Ocean City, New Jersey, is defined by its iconic Boardwalk, its pristine beaches, and its uniquely elevated housing landscape. While the shore town remains America’s Greatest Family Resort, the reality of coastal architecture often presents a daily challenge: stairs. From carrying groceries up to the main living level to navigating three or four flights after a long day on the sand, the multi-story beach house, while charming, can quickly become an exercise in endurance.
Once considered an extravagant luxury, the residential elevator is rapidly transitioning into a standard, essential amenity for modern shore homes, particularly in high-value, vertically-oriented markets like Ocean City. Driven by necessity, convenience, and a clear return on investment, homeowners are finding that installing a home lift is the ultimate way to future-proof their property and truly embrace the effortless coastal lifestyle.
The architectural layout of a typical OCNJ home is dictated less by preference and more by regulation. As an island community heavily impacted by coastal events, the vast majority of structures must adhere to strict state and federal codes regarding elevation. Most new construction and substantially renovated homes are required to raise the main living area above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
This adherence to safety regulations means the ground level often serves as a garage or storage area, while the primary living spaces, including the kitchen, are located on the second floor and above. This necessity creates a vertical home where the only path to the kitchen, the main deck, or the rooftop sundeck is via staircase. For owners and renters alike, this unavoidable verticality is the core reason why elevators are now considered indispensable. To learn more about the specific requirements shaping local building trends, homeowners often consult Ocean City’s home elevation requirements when planning renovations or new builds.
While accessibility for those with mobility issues is a critical factor, the most common daily use of a residential elevator on the Jersey Shore is pure convenience. Imagine a summer Saturday during rental turnover: a family of eight arriving with luggage, beach carts, coolers, and enough gear for a week. The thought of hauling these items up three separate flights of stairs is daunting, and often leads to back strain or injury.
A home lift eliminates this physical labor entirely. It transforms what would be a half-hour chore into a two-minute, effortless trip. This convenience is magnified when considering:
Ocean City is a destination for families who visit for decades, often culminating in the decision to make the town their permanent retirement haven. When planning for a home’s long-term utility, homeowners must consider the reality of aging in place. Stairs, while manageable in one’s 40s and 50s, can quickly become a significant barrier to independence later in life.
Future-proofing a shore home means ensuring every floor remains usable regardless of physical ability. Modern home lifts have evolved dramatically from the bulky commercial models of the past. Today’s residential lifts are compact, aesthetically pleasing, and require far less complex installation, often fitting neatly into existing spaces or small closets. For homeowners planning to spend their golden years at the shore, or those with multi-generational families, investing in a lift offers peace of mind.
Models like the DUO home elevator from Lifton are designed to be sleek, space-saving, and easily integrated into existing homes with minimal disruption, often using a self-supporting guide system that eliminates the need for an elaborate shaft or machine room. This innovation makes retrofitting an elevator into an existing multi-story OCNJ property simpler and more cost-effective than ever before. Choosing a modern lift ensures that the architectural barrier posed by mandatory home elevation does not become a mobility barrier in the future.
Beyond the immediate benefits of convenience and accessibility, installing a residential elevator offers a tangible financial return. Real estate experts consistently cite home lifts as one of the top features that increase property valuation in coastal and multi-story markets. A home with an elevator often sells faster and for a higher price—sometimes commanding a premium of 5% to 10% over comparable homes without one. This is because the feature widens the pool of potential buyers to include seniors, disabled veterans, and families seeking an accessible option.
The decision to install a lift is also a reflection of a growing societal embrace of inclusive design. Modern home construction is increasingly built around Universal Design principles, which advocate for environments usable by all people, regardless of age, size, or ability. In coastal settings where elevation is mandatory, the elevator is the most critical element in achieving true universal accessibility.
In Ocean City, where every square foot of living space is valuable and every feature must justify its cost, the home elevator has moved past the realm of simple opulence. It is a practical, necessary, and high-ROI investment that ensures a shore property can be enjoyed safely and comfortably by every resident and guest, for generations to come. By transforming the arduous journey up the stairs into an effortless ascent, the residential lift ensures that the true beauty and relaxation of OCNJ life can be fully accessed on every level.
