One of the many, many, hoops we were required to jump through in order to get approval for some design and use updates for an historic Georgetown property, was to find a solution for parking in our very narrow driveway that would make it so that cars did not have to back into the street. Yes, you read that correctly. We are not allowed to back out of our driveway. We had a fun week inviting people in various sized cars to try a 3 point turn in the drive, and only the smallest (and one stubborn guy) could make it in less than 5.
Years ago, in Malibu, I had installed a vehicle turntable in a residential garage / showroom and thought this might be the solution. I reached out Carousel USA to assess our situation. There was one major difference in the properties; in Malibu, we were able to excavate and recess the motor in the ground, but in Georgetown, we would have to have the entire carousel and mechanics above ground. This required a custom ramp addition and a few user behavior modifications, but it was doable. The only preparation on our end was to provide a completely level surface. We hired a concrete contractor who handled that job with ease and expedience.
The carousel showed up on two extra-wide palettes. An installer came from Carousel USA and had the entire system up and running within a day. We have one outstanding issue to resolve: that being if one pulls up to far in a very low car, it is possible to hit the raised motor during the turn. We’re looking at laser stops, flexible traffic cones, and have even considered my Dad’s old favorite: hanging a tennis ball from the ceiling to let a driver know when they have pulled up far enough onto the turntable. Other than that, it’s been a very positive solution. We were able to accommodate the DC Traffic Control issues and now have an easy way in and out of our garage and driveway. It’s kinda cool too..very ‘Bat Cave-ish’.
