Dumbwaiter for wood? And the ultimate indoor storage system?

[kevinmoelk]

I'm playing around with my home designs tonight. I was thinking about incorporating a wood storage room below the home. Outside would be a log chute that goes into a room and then one could use a dumbwaiter to transport the wood to the above floor.

Just wondering what design considerations to factor when considering the above plan. Feasible? Practical?

Thoughts?

-Kevin

 

[MrGriz]

That's not a bad idea Wrench.

My neighbor just built an addition to his house. He basically turned what was the garage into a great room with a new attached garage in front of that space. The fireplace is built on the wall that separates the house and garage and has a good sized wood storage area built into the stone work. He was thinking of creating a 'door' from the garage into the back side of this storage area to load wood without having to track through the entire house.

 

[kevinmoelk]

Hummm. That's a good idea MrGriz. My current home unfortunately does not have that opportunity. I should have clarified a little that what I'm working on is only a plan, so there is complete freedom to design from scratch. I'm also considering perhaps some method to accelerate the seasoning process and control humidity. I think it would be nice to have an area that could store say maybe 2-3 cords of wood indoors.

-Kevin

 

[elkimmeg]

The reason dumb waiters are not allowed in code anymore is they create a direct path for fire to spread from areas below

 

[PaulyV]

lol...there goes another one..start another scratch pad Wrench..

 

[Rich M]

If got a fair system for my ranch style house with attached garage. I use my large wheel barrow to bring wood from the wood shed into the garage and park it close to the door. Then I use a Radio Flyer wagon to bring the wood in from the garage and park it next to the hearth. The wheel barrow brings in about a 2 day supply and keeps all the snow, mud etc. from being tracked inside. The wagon brings in a full days wood and contains all the bark, chips etc. from getting all over the floor. I've since retired my wood carry bags and everything stays much cleaner. The wagon was $20 at a toy store.

 

[MrGriz]

The reason dumb waiters are not allowed in code anymore is they create a direct path for fire to spread from areas below

Just asking here, not trying to be a smart a$$. Dont open stairways do exactly the same thing?

 

[elkimmeg]

stairs do present the same problems That's why the are protected by smoke a co detectors, they are anecessary convience for acces to living space above
The dumb waithter is not . Studies have proven containment saves lives It buys valuable seconds to safely exit in times of disaster. Our homes have natural containment
barriers floors and ceilings. Not know the the average indivual, is the requirement of fire blocking and draft stopping, required during every rough frame inspection.

the main reason is to ensure breaches have been sealed for containment.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Elk,

Does that make it more difficult for the elderly to install elevators? I've read they are being installed more and more.

Matt

 

[wahoowad]

wrenchmonster,

I'm currently reading "The Backyard Lumberjack" (found it cheapest online at Bailey's) and they have two pictures of a dumbwaiter set up for firewood. I thought it was rather neat. It looks like a retail item, not custom built. The pics and text don't focus on any details, it is just in there and lightly mentioned. Probably not enough to justify buying the book unless you wanted a book on firewood processing. I am enjoying the book myself. I also bought "The Good Woodcutter's Guide" by Eric's pop Dave Johnson (also from Bailey's) and am looking forward to reading it.

 

[kevinmoelk]

What if the dumbwaiter were to go on the outside of the home? The entire mechanism outside. Not for a one story home, but if you had a 2 story. In that way you could move wood up to the second floor without tracking inside your home and up the stairs, etc.

Also, another question for Elk... what if you were to incorporate the stairs and dumbwatier within the same space? Would that be allowed?

Thanks for all the suggestions guys... keep them coming.

-Kevin

 

[nshif]

I have a neighbor that has sort of an exterior dumbwaiter. Its a 3'x3'x4' box That he fills from his supply under his deck ( about 10' high ) It has a cable up to a pair of pulley's then down to a hand operated winch. He has a gate on the deck to secure the opening when the box is downstairs ( all summer or for reload. ) He can haul up about a weeks worth of wood in a short time And it right outside his back door. I do pretty much the same but I have an oldPOS forklift that i use to raise it.

 

[Roospike]

What if the dumbwaiter were to go on the outside of the home? The entire mechanism outside. Not for a one story home, but if you had a 2 story. In that way you could move wood up to the second floor without tracking inside your home and up the stairs, etc.

Also, another question for Elk... what if you were to incorporate the stairs and dumbwatier within the same space? Would that be allowed?

Thanks for all the suggestions guys... keep them coming.

-Kevin

This is what i was thinking and it shouldnt be any different then an upstairs and down stairs window except for the outside box. one would have to make sure the bottom door and top door kept closed .

 

[Gooserider]

stairs do present the same problems That's why the are protected by smoke a co detectors, they are anecessary convience for acces to living space above
The dumb waithter is not . Studies have proven containment saves lives It buys valuable seconds to safely exit in times of disaster. Our homes have natural containment
barriers floors and ceilings. Not know the the average indivual, is the requirement of fire blocking and draft stopping, required during every rough frame inspection.

the main reason is to ensure breaches have been sealed for containment.

I still see dumbwaiters advertised in the backs of magazines like "This Old (out)House" and so forth - is the ban a total prohibition, or is it something that can be done if one pays proper attention to construction, like making the shaft out of something non-combustible, and having substantial doors at each level....

I understand what you're saying about fire paths and the like, but I don't see why a dumbwaiter would be any worse in this regard than things like laundry chute's, HVAC duct work, and other such things that can also be fire paths if they aren't done right.

