Adding a lift to a home is often talked about as an accessibility upgrade or a smart way to future-proof a floor plan. The question that tends to surface soon after is more practical: does a residential lift count as a structural alteration?
In New Zealand, the answer is often “it depends”, and that dependency matters because it influences design decisions, the likely need for a building consent, cost, timeframes, and how early you should involve your builder and installer.
What “structural alteration” usually means in a NZ home
A structural alteration is generally taken to mean work that changes, removes, or adds to the parts of a building that carry loads or provide stability. Think foundations, load-bearing walls, bracing lines, floor joists, beams, lintels, and roof framing. These elements keep the building standing up and performing properly in wind and earthquakes, which is why changes can trigger extra scrutiny.
A residential lift can be a structural alteration when it requires structural elements to be cut, replaced, or reinforced. It may also be treated as structural work if it changes the way loads are transferred to the ground, or affects bracing and diaphragm action in floors.
Some lift installs, though, are designed to minimise structural disturbance. Even then, you are still likely to be opening floors, shifting services, and creating new penetrations, so the project can sit in a grey zone that needs a quick check by a qualified professional.
Why the “structural” label matters
Whether work is structural influences what professionals you may need, what documentation is expected, and how your council might review the proposal.
Here are the reasons people care about the classification:
- Costs and lead times
- Building consent likelihood
- Engineering design input
- Insurance and property file records
- Resale confidence for future buyers
That list looks administrative, yet it ties back to safety. Lifts concentrate loads, create openings between storeys, and introduce moving machinery. Good process keeps those risks in check.
Residential lifts and the Building Act: where consent enters the picture
In New Zealand, building work is governed by the Building Act 2004 and the Building Code, with guidance from MBIE and decisions made day-to-day by local councils. Most lift projects are not “like-for-like maintenance”, so many will need a building consent.
Even when a lift system is packaged and certified overseas, the installation still has to satisfy local requirements around structure, fire safety where relevant, moisture, durability, and safe access. The consent decision often comes down to what is being changed in the building fabric, not only the lift equipment itself.
A useful mindset is to treat the lift as one part of a bigger scope that may include:
- Cutting and trimming floor framing
- Creating a shaft or enclosure
- Providing landing doors or gates
- Running a dedicated electrical circuit
- Adjusting plumbing, ducting, or drainage
- Adding a pit, slab thickening, or support posts
One sentence that saves time: talk to your lift supplier and your designer early, then confirm expectations with your local council before you commit to a final layout.
When a residential lift is likely to be considered a structural alteration
A lift often becomes structural work when you change load-bearing elements or bracing systems. In practical terms, these are common triggers.
If you are planning major building work anyway, it can be simpler to integrate the lift at the design stage, rather than treating it as a retrofit squeezed into a tight corner.
Typical structural triggers include:
- Cutting a new opening through a suspended timber floor: Joists may need trimming, doubling, hangers, and new beams to maintain strength and stiffness.
- Building a shaft that ties into multiple levels: The shaft may interact with bracing lines, wall framing, and fire or acoustic linings.
- Adding a pit or changing the slab: A pit can involve excavation, foundation edges, damp-proofing, and drainage considerations.
- Supporting concentrated loads: Even compact residential lifts can impose point loads that require new posts, beams, or slab strengthening.
- External lift towers: These can add wind loads and require independent foundations, bracing, and weatherproof junctions to the existing home.
If any of that is on the table, it is sensible to assume the work is structural until your engineer or designer confirms otherwise.
When it might not be “structural”, but still needs careful planning
Some lift configurations aim to reduce structural intervention, yet “not structural” does not mean “no building work” or “no consent”.
You might be looking at less invasive work when the lift:
- Fits within an existing double-height void (near a stairwell, for example)
- Uses a self-supporting structure that transfers loads in a controlled way
- Avoids a full pit by using a shallow recess or ramped threshold design (where suitable)
- Minimises the need to alter bracing walls
Even in these scenarios, you may still be making penetrations in floors, relocating services, and adding guarding at landings. Those tasks can carry compliance requirements of their own.
