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Outdated cab interiors knock first impressions in residential lobbies, hotels and commercial receptions.
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Lift modernisation & refurbishment · Platform & passenger · UK-wide
Modernise the lift you have, against current standards.
Lift modernisation refurbishes an existing lift to current standards — typically 40-60% of full replacement cost, with 2-6 weeks of downtime versus 8-16 for a full replacement. BASE modernises platform and passenger lifts across the UK, including Equality Act 2010 accessibility upgrades and BS EN 81-80 compliance closure on existing lifts.
- 40-60%
- Cost vs full replacement
- 2-6wk
- Typical downtime — full refurb
- BS EN 81-80
- Safety Norms for Existing Lifts
Before
After
Same lift, before BASE / after BASE.
Why owners modernise
What problems does lift modernisation actually solve?
A modernisation enquiry usually starts with one of these five symptoms — aesthetics, breakdowns, compliance, running costs, or obsolete OEM parts. The right scope falls out of the feasibility survey; the right answer might be modernisation, or it might be replacement.
Breakdown
Old drives and controls cause frequent downtime, emergency callouts and tenant complaints.
Compliance
Pre-2017 lifts fail current BS EN 81-70 accessibility and Equality Act 2010 standards.
Running costs
Spiralling parts costs and energy bills on older hydraulic drives and inefficient lighting.
Obsolete parts
Discontinued OEM components force expensive workarounds and unscheduled downtime.
What we modernise
Six scopes, packaged or standalone.
Modernisation is rarely a single line item. The most common packages combine controls and drive on a tired traction lift, or doors and cab interior on a residential block where the visible upgrade matters as much as the engineering.
Doors
Door operators, photocell light curtains, restrictors and landing-door interlocks brought to current EN 81 baselines. The single largest source of breakdown calls — refresh here pays back fastest.
Compliance detail
Fixtures
Car operating panels, landing buttons, position indicators and audible signalling brought to BS EN 81-70 tactile, Braille and contrast specification. Mounted at 900-1100 mm reach.
Accessibility sector
Interiors
Floor, wall panels, ceiling, mirror, handrails, ventilation. The visible upgrade tenants and residents notice — typically packaged with control or drive works rather than as a standalone job.
See finish themes
Lighting
LED car lighting, edge-lit ceiling panels, downlights and shaft lighting. Cuts energy consumption 60-80% versus original fluorescent fixtures and supports ESG reporting where the building has it.
See lighting swatches
Drive modernisation
Worn hydraulic power packs swapped, controllers replaced with modern PLC carrying remote diagnostics, VVVF retrofits on AC motors. Often the single highest-value upgrade on a tired lift.
Or replace the lift
Safety systems
Overspeed governors, safety gear, brake assemblies, emergency lighting, autodialler and battery backup brought to BS EN 81-80 SNEL standard. Closes LOLER findings and resets the thorough examination clock.
LOLER inspections Cab interior themes
Four cab interior themes from BASE's UK portfolio.
Bold Contrast, Boutique Bronze, Contemporary, Warm Heritage. Each theme is a complete cab specification — walls, ceiling, floor and detail — tuned to a building type. Hover or tap a card to see the ceiling, floor and wall detail behind each hero shot.
Bold Contrast High-contrast finishes for commercial and hospitality lobbies. Stainless against dark panel, accent lighting, mirrored back.
Boutique Bronze Warm bronze finishes for hotels, boutique residential and listed-building refurbs. Walnut accents, mirror back, bronze handrail.
Contemporary Crisp brushed stainless for offices, residential blocks and care-home interiors. Vinyl floor, LED panel ceiling, mirrored half-height.
Warm Heritage Oak and timber finishes for Grade II listed buildings, country-house hotels and traditional residential lifts. Brass or bronze fixtures.
The decision before the spec
Should you modernise or replace a lift?
