this is where the lift is going to reside...you know, the motor and everything up here at the top. We're going to chop a huge hole in the floor right here, and that's where the lift is going to drop down into the office. [Sawing sounds] So since we're cutting a hole in the ceiling right here, these three joists are going to be coming down. We need to support it with one huge beam over here on this side sitting on top of this wall, that wall. And then another huge piece of wood, a 2x10, attached to this joist all the way up here attached to this wall. And so the two long beams on the side are going to support it when we cut these three here in the center. [Nail gun sounds] So now we have the two 2x10 beams stuck up here on the sides. We have these three joists that have been cut, and this one temporary supporting wall to keep these beams from falling down. And now we can knock each of these beams out and cut the hole in the floor. So right now the only thing between this office room and the upstairs is a single sheet of plywood, and as soon as we get the underside of this hole framed out, we'll be able to remove the temporary wall because these beams that we added on either side are going to support the 3 joists that we just cut. If we remove this temporary wall, there'd be nothing supporting those joists and bad things would happen. [Hammering sounds] So now that we have the top brace we don't need a temporary wall anymore. Let's take it out. {Hammering sounds] At least the roof didn't fall in. We're good! So Cambry hasn't seen the progress yet that we've made in this room. What do you think? [Cambry] Oh heavens. That's a little scary. That's a lot of the roof. Okay. (Knife cutting sounds) [Zack] Okay, so the joists are cut downstairs, and now the carpet's pulled back, the padding's cut away, and this right here is kind of a stencil of the footprint of the elevator. So I'm going to lay this down, trace it out, and we're good to start cutting. Okay, you ready for there to be a hole in our floor? [Cambry] In our ceiling? [Zack] Its both! Floor and ceiling. [Cambry] Yeah. [Zack] Let's do it. [Sawing sounds] You ready Cambry? [Cambry] Yeah. [Cambry] Whoa.... I mean, I survived. [Zack] Should I come down there Cambry? [Cambry] Yeah, just hop down. [Zack] Nice work. So not everyone gets to have a hole built right into their floor, but this is where the stilt's lift is going. Cambry, if I jump down are you going to catch me? [Cambry] I'm not afraid. [Zack] I'm afraid! [Cambry] You gotta live a little! [Zack] Cambry's going to try out the “elevator” for the first time. You ready? [Cambry] This is a little nerve-wracking. [Zack] It's a big drop. [Cambry] Oh man, I'm going to be covered. [Zack] I got your feet, and you just need to let yourself down gently. [Cambry] Oh heavens. Do you really have my feet? [Zack] Yes I got them. [Cambry] Still have them? [Zack] Yep. Let yourself down gently. Yeah, gotcha. [Cambry] Can I let go? [Zack] Yep! [Cambry] Really? This seems weird! [Zack] Let go! [Laughter] [Zack] Got her! Alright. How was your first try with the elevator? [Cambry] It was a little sticky, but yeah I think it will do. [Zack] There should be less sawdust next time around. [Cambry] Yeah, just clean up the sawdust and we're good. So these two pillars right here are something called an infrared light curtain, and it's one of the many safety features of the elevator. These light bars automatically sense when someone crosses the threshold of the elevator and turn on the inner lights, as well as if the elevator is moving and the light curtain is crossed, it'll pause the elevator where it's at so no one gets hurt. Okay, so right now we have the cab mostly assembled. The front door is still not in place. We have rollers down here at the bottom and rollers up here at the top that keep it going inside of these rails. The rail is being supported right now but it's open temporarily because we're going to lift the elevator up for the very first time so we can make a bunch of connections up here at the top and install the safety pan down there at the bottom. Let's hope everything works. So now that the elevator is sticking up a little bit, we get a closer look at the inside. So this is the brains of the operation right here. We have the winch with the steel cables. These winches can hold 500 pounds, which is about the weight of a small or medium sized piano or so. This is a battery back up. We got the inverter. And while the elevator has a 500 pound limit, these cables are actually capable of carrying close to 7,000 pounds. But for safety reasons, there's still a 500 pound capacity for the elevator. (Plastic Pulling Sounds) So the lift is installed. It took about 3 guys two days to put the entire lift into place. And the cool thing about the cap is it's using the same exact carpet that was cut out of the hole in the floor, and so when the lift goes all the