A quick comparison of lift types and structural impact
The table below gives a high-level sense of what typically drives structural alterations. Each home is different, and product designs vary, so treat this as a starting point for conversations with your designer, engineer, and installer.
| Lift approach (typical) | What the building work often involves | Structural alteration likelihood | Consent likelihood |
| Through-floor lift (retrofit style) | Floor opening, trimmed joists, guarding, possible small support framing | Medium to high | High |
| Shafted lift inside the home | Shaft framing, multi-storey openings, doors, possible pit, bracing interactions | High | High |
| Lift added during new build | Planned openings, designed supports, services coordinated | Medium (managed from day one) | High |
| External lift tower | New foundations, weatherproofing tie-ins, wind bracing | High | High |
| Platform lift for short rise (limited travel) | Localised support, threshold detailing, access compliance | Low to medium | Medium to high |
If you want a lift mainly for ageing in place, the “best” option is often the one that suits the layout with the least compromise to structure and daily circulation, not simply the smallest footprint on a brochure.
The role of engineering, drawings, and producer statements
When structural work is involved, a Chartered Professional Engineer may be engaged to design the required strengthening or support framing and to provide documentation for the consent process. Even if the lift itself is engineered as a product, the way it connects to your home is site-specific.
You may hear terms like “PS1” (design) and “PS4” (construction review) in some regions and project types. Whether these are requested can depend on council expectations and the complexity of the work.
What helps the process move smoothly is clear documentation that shows:
- Existing structure and proposed changes
- Load paths and connection details
- Lift location, clearances, and door or gate arrangements
- How services are routed without compromising structure
- Moisture control and durability details where walls, roofs, or claddings are affected
Good drawings reduce surprises on site. Surprises are where timelines and budgets tend to drift.
Practical signs your lift plan will affect structure
Homeowners often ask for a simple checklist. No list covers every scenario, yet these prompts are useful when you are sketching options with a designer.
If you answer “yes” to several of these, structural alteration is likely:
- You need a new hole between levels: That means the floor structure will be cut and re-framed.
- You need a pit, slab change, or excavation: Foundations and moisture control may be involved.
- The lift lands in a bracing wall zone: Bracing layout may need redesign or compensation elsewhere.
- You are changing stairs or removing walls to make space: Wall removal can be structural even without the lift.
- The lift is external: Wind, weatherproofing, and foundations become a bigger part of the scope.
If you are unsure about bracing or load-bearing walls, that is normal. Most people cannot tell by sight, especially in older homes that have been renovated more than once.
Future-proofing benefits, without overbuilding
A lift can be an enabling feature. It can let you stay in a home longer, keep bedrooms upstairs, and make daily life simpler after surgery or injury. It can also support multigenerational living, where mobility needs change across time.
At the same time, it is worth balancing capability with build complexity. A lift that forces major reconfiguration of structure might still be the right choice, yet you should go into it with eyes open.
A good planning conversation usually covers:
- Where the lift best supports daily routes (bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, garage entry)
- Door widths, turning space, and call button placement
- Noise, ventilation, and where the machinery or drive components sit
- Power supply and what happens during an outage
- The finish level you want around the lift, from simple to architectural
Some suppliers position themselves as pairing globally proven engineering with local support, which can be valuable when you want robust equipment plus on-the-ground service and parts access in New Zealand.
How to approach your project with confidence
The fastest path is rarely rushing the install. It is setting the project up so every party can do their job cleanly: your designer, engineer, builder, electrician, and lift installer.
A practical order of operations that works well for many homes looks like this:
- Choose a lift concept and rough location based on your daily movement through the house.
- Ask for preliminary site requirements from the lift supplier, including loads, clearances, and any pit or overhead needs.
- Have a designer or engineer confirm what structural changes are likely.
- Talk with your local council early if you want clarity on consent expectations.
- Lock in detailed drawings, then build around a well-defined scope.
Structural alteration is not a reason to shy away from a residential lift. It is simply a sign that the lift is becoming part of the building’s core, and that deserves the same care you would give to any significant upgrade.
This is where experience matters. At Canny Residential Elevators, globally proven engineering is paired with dedicated local expertise, helping New Zealand homeowners navigate design, compliance, and installation with confidence. Backed by one of the world’s most established elevator manufacturers, Canny brings the reassurance of international standards alongside practical, on-the-ground support for NZ homes.
Founded in 1997, Canny Elevator Co. Ltd is recognised globally for reliability, safety, and innovation, with hundreds of thousands of elevators installed across more than 100 countries. In New Zealand, that global capability is matched with local knowledge — ensuring your home lift is not just well engineered, but well planned, well supported, and built to last.
World-class engineering. Local expertise. From future-proof family homes to accessibility upgrades, Canny helps you move up — with confidence.