At any rate, we have some friends in NH that have a dumbwaiter in their geodesic dome house (we like to call it the dome-icile) - it runs from the basement to their living room. I forget just what was downstairs to close it off, but upstairs it is built into a wooden bench like deal that has a solid hinged top and front made from 3/4" plywood, sort of a "gull wing" style. It is a box about 3' wide, and 2' deep and tall, and was intended to carry wood and groceries up from the basement level garage into the living room.

Gooserider

 

[KarynAnne]

I'm playing around with my home designs tonight. I was thinking about incorporating a wood storage room below the home. Outside would be a log chute that goes into a room and then one could use a dumbwaiter to transport the wood to the above floor.

Just wondering what design considerations to factor when considering the above plan. Feasible? Practical?

Thoughts?

-Kevin

We have something close to this. Our house is a cape w/ back walkout basement. Picture the garage on the cape with a trapdoor in the floor going to the room below the garage. The trapdoor was designed by my husband specifically for firewood. The room below the garage is the same size as the garage. Two concrete walls/two wood walls. (We call this room "the cave".) The woodstove is downstairs in the basement. The cave can hold a lot of firewood. Most recent good thing discovered about this set up...the last wood delivery was pretty wet from rain. The dehumidifier is set up in the cave and used as needed. Voila. If the wood stove were upstairs, this would create a problem with hauling wood. But this way, it doesn't get much easier.

 

[PaulyV]

I have a laundry chute in my home. Goes from my bedroom to 1 floor down to a closet. The chute is lined in galvenized. House built 1982. too bad no fireplace in bedroom...could of pulled it up on a tray and some rope..along with a beer and a slice of pizza..

 

[elkimmeg]

Picture the garage on the cape with a trapdoor in the floor going to the room below the garage. The trapdoor was designed by my husband specifically for firewood.

can any one guess why gasoline fumes reside near floor level? Having a door in a the garage floor???? and a wood stove in the cellar below???

Whow does that sound like a dangereous situation????

 

[wahoowad]

Will the government put you in jail if you build one in your own home?

 

[rmcfall]

I was thinking of something similar to what your neighbor did. How did he support the pulleys up top?

I have a neighbor that has sort of an exterior dumbwaiter. Its a 3'x3'x4' box That he fills from his supply under his deck ( about 10' high ) It has a cable up to a pair of pulley's then down to a hand operated winch. He has a gate on the deck to secure the opening when the box is downstairs ( all summer or for reload. ) He can haul up about a weeks worth of wood in a short time And it right outside his back door. I do pretty much the same but I have an oldPOS forklift that i use to raise it.

 

[nshif]

I was thinking of something similar to what your neighbor did. How did he support the pulleys up top?

I have a neighbor that has sort of an exterior dumbwaiter. Its a 3'x3'x4' box That he fills from his supply under his deck ( about 10' high ) It has a cable up to a pair of pulley's then down to a hand operated winch. He has a gate on the deck to secure the opening when the box is downstairs ( all summer or for reload. ) He can haul up about a weeks worth of wood in a short time And it right outside his back door. I do pretty much the same but I have an oldPOS forklift that i use to raise it.

The box is guided inside of a "track" of 20' vertical 4x4s into 2' of concrete. At the top is a diagonal piece of 1/4"x4" plate steel and the on the opposing diagonal is a piece of 1/4" x 4" c chanel and one pully is hung from the center. The other pully is hung from a 2x12 lag bolted across the back of the 4x4s.

 

[elkimmeg]

this is legal I think IO fill up tyhe backhoe bucket = about 1/4 to 1/3 cord drive it up to the door and it needed I can rise it up about 12'
Masons or roofers have latter cadddies which are platforms using a ladder as rails connected to a motor to run a hoist. I don'y believe there are issues outside the structure Why not get a conyeyer belt.

 

[KarynAnne]

Picture the garage on the cape with a trapdoor in the floor going to the room below the garage. The trapdoor was designed by my husband specifically for firewood.

can any one guess why gasoline fumes reside near floor level? Having a door in a the garage floor???? and a wood stove in the cellar below???

Whow does that sound like a dangereous situation????

The wood stove is on the other side of the house from the cave, and the car does not get parked in the garage. But, if you make assumptions about situations I guess you could imagine the worst. The risk is in sounding condescending in the meantime.

 

[nshif]

Perhaps people need to learn the differences between a SHOP and a GARAGE. If the are no vehicles in there or fuel or combustible storage then there is no reason to to treat it like a garage.

 

[Homefire]

If your to lazy to carry wood then get NG, OIL, PROPANE, ELECTRIC or whatever else the old and infirmed are froced to do.

Dumb WaiterS and backhoes for wood. LMAO and ROTF

 

[Gooserider]

Perhaps people need to learn the differences between a SHOP and a GARAGE. If the are no vehicles in there or fuel or combustible storage then there is no reason to to treat it like a garage.

Part of what inspectors and other such folks have to worry about is that "chit happens" and what you are using it for today doesn't tell them what you'll be doing with it tomorrow, or that you aren't going to sell it to some schmuck that thinks home repairs are what you hire contractors for and that one is actually supposed to keep CARS in a garage ;-P (My GF still has trouble with this concept) Thus, no matter what label you stick on it, if it's got a driveway going up to it, and it has a garage door, the inspector has to think of it as a garage.... If you replace the garage door with a wall, possibly with a door to small to get a car into, then he will let you call it a shop, perhaps....

Gooserider