Garage Attic Dumbwaiter

**dgbreggin** · Mar 7, 2023, 02:32 PM

I have a large storage area in the attic above my garage/shop. I built a dumbwaiter to make it easier to move large / heavy things up and down. The deck of the platform is 22" x 43".

It is powered by a 110-volt electric winch from HF. A series of ropes and pulleys raises and lowers the platform.

Here are two pictures of the dumbwaiter from the garage. Left is fully raised. Right is partially lowered.

The platform is secured by a rope at each corner. The ropes move in unison to keep the platform level.

The dumbwaiter is positioned between roof joists to maintain the integrity of the roof trusses. It is located between two garage doors to eliminate the need to move a vehicle and close the door before using the lift.

(The holes in the sides of the platform are from a prior project -- I re-purposed the wood. )

Here are two pictures from the attic with the platform fully raised. Left shows all the rigging. Right shows details of the winch.

In the left picture, the red winch is at the lower left and the yellow winch controller is on the left toward the top. The right picture shows more detail of the winch and associated rigging.

Here are two pictures of the cable, ropes, and pulleys. Platform is partially lowered.

The cable from the winch is routed by a pair of pulleys to align with the ropes attached to the platform. The cable is rigged with a 2:1 mechanical advantage for pulling on the ropes. This is primarily to reduce the speed of movement of the platform, not because of loading on the winch.

I used inexpensive "climbing" rope because it is strong and has very little stretch. The ropes are rigged with the long down-and-back run to provide enough length to lower the platform to a convenient height. Fully lowered, the platform is about 2 feet above the garage floor.

Notes:

I built the platform such that when fully raised / closed, the deck aligns with the floor of the storage area in the attic.

Care must be taken in positioning the four pulleys above the corners of the platform. The pulleys do not hang straight down when under load, and they are always under load.

I did not install any overtravel failsafe or cutoff on the winch. The operator has complete control and is responsible for range of travel. The winch control is in the attic and the operator has an excellent view of the platform during operation.

The electric outlet for the winch is connected to the lighting circuit. When the attic lights are off, no power is available to the winch.

I have enjoyed its use for about 25 years so far.

**eoverton** · Mar 8, 2023, 07:42 PM

Thanks for posting this. I've been planning on doing this for quite some time, and I got some good ideas from what you did.

**dgbreggin** · Mar 8, 2023, 08:47 PM

Thanks for the kind words.

Though it is not really a homemade tool, I also got an inexpensive seat creeper and put it in the attic. The attic overhead is low, and moving around by just sitting down and scooting is much easier on my back. Also works in a crawl space with a hard floor.

**Toolmaker51** · Mar 12, 2023, 08:21 PM

Oh boy, can't have that in my house!
My stuff too heavy, the Ms's, with such access would have the attic jammed in a couple days; even the lift platform.

But how is that not a homemade tool? You figured out issues, where to best locate, designed, fabricated, rigged, installed, wired, and probably a few unconsidered tasks.
Sounds home made to me!

**dgbreggin** · Mar 12, 2023, 08:53 PM

Originally Posted by Toolmaker51

But how is that not a homemade tool?

I was referring to the use of the seat creeper as not really being a homemade tool. Sorry it wasn't worded more clearly.

**Toolmaker51** · Mar 12, 2023, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by dgbreggin

I was referring to the use of the seat creeper as not really being a homemade tool. Sorry it wasn't worded more clearly.

Another reason phones are crappy presentation of the internet; indistinct page breaks. On lap top now, clear as day.

**hemmjo** · Jul 19, 2025, 07:54 AM

Very clever. Just have to be careful using attic space for storage. Common trusses are not typically designed to be loaded on the bottom chords.

Just be sure of your attic framing before storing heavy stuff up there. Just because it does not break the first day, does not mean if will not fail in the future.

**dgbreggin** · Jul 19, 2025, 08:57 AM

Thank you. It has served me well.

I did install OSB decking, and installed some shelving supported by the vertical sections of the trusses. Some of this can be seen in the pictues. All built to help spread the load.

Before I did any of this, I asked my truss builder about it. His reply: "You can safely store bowling balls up there, as long as you don't stack them." (Obviously, this does not necessarily apply to anyone else's trusses.)