any dumb waiter experts out there?
 

now i know this is too simple to make jokes about. but a dumb waiter is an elevator for stuff like for a kitchen serving a room on another floor and so forth.

i have a need for one in the house i am building in which the entrance is 1.5 floor levels below the level of the kitchen and living area.

the house is sortof designed upside down to take advantage of a nice view out over lafayette from the top level. the downside is that you will have to carry groceries up that far. being a three bedroom home, there is potential for a fair amount of groceries to be generated.

so i figure a dumbwaiter will help sell the house....providing a solution to the actual problem and giving folks a neat gadget to talk about with their friends.

so anybody have some insights or companies to steer me toward?

tom w

Check the code restrictions some Muni's have outright banned them because fire spreads so quickly, same with laundry chutes.

oh man, don't give the local fire inspector any ideas!

tom w

I love the dictatorial powers of building, electrical and fire inspectors. It doesn't have to be right, but if they say it, you have to do it or be ready to call your lawyer.

Have you looked on the web? I am sure there must be modern ones that have some sort of intumescent seal in the event of a fire.

What is a lawyer going to do, Building Inspectors and City councils trump the Bill of Rights.

there are always adds in the back of taunton press' fine homebuilding mag.

"Upside down" living is quite common here at the Jersey Shore. So are elevators.. for people. ;)
If it's a spec house, I strongly suggest you go that route vs a dumbwaiter, even if it costs a little more (assuming it can fit in the floor plan). You will limit your field of potential buyers without one. Most fatties, couch potatoes, the elderly or folks with disabilities will not walk upstairs to get to the living floor area, in my opinion.

But, you're the architect. Just know who your buyer is! ;)
Good luck Tom.

Same with restaurant health inspectors. They don't like you, you're toast.

I like toast, toast is great.

is this available at barns and noble, by chance?

tom w

i doubt the market price of around $260k will support an elevator, nor the neighborhood. the view is over lafayette indiana not the atlantic. it will be a nice feature but not worth $100k, i don't think.

thanks for your input.

tom w

thanks kerry, we will check that one out along with the others we have found. it looks like a good one.

tom w

hi tom- yes, that publication should be at barnes& noble- I just picked up the latest issue- only found 1 ad in the back of this one,http://silentservant.com/ it is a manual model. probably on the lower end of the prices. I really know nothing about them, except i worked on a few older homes with them installed(not this brand, but d-waiters)

goodluck, take care, mo

thanks, mo.

that looks very interesting. a manual would be more dependable and less money to buy. i suspect if i can find one that can be installed as manual and then a motor added later that that would be ideal. probably no such luck, though.

tom w