Between garage and house
Create a more direct route for residents, shopping and luggage without adding outdoor stairs.
For private homeowners / villas and estates
Connect the levels of your property without diminishing the place.
House, garage, pool or lower garden: F. Labbé studies a route suited to the terrain, family life and existing architecture.
A study based on the real sitePhotographs, plans, levels and intended use provide the starting point.
One coordinated project approachDesign, manufacture, installation and final adjustment remain connected.
Fabrication tied to the architectureRoute, stations, cabin and finishes are developed together.
Begin with everyday life
When the hillside makes every journey more difficult.
A long exterior staircase may be manageable when a property is first occupied and increasingly inconvenient later. Shopping, luggage, children, guests and reduced mobility all change how the route is experienced. On some sites the house, garage and pool are so far apart vertically that one part of the garden is simply used less often.
The first review describes that daily reality without forcing it into a product category. It identifies the useful departure and arrival points, the people who will travel and any objects they may carry. This gives the future design a practical purpose that can be tested against the terrain.
The project-planning guidance explains the first useful information in more detail.
Common situations
The right project makes one precise journey easier.
Each use changes the route, station positions and the way the cabin belongs within the property.
To a pool or lower terrace
Connect an outdoor living area while considering walls, water, circulation and views from the house.
Across several landscaped levels
Serve buildings, gardens or terraces arranged along steeply sloping ground.
Preserve the use of the property
Plan for changing mobility and maintain comfortable access to every important area.
Relevant solutions
Compare the equipment through the journey it must deliver.
The route and responsibilities are defined first. The pages below explain the relevant technical principles.
Private funicular
F. Labbé designs, manufactures and installs private funiculars for villas, estates and buildings arranged across sloping ground. Read about the private funicular.
Villa funicular
Connect the entrance, garage, house, terraces and pool of a sloping property with a route designed around everyday use. Read about the villa funicular.
Outdoor inclined lift
An exterior inclined lift must be designed around rain, salt air, sun, wind, frost, drainage and long-term maintenance access. Read about the outdoor inclined lift.
Architectural integration
The cabin should not look like a late addition.
A cabin, track and two stations are visible pieces of a home. Their position affects views from living rooms, terraces and neighbouring properties. F. Labbé studies the route, cabin proportions, glazing, doors and metal finishes as a coordinated part of the architecture rather than a machine hidden behind landscaping at the end of the project.
The installation can be visually discreet or form a deliberate architectural element. In both cases, the station threshold should connect naturally with the path or terrace. Rain protection, balustrades, lighting and planting must support a comfortable journey without blocking inspection and maintenance access.
From first discussion to installation
A process that remains clear without a complete technical file.
Understand the journey
Explain the levels to connect and how the property is used. Photographs and even an older plan can support the first review.
Study the site and interfaces
Route, stations, access, walls, utilities and related works are reviewed with the relevant project parties.
Design and manufacture
Once the principle is agreed, parts are detailed for fabrication, transport and installation, with finishes coordinated with the building.
Install and adjust
Installation, adjustment and testing take place within the real site conditions. Operating and maintenance arrangements are explained at handover.
Prepare the first discussion
A few details are enough to begin.
You do not need a perfect technical file. Send what already exists and F. Labbé will identify the information needed for a serious next stage.
- General photographs from the lower and upper levels
- The daily journey and intended passengers
- Plans, sections or surveys already available
- Road, delivery and construction access
- Architectural and landscape priorities
Frequently asked questions
First answers before discussing the site.
Can I contact F. Labbé without an architect?
Yes. Photographs, approximate levels and a description of the journey are enough for an initial qualification. An architect or other local professionals may be required as the project develops.
Can a private funicular connect a house and swimming pool?
This is a possible use when the route, stations, access and supporting works can be developed coherently for the property.
Can the cabin be designed to suit the villa?
Cabin proportions, glazing, visible metalwork and station finishes are studied with the site. Final choices depend on the technical and architectural brief.
Discuss the project / first review
Describe the site before choosing the solution.
A few simple details are enough to understand the journey and prepare a useful first discussion.
Useful first documents
- Photographs from the bottom and top
- Levels to connect and intended use
- Any available plan, section or survey