You look out from your deck, enjoying the beautiful lake down below. Your neighbors are down on their dock, getting the grandkids ready to go fishing. You have a comfortable pontoon sitting on the lift, but it’s just too much trouble to walk the stairs down to the dock carrying your fishing gear. Maybe it’s time to think about a residential hillside tram.
You park your car and unload two grocery bags. You still have four more in the car. You don’t want to make three trips up the stairs to the house, but you don’t want to slip because you’re carrying too much. Maybe it’s time to think about getting a little help.
There are lots of situations where you might want a little help, a little comfort, a bit more convenience. There are times when you have company that might not be able manage stairs that are easy for you. A Marine Innovations residential hillside tram is an investment in your home that will increase the value of your property, allow you to enjoy your home and stay there longer. Let’s talk about how you can benefit from a lift.
Inclined elevator is the technical term, but they go by many names: lake tram, hill elevators, hill tram, outdoor elevators, incline lifts, hillside trams, hillside trolleys, hill gliders or, my favorite, funiculars. Funicular is a great name, they are fun to ride and let’s face it, you should be having fun when heading to the lake.
There are lots of great reasons to have an inclined elevator: safety, convenience, aging at home. But when you start looking, you need to be informed. Below are some things to consider.
- Safety
We’ll start with a big one. This is an elevator to transport you, your family and friends up and down an incline. You need to be safe. Do your research. Look at the company and the product to make sure you invest in a lift that will ensure the safe movement of those that you love. At Marine Innovations, our lifts meet or exceed AMSE A17.1-2010, Sections 5.1 and 5.4 code. These are specific regulations about how a system is built to insure safety. Make sure any hillside tram company you look at builds to these standards. - Design and construction
Your living room is not exactly like your neighbor’s. Even if you’re an identical twin, your home is not exactly like your twin’s. In the same way, every hill is different, every installation is unique. At Marine Innovations, we look at each property with great care and design a system exactly for that home. We have in-house designers to customize your lift design to your home. All manufacturing is completed in our Frazee, MN facility, so each order is built for that design. Make sure that your lift system is built specifically for your home, not an out-of-the-box package that will require the installers place it to fit the lift. It’s your home, we’ll make the lift fit right in. 
Installation
You expect a professional mechanic to work on your car, don’t accept any less when you have a lift installed. An exceptional hillside lift installed by an inexperienced crew will not perform as designed. Marine Innovations has only factory trained and certified personnel install our lifts. We don’t farm out the important job of installation. Make sure your lift is installed by only the best.- Durability
There are so many different things to think about before you buy a hillside elevator, that you may not think about the long-term investment. Your inclined elevator will be a tool you’ll use daily for decades. Make sure you invest in one that will last the test of time. Find a company with a track record that backs up their claims. Marine Innovations has been building trams since 1991 and those early ones are still running. We have the best warranty in the industry. When you get close to buying a lift, we’ll send you references that will provide their opinion on workmanship, installation and the sales process. Talk to the owners of different systems get their input. - Price
I like to mention price last. Although price is always a factor, if you’re putting money in a long term investment, you want it to pay rewards. The lowest price is not always the best deal. The cost of a physical good is directly tied to the cost of materials. When you’re transporting loved ones, you don’t want to be questioning if the manufacturer cut corners to save a few bucks just to make the sale. Down the road, you don’t want a substandard machine breaking down right before a long weekend. Check out our frequently asked questions for more information. Look at the big picture, compare apples to apples and plan for an investment to last a lifetime.
You’re back on your deck. Your neighbors are down on the dock getting ready to go fishing with their grandkids. You step off your inclined elevator after a smooth ride to the dock. You’re going to beat them to the best fishing spot on the lake. Luckily the spot is big enough for them and you, so they can treat their grandkids to a great day on the water.
Contact Marine Innovations today to get more information about a residential hillside tram.
Are you ready to take the next step? Contact us for a free quote today.