Modernise a lift aged 15-25 years where the shaft, car structure and rails are sound — drive, controls, doors, cab and accessibility can all be brought to current BS EN 81-80 standards at 40-60% of replacement cost and 2-6 weeks of downtime. Replace a lift aged 30+ years, or where the shaft is non-compliant or the duty cycle has outgrown the original design — full replacement runs 100% baseline cost and 8-16 weeks contract-to-handover. BASE will recommend replacement instead when modernisation is not cost-effective; we lose more reputation on a botched modernisation than we earn on the sale.
Modernise Age 15-25 years
Refurbish the lift you have to current standards.
Modernisation suits a lift between 15 and 25 years old where the shaft, car structure, rails and primary mechanicals are sound, but the drive, controls, doors, cab interior or accessibility provision are tired or non-compliant. The compliance frame is BS EN 81-80 — the SNEL Safety Norms for Existing Lifts — which lists the upgrades a competent person can specify against a thorough examination without a full strip-out.
- Drive replacement (hydraulic or traction)
- Control system + door operator
- Cab interior + accessibility upgrade
- BS EN 81-80 compliance closure
- Cost
- 40-60% of replacement
- Downtime
- 2-6 weeks
Honesty caveat — We will recommend replacement instead if the rails are bent, the shaft is non-compliant, or the drive type can't physically be upgraded to current efficiency standards. Modernising a lift that should be replaced is the most expensive mistake in this trade.
Replace Age 30+ years
Pull the lift out, install a new one.
Replacement is the right answer when the lift is 30+ years old, when the shaft or car structure is non-compliant beyond economic repair, or when the building use has changed and the lift no longer fits the duty cycle. New installation gives you a full BS EN 81-20 or BS EN 81-41 baseline, the latest drive efficiency, a 20-30 year service life and a clean LOLER record from day one.
- New shaft + car + drive
- BS EN 81-20 or 81-41 baseline
- 20-30 year service life
- Full LOLER from handover
- Cost
- 100% baseline
- Downtime
- 8-16 weeks
Honesty caveat — Replacement is rarely an emergency — schedule it on a planned-works window rather than reacting to a breakdown. See our installations page for the survey-to-handover process.
Indicative cost & downtime
What does lift modernisation cost?
Indicative single-lift, ex-VAT figures from BASE's UK modernisation portfolio. Floor figures reflect like-for-like swaps in straightforward access conditions; ceiling figures reflect listed-building constraints, out-of-hours working, multi-stop lifts or specialist finishes. The feasibility survey produces a fixed quote inside two weeks.
Scope
What's in it
Cost (ex VAT)
Downtime
Type
- Drive replacementHydraulic power pack and ram, or hydraulic-to-traction conversion. Includes commissioning and a pre-handover LOLER thorough examination.£8,000 - £20,0001-3 weeksLike-for-likeDrive replacement Like-for-like
Hydraulic power pack and ram, or hydraulic-to-traction conversion. Includes commissioning and a pre-handover LOLER thorough examination.
- Cost (ex VAT)
- Downtime
- £8,000 - £20,000
- 1-3 weeks
- Control system upgradeModern PLC or proprietary controller with current safety circuits, remote diagnostics and EN 81 compliance. Includes COP, landing fixtures and signalling.£4,000 - £12,0003-7 daysLike-for-likeControl system upgrade Like-for-like
Modern PLC or proprietary controller with current safety circuits, remote diagnostics and EN 81 compliance. Includes COP, landing fixtures and signalling.
- Cost (ex VAT)
- Downtime
- £4,000 - £12,000
- 3-7 days
- Door operator refreshDoor operator, photocell light curtain, landing-door interlocks and restrictors. Per opening — multi-stop lifts scale linearly.£2,500 - £6,0002-5 daysPer openingDoor operator refresh Per opening
Door operator, photocell light curtain, landing-door interlocks and restrictors. Per opening — multi-stop lifts scale linearly.
- Cost (ex VAT)
- Downtime
- £2,500 - £6,000
- 2-5 days
- Cab interior refurbishmentFloor, walls, ceiling, lighting, mirror, handrails, COP. Standalone visible upgrade — typically packaged with controls or drive works.£3,000 - £10,0003-7 daysVisibleCab interior refurbishment Visible
Floor, walls, ceiling, lighting, mirror, handrails, COP. Standalone visible upgrade — typically packaged with controls or drive works.
