This is a guest post by Andrew Handley. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
A dumbwaiter is a very old concept; it is one that has a history thousands of years in the making. A dumbwaiter is a type of lifting aid that has spent thousands of years helping homeowners lift heavy items from one floor to another through a specialized lift in the wall. In the past, the dumbwaiter was nothing more than a rope attached to a board that was hoisted up to its destination, and back down again. Today, dumbwaiters are powered with electricity and are perfect for homes with more than one floor. Typically, dumbwaiters are used to lift food trays from the kitchen to upstairs rooms, such as bedrooms and studies.
Benefits of a dumbwaiter
Installing a dumbwaiter in your kitchen is a great idea if you have a home with more than one floor. For anyone, the addition of a dumbwaiter is a great way to eliminate the need to carry heavy items up the stairs, which is a dangerous activity that could lead to a fall. For the elderly, the concept of a dumbwaiter is an even better idea. Elderly residents often have a difficult time climbing stairs due to health issues such as osteoporosis, arthritis and other afflictions. With their overwhelming need to hold on to the rails, it is difficult for elderly residents to carry their dinner trays upstairs, which means they have to forgo eating in bed, on the balcony or anywhere else upstairs. Installing a dumbwaiter is a great way to eliminate the need to carry anything up the stairs; simply placing it in the dumbwaiter and pushing a button means your meal will be waiting for you when you get upstairs.
While dumbwaiters are often used to transport meals from one floor to another, they are also good for other things. Anyone who has a house with a garage beneath the kitchen will benefit from installing a dumbwaiter as well. When you go to the grocery store and have a number of grocery bags that need to be hauled upstairs, the trip can be long. Walking up and down the stairs several times to transport groceries to the kitchen is often difficult for people who have trouble climbing the stairs, a number of bags and even small children. A dumbwaiter allows you to place your groceries on the lift, send them upstairs, and take your kids – if you have any – upstairs with minimal effort.
Furthermore, dumbwaiters can be used for just about anything. If you want to send laundry from the laundry room to a different floor, you can place it in the dumbwaiter. If you want to take a number of things up or downstairs that you don’t have room to carry all at once, place them in the dumbwaiter. It’s a great way to ensure that your belongings get where they need to go without putting you out. Installing a dumbwaiter to upgrade your kitchen can really make your life much easier. However, dumbwaiters are not meant to be used for transporting people; this is dangerous.
Adding a little class
Modern dumbwaiters add class to any kitchen. In the past, dumbwaiters were used by many, and were considered to be a helpful part of a home. While most people did not have the funds to have upgrades such as dumbwaiter in times long past, those who did have dumbwaiters were usually part of a higher class. Today, dumbwaiters add class because of their functionality and their status. Builders can incorporate a dumbwaiter into a home they are constructing, and homeowners can add a dumbwaiter to an already existing home if they choose. Finally, dumbwaiters add value to a home, meaning that it helps your home’s resale value.
Anyone looking to simplify their life, or simply to eliminate the danger of carrying items up and down the stairs should consider a dumbwaiter. Today’s electric powered dumbwaiters make transporting items in your home easier than ever, and adding convenience and resale value to your home is always a good idea.
Andrew Handley is an indoor reconstruction specialist for An Excelsior Elevator. Apart from residential, he also deals in commercial dumbwaiters.
My grandmother lives in a large house and it is getting harder for her to manage the stairs. I think installing a dumb waiter would help her a lot. I especially like how you mention that it can help you get the groceries upstairs. Right now she has to move the bags up step by step if no one is there to help her. I would feel a lot better about her safety if I knew she had an easier way to take care of chores like this. Thanks for the information!
It’s good to know that dumbwaiters are an excellent way to transport meals from one floor to another. My parents plan on having a house built soon. Since Grandma Fe is coming to live with us and she can no longer climb up and down the stairs without difficulty, I’ll suggest we have a dumbwaiter installed in our new home. Thanks.