Gareth Lomax provides his thoughts.

Having started Ardent from scratch six years ago, I am immensely proud of the reputation the business has built in that time, with our overarching ethos of seeking to obtain best value for the client (but not to the detriment of the contractor), we have delivered some first class projects for an ever increasing client base. This has been achieved with the buy in of the ethos by our dedicated staff and ensuring clear lines of communication are maintained from the start to finish of a project.

One area I am a big advocate of (as you may have seen in other Flat Living Magazine articles) is the retention of components wherever practical to do so, as it saves costs, disturbance to a property (and its residents), is environmentally sound (recycling materials) and often the original equipment is of more robust construction. It is very easy to write a specification to replace a lift in its entirety, but this is not always the best approach and often refurbishment (by maintaining static components) provides the better engineering solution.

Replacing lifts often is far more costly than refurbishment and would generally lead to our fees being increased, but this would not be in the best interest of the client who is paying over inflated costs and with little discernible gain. As experts, lift consultants should have the courage of their convictions and only specify the replacement of components that need to be upgraded and address changes to standards since the lift was originally installed, rather than taking a less measured approach to the works (which again cost the client more money).

We are frequently asked “should our lift be refurbished or replaced” and “how safe is our lift” which are questions we can always answer with upmost confidence once we have undertaken an initial Survey Report.

Survey Reports are our first line visits and often called for if a lift is proving unreliable, shows signs of poor ride comfort, is deemed “unsafe” by residents or even just when the lift is deemed “old” and in need of inspection. We get to survey hundreds of lifts every year and this gives us a wide range of knowledge of various designs available, to ensure we select the best approach to refurbishment/replacement on a lift by lift basis.

Lift Replacement / Refurbishment

To read our previous article please click here. 

A brief synopsis of the article is as follows:

Know your lift – With some lifts dating back to the 19th century, age, design and condition vary massively from lift to lift, make sure you have a background knowledge of the lift(s) you own/use/manage.

Commission a survey – A full condition survey will highlight performance, health & safety, legislative and obsolescence issues. A good condition survey will report on budget costs, predictive lifespan and offer various options on how to balance performance versus price.

Consulting with residents – With lifts in homes (and to a lesser degree places of work), capital expenditure is always an emotive subject. Clear consultation from the offset will ensure all parties are aware of the requirements, which should reduce opposition at a later stage.

Getting the specification right – Correctly specifying a project will ensure only the elements requiring replacement / refurbishment are addressed. This will ensure a reliable lift service is returned, while preventing the lift contractors from pricing for unnecessary component replacement.

Find the right contractor – The UK lift industry has a full range of contractors, from the one-man band to the blue chip multinational companies. While both may be capable of doing a good job, the right contractor will produce the correct level of work at the right budget.

Replacement / refurbishment – The main body of the works, after the survey, specification and tender stage. This is the point where lift service will be unavailable as the lift is removed or remodelled. A typical replacement / refurbishment will take 8-10 weeks to complete, so plan well.

Check your warranty – With average lift replacement/refurbishment costs running upwards of £50,000, it is prudent to negotiate on the warranty period offered by the contractor. The starting period is for 12 months, but good negotiation can see this increase by 1-2 years.

Case Study

One commission that highlights the benefits of Ardent Lift Consultancy’s experience and knowledge of the lift industry was at Great Pulteney Street, London.  On this project we were able to correctly specify the works required and obtain the best value for our client.

As can often be found, the client had previously been advised that due to the age of the lift (even though refurbishments had been undertaken over its lifespan) the best option was complete replacement, at a considerable cost of approximately £118,000.

As we’d recently worked with the client on another project and they had experience of Ardent’s understanding of the industry, ethos and integrity, we were invited to give a second opinion on this recommendation.

There are occasions when a full replacement is necessary. However, Ardent Lift Consultancy will always take into account all options, ensuring that every client is aware when other possibilities are available and the cost savings that can be made if refurbishment is an option.

In this case, following a full inspection, our findings were that many of the recently refurbished items were still in good working order.  The survey was undertaken, and we were able to give an accurate and honest review that only a partial refurbishment was required.

The outcome was a high-quality refurbishment that was undertaken efficiently and provided a lift that was reliable and fit for purpose, saving the client £48,969.

Our client had the following to say on the project:

“We were really pleased with the advice and service provided by Ardent Lift Consultancy. They saved us a significant amount of money by recommending the essential refurbishment works necessary to modernise this lift and avoided us wasting money on replacing components that were perfectly sound. The work was carried out within budget and completed on time.”

Peter Thomas FRICS – Property Manager for Sir Richard Sutton Limited

You can read the full case study of this project on our website www.ardentlc.co.uk where we have lots of information regarding the company, lift standards and services we offer.

The team at Ardent Lift Consultancy are always happy to offer free advice to clients (new or existing) and welcome calls or emails should you be concerned with your lift and need reassurance as to its condition, or to ensure you are obtaining best value from your service company.