- Cost (ex VAT)
- Downtime
- £3,000 - £10,000
- 3-7 days
- Accessibility upgradeBS EN 81-70 / Equality Act 2010 evidence pack — tactile buttons, audible announcements, visual indicators, contrasting trim, handrails. Often packaged with cab works.£2,000 - £6,0002-4 daysComplianceAccessibility upgrade Compliance
BS EN 81-70 / Equality Act 2010 evidence pack — tactile buttons, audible announcements, visual indicators, contrasting trim, handrails. Often packaged with cab works.
- Cost (ex VAT)
- Downtime
- £2,000 - £6,000
- 2-4 days
- Full cab + drive + controlsComprehensive modernisation — drive, controls, doors, cab, accessibility together. The most cost-effective package when the lift needs more than one of the above.£15,000 - £40,0002-6 weeksFull refurbFull cab + drive + controls Full refurb
Comprehensive modernisation — drive, controls, doors, cab, accessibility together. The most cost-effective package when the lift needs more than one of the above.
- Cost (ex VAT)
- Downtime
- £15,000 - £40,000
- 2-6 weeks
- BS EN 81-80
- SNEL
- BS EN 81-70
- Accessibility
- Equality Act 2010
- DDA legacy
- Part M
- Building Regs
Safety Norms for Existing Lifts — the framework competent persons specify modernisation upgrades against
Accessibility for passenger lifts — tactile, audible, visual provision
Successor to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 — reasonable adjustment duty applies to lift access
Building Regulations 2010 Part M — access to and use of buildings, including lifts in non-domestic and dwellings
Materials & fixtures
Sixteen swatches we work with regularly.
Brushed and mirror stainless, oak veneer, fabric, vinyl, limestone, granite, porcelain, RAL 7016 anthracite, plus stainless handrails, tactile buttons, COP fixtures and LED lighting. Functional inspiration — final selections are made on site against the building's existing materials.
Why owners pick BASE
Real engineers on the survey. Not a call centre.
Every BASE modernisation feasibility survey is carried out by an NVQ-qualified lift engineer competent against BS EN 81-80. The same engineer specifies the upgrade, signs off the materials, and is on site during the works. Independence from the OEMs means we specify the component that fits the building — not the component our parent company happens to sell.
- NVQ Level 3 lift engineers on every feasibility survey
- SafeContractor approved direct labour, never subcontracted
- OEM-independent — Otis, Kone, Schindler, ThyssenKrupp, Stannah, Orona, Mitsubishi and 12 platform-lift brands
- Written feasibility report with drive / controls / cab line items inside two weeks
- BS EN 81-80 SNEL compliance closure on every modernisation
- Replacement recommendation in writing where modernisation isn't cost-effective
Modernisation — common questions
What building owners and managing agents ask first.
Should you modernise or replace a lift?
Modernise if the lift is 15-25 years old, the shaft and car structure are sound, and the failing elements are the drive, controls, doors or cab interior — that scope typically lands at 40-60% of full replacement cost with 2-6 weeks of downtime. Replace if the lift is 30+ years old, the shaft is non-compliant, the rails are damaged or the building use has changed and the lift no longer fits the duty cycle — replacement runs 100% baseline cost and 8-16 weeks contract-to-handover. BASE will recommend replacement where modernisation is not cost-effective for the client; modernising a lift that should be replaced is the most expensive mistake in this trade.
How much does lift modernisation cost in the UK?
Indicative single-lift, ex-VAT ranges from BASE's UK portfolio: drive replacement £8,000-£20,000; control system upgrade £4,000-£12,000; door operator refresh £2,500-£6,000 per opening; cab interior refurbishment £3,000-£10,000; accessibility upgrade £2,000-£6,000; full cab + drive + controls package £15,000-£40,000. Floor figures reflect like-for-like swaps in straightforward access conditions; ceiling figures reflect listed-building constraints, out-of-hours working, multi-stop lifts or specialist finishes. See our lift maintenance cost guide for the through-life economics that often drive a modernisation decision.
