this seems like a classic case of overengineering. personally I wouldn’t consider 300 bottles massive anyway. I have a 600 bottle Vinotemp 1500 that just sits on its 2" feet on the oak floor. no signs of denting and I am not worried about finding something unsightly some day when I move it.
The piano caster cup idea is brilliant and very affordable. I just purchased 4 grand piano caster cups that can hold up to over 2000 lbs between 3 of them (so could hold almost 2700 pounds between 4 of them). Could tuck them away under the sides of the wine fridge and they would look like extra large feet for it - will get them in a non-polished ebony finish which is similar enough to the color of the fridge itself. This way I’m not going overkill, they should dampen vibrations a bit, and they will do the job I need them to do.
Also - yes, this is a cross post, but hoping that since everyone who has weighed in here may also have some perspective to give on this as well, I got a quote from the foundation specialist/remodeler:
"Hi all -
I posted a couple months ago about potentially getting a new wine fridge in the future and now have one on order and being ready to set up delivery in the next couple weeks.
I was hoping someone here could fill me in on whether an estimate I received from a local foundation specialist who is a remodeler seems reasonable or if the guy is trying to take me for a ride and rip me off. The crawl space you have to get to by going down to the basement; it is about 18-24" of height to maneuver in. Here is the estimate I got; I cut out some of the unnecessary words talking about the layout of the house which is irrelevant, etc. -
Beam: The addition of potentially 1200 (to 2400, for two fridges)… could potentially cause a dip in the flooring in this area. There is sufficient pier support of the main girder running front to rear, but an additional beam is recommended. The beam will be constructed of two 2x10 boards and supported by adjustable steel post jacks approximately 2’ off the girder. $856.80
Sister: The 2x10 joists in this area should be sistered from one load point to the next… $816.00
Total $1,672.80
I am willing to pay if it sounds reasonable… I also have the option of putting the fridge in the basement where it will sit on a concrete slab set on plain ol’ earth which could save me this money but mean no display piece in the dining room and a lot more trips to the basement to hunt for vino. For what it is worth, the foundation specialist seemed to tell me that the floor could support the fridge without sistering etc., but that it would probably lead to a noticeable dip in the flooring in that area.
You guys have any thoughts on this pricing?"