Lifting a garage

[micko]

Hi guys
I have an old garage down the yard which has a solid hardwood frame and a new color bond roof -so I want to keep it.
The problem is it's bottom plates are sitting on bricks (no joists or bearers) which have sunk below ground level.I removed the old timber floor as it was rotten.
What I would like to do, is lift it above ground level,put in joists and bearers and put a nice yellow tongue floor in.(I have 6 sheets that were given to me.)
Any ideas on how to do this would be appreciated.
Are brick piers the way to go?

thanks
Micko

[nexusone]

Do you really need to raise it? If it has sufficient wall height, you could carefully prop and brace it, cut the studs a little shorter and install new bottom plates above ground level. Instead of brick piers have alook at using gal stirrups at regular intervals for bottom plates and bearers. They are cheap, stong and easy to install.

Just a thought. Raisning the whole thing is possible but would require a lot of bracing, use of jacks etc.

Steve

[micko]

Thanks for your reply Steve.
It's an interseting idea that i hadn't considered.
How much do gal Stirrups cost and how long are they?
Maybe I can use gal stirrups on the bottom plates instead of bearers,then put the joists on top odf the bottom plates.......

micko

[nexusone]

Yes - that would work too. There are a range of sizes - visit your local hardware.

Steve

[micko]

What are besserblocks like for supporting a shed ?
They are certainly broad enough 400*200*200.
Would they need a foundation (base plate )under them.
Remember it's ashed with a Zinc Alum roof,not a house.
many thanks
Micko

[journeyman Mick]

Micko,
the besser blocks will be fine IF you use knock out blocks, laid on a steel reinforced 300 x 300 concrete strip footing, with starter bars @ 1200 crs up into the blocks and then core fill the blocks with concrete and a full perimeter of Y12 steel. There's no quick, cheap and easy way out when doing footings, not if you want to avoid the hard, slow, expensive fix up later!

I reckon the best solution, and most cost effective, would be to lift the shed and pour a concrete slab under it and then lower it back down. To lift the shed you could probably cut some holes in the sides, just below the top plate for some beams to be inserted. These could be lifted with acrow props and supported by timber cribs. You'd build the timber crib up first, then lift enough to slip in another piece of timber, continuing until you had enough clearance to do the slab. All this would be an expensive, material and equipment rich operation and probably best contracted out to someone with the neccesary eqipment and expertise.

The structafloor is not a good option as you want at least 600 clearance between the ground and the lowest timber member, plus you need plenty of ventilation.

Mick

[barnsey]

My thinking on trying to raise the titanic is that maybe there are some good things about it that are reuseable but is it worth the time and expense. :confused:

Raising it as Mick said will mean that you'll need to think about how will you get things in and out of it with it elevated nearly 750mm (600 clearance then flooring and joists). :rolleyes: Would seem to me that a slab is the way to go. ;)

Frankly to do that with the garage jacked you still have the cost to get someone or hire the equipment to jack it while you get the slab down.

I'd be talking to the local shed/garage guy - he might be able to re-use the roofing for you if that's important to you, you can use the flooring to line it with to decrease sound and add some insulatin to it and you'll be able to put clips, pegs, nails, screws to hang your stuff.
:D