How long does a lift modernisation take?
A drive-only or controls-only modernisation runs 3 days to 3 weeks of downtime depending on scope. A full cab + drive + controls package runs 2-6 weeks of downtime end to end. The total programme — from survey to handover — is typically 8-12 weeks including the lead-time on factory-supplied parts; the downtime above is the on-site working window only. Compared with full replacement at 8-16 weeks of downtime, modernisation is roughly a third of the disruption for half the cost where it is the right answer.
What compliance standards apply to modernisation?
Three regimes layered together. BS EN 81-80 — the SNEL Safety Norms for Existing Lifts — is the framework competent persons specify modernisation upgrades against; it lists the safety upgrades a thorough examination can require without forcing a full replacement. BS EN 81-70 governs accessibility for passenger lifts — tactile and Braille buttons at correct mounting height, audible floor announcements, visual indicators, handrails. The Equality Act 2010 (successor to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) imposes a reasonable-adjustment duty on lift access for service providers and employers, and Part M of the Building Regulations 2010 sits behind both for new and altered buildings. See our modernisation compliance page for the SNEL upgrade hierarchy in detail.
Can older lifts be brought up to current accessibility standards?
Yes — accessibility upgrades are one of the most common modernisation scopes BASE delivers. A typical BS EN 81-70 / Equality Act 2010 evidence pack runs £2,000-£6,000 and 2-4 days of downtime: tactile and Braille buttons at the correct 900-1100 mm mounting height, audible floor announcements, visual floor indicators, handrails to spec, mirror for wheelchair reverse-out, contrasting trim for visually-impaired users. Older lifts originally certified under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 ("DDA") are brought forward to the current Equality Act 2010 baseline; the upgrade pack is normally packaged with cab interior refurbishment to minimise mobilisation costs.
Does modernisation extend the life of a lift?
Yes, by 15-20 years on a sound shaft and car structure. A drive replacement plus control upgrade typically adds 15-20 years of design life to a 20-year-old lift, leaving the original rails, car frame and shaft in place. Cab interior and accessibility upgrades do not extend the mechanical life but visibly reset the lift for residents, tenants or end users. The economics are: 40-60% of replacement cost, two thirds of the downtime, 60-70% of the new-build life expectancy. Modernisation is the right call when those numbers favour the building owner; replacement is the right call when they do not.
Will BASE recommend replacement if modernisation is not cost-effective?
Yes — and we do so regularly. BASE earns more revenue on a replacement than on a modernisation, but we lose more reputation on a botched modernisation than we earn on the sale. If the rails are bent, the shaft is non-compliant beyond economic repair, the drive type cannot physically be upgraded to current efficiency standards, or the building use has changed and the lift no longer fits the duty cycle, we will say so in writing in the feasibility report and walk the building owner through a replacement specification instead. The honest answer protects the building owner from spending modernisation money on a lift that should come out.
Do you modernise lifts from any manufacturer?
Yes. BASE is independent of the OEMs — we modernise Otis, Kone, Schindler, ThyssenKrupp, Stannah, Orona and Mitsubishi passenger lifts, and Aritco, Cibes, Dalby, Gartec, Kalea, Motala, Nami, NTD, Phoenix, Pollock and Vimec platform lifts. Drive, control and door manufacturers do not have to match the original lift make — we specify the component that fits the building, the duty cycle and the budget, not the component that the original installer happens to sell. Independence is the point of the BASE proposition.
Start with a modernisation survey
Tell us about the lift. We'll tell you whether to modernise or replace.
A tired residential block lift, a Grade II listed platform lift in need of an accessibility refresh, a 25-year-old commercial passenger lift with failing controls — every modernisation starts with a written survey within two weeks of enquiry. If replacement is the right answer, we will say so, and walk you through that instead.
Or email enquiries@baselifts.co.uk
Boutique Bronze cab finish. Recent modernisation of a boutique hotel passenger lift, drive + controls + cab.