Question:
I have recently moved into a new (well, new for me) house that has
a 18x20 detached garage. My plan is to convert the garage into a fancy
workshop or hobby space, including a completely finished and insulated
interior.
There are a number of pieces to the conversion, and I am not
entirely certain about how to approach several of them. Here are the
bits that I could use advice on how to pursue.
Foundation - the garage foundation is a concrete slab about 2
inches thick. The rear portion of the structure is on a slope, and over
time the soil has washed away from one of the corners. The slab is not
cracked, but does have a slight tilt downward in that direction.
I plan on having a foudation engineer come out to look over the
house and garage, but my thinking on correcting the detached garage goes
like this: Somehow jack up the sinking corner (without cracking the slab)
and anchor it to the solid rock layer that is about 2 feet below the
topsoil layer. Build a retaining wall behind the building to keep any
more of the soil from washing away.
Any suggestions on how to jack up the corner without cracking the
slab? Or should I just dig down to the bedrock and put a bunch of rock
under that corner to shore it up in situ?
Roofline - as a utility building, it was constructed without
soffits and rain gutters. Soffits aren't an absolute necessity, I
suppose, but the gutters are (to prevent things like the foundation
problem mentioned above). Is it worthwhile to install soffits on the
building to assist in summertime ventilation, as well as to attach the
gutters? How does one go about this task?
Sole plate - due to the lack of a gutter, over time water has
managed to infiltrate into the base of the walls, and some portions of
the framing sole plate have become questionable. The rest of the framing
members look OK. How does one replace parts of the sole plate without
losing the support of the frame?
At this point my plan is to do all of the work myself, if
possible. I'm not in a great hurry to have it finished, and am looking
forward to learning and doing all of the tasks that will be needed to
convert the building into a custom, comfy place for all of my space
consuming and (sometimes unsightly) hobbies.
Any advice and / or tips will be very welcome.
Answer:
-I would be tempted to tear down the building salvaging as much of the material
as possible. The walls could be taken down as a unit and the repair on them
would be easy using pressure treated lumber. While this is not DIY after the
foundation an floor is professionally done I would round up some buddies to
help put it back up. Its a wonder what some steaks and beer will get ya. This
is not rocket science. The hardest part, framing the walls, is already done.
The soffit and eve problem can be taken care of by using pre-fabed roof
trusses. Look around and you may be able to find an off the shelf size at a
lumber yard that sells garage kits. A lot of the times these are cheaper than
the lumber that goes into them. Lumber salvaged from the old roof can go into
all the shelves and tables you will need.
-Do you have alternative parking arrangements? Some spots are very
picky about where you can leave your car, trailer, boat, etc., and you
may find out that you need that garage to put your car in. You might
want to check before starting this project.
-You could probably replace the bad framing by jacking up the walls,
cutting and patching in a new piece. Done all the time for old houses.
As for the slab, how about just building a wood floor over the top?
Shim where necessary. Much rather stand on wood anyway.
My garage has the same problems. Watching the runnoff during a recent
rain convinced me it needs gutters. I'll also be adding a simple drain
along the front since it's the low spot.