way down to the ground, the cap stays in place and matches the aesthetics of the room and the only thing left in place are the pillars. Let's say the lift is coming up and someone is standing on top of this cap, there are sensors inside, these little spring-loaded guys, that will stop the lift and kill the power. So the lift won't rise up if someone's standing on this plate. So normally when the lift is coming down, there's a series of magnets right here attached to this post that let it know when it's getting close to the ground and stop it. But there are some safety switches underneath that are kind of like a backup. There are a total of 6 of them: two here on this side, two over there, and two in the center. And then there's a third and final safety switch here that can cut the power to the elevator entirely. Now this safety pan right here sits on the bottom so it hides everything and makes it look aesthetic, but it's good to see that there are protections and safeguards in place. (Quiet humming sound of the elevator going down.) Alright Cambry, are you ready for the first ride in the elevator? [Cambry] Yeah. I'm ready. [Zack] Just hit this button. [Cambry] Okay. [Zack] And I'll meet you upstairs. And she's off. First ride. [Cambry] I don't even know how to describe it! [Zack] Hey, you're upstairs. [Cambry] It's weird...I don't know...it's like...I don't know...I'm like a spaceship or submarine or something. It's cool! [Zack] You are officially upstairs on your own. [Cambry] What!? [Zack] Meet you downstairs? [Cambry] Yeah. [Zack] See ya. Very nice. [Cambry] It works! [Zack] I think it looks awesome. So let's say that Cambry is coming down the elevator and I'm just happenstance to be standing underneath and this hits me. There are those sensors underneath the little metal switches, and those activate if somebody hits or something hits the plate underneath, which is a good safety feature to have. Also, while Cambry's inside and it's not officially at the ground or up top, the door is locked. So she is stuck in there. But, there is an area for a phone right beneath the control panel so she can call for help if she needs to. So the lift is fully installed and operational. Cambry's been using it for about a week now. What do you think? [Cambry] I love it. Gives me independence...not that I don't love being carried by you...but I'm independent when I use it. And it's super quiet. And I love that when it is in one of the other rooms, the opposite room has plenty of space in it. So I can get around when it's downstairs... I can get around upstairs when it's downstairs, and I can get around when it's upstairs, downstairs. [Zack] Even though our house wasn't designed for an elevator, it fits and meshes pretty well with the house and leaves things pretty open. Overall we're very pleased. So if you could change anything about the lift though, what would you change? [Cambry] I would change the ramp slope. It's a bit steep right now, so when I'm reaching forward to grab the handle I can't have anything on my lap. So it makes it a little inconvenient when trying to take things upstairs. And then I would make it faster. [Zack] It's super quiet, super consistent, but yeah, the ramp does make things difficult. This lift is called the Trio Alta which is meant for people who can stand, they just need help going up the stairs. So it's not exactly meant for people in wheelchairs, but I think we have a solution for the ramp thing. And either way, it's a lot safer than me carrying her up the stairs every time. One thing I would change about it is the lift does have power running to it, but the cable is just kind of hanging out in the open dangling around and I'm not a huge fan of that. And also it's super staticky inside. Each time it's kind of plastic and so the static just builds up and makes my hair stand up on the end, but maybe that's just because it's new. [Cambry] It makes it harder to clean right now still. [Zack] True. Either way, I'll leave a link down in the description if you want to check out the current pricing on these. Remember, they are expensive and it's not the only solution for stairs. [Cambry] It works for us. [Zack] But if you have any questions, Cambry will be down in the comments ready to answer all of them. So yeah. Thanks a ton for joining us on our adventure to put a massive hole in the ceiling of our house. [Cambry] Thanks a ton for watching. We'll see you around. [Zack] Perfect. I'm a little thirsty right now. Cambry, I don't know if...do you have a drink? Can I get a drink? [Cambry] Yeah. [Zack] {Laughing} Did it open?! Oh shoot! Good thing we have....ha ha! [Cambry] Sorry! Let me try another one! You want another one? [Zack] Another one?! [Cambry] Nope! [Zack] {Laughing} Oh shoot! Did it explode that time? [Worker guy] Not that time. [Zack] Okay we're good! Cambry, can you toss me a drink? {Laughing} Oh boy. Got it. Thank you!