Garages and Carports - lowering vs leveling floor
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joeinthedark
01-01-06, 10:34 PM
I just bought a house that had the garage converted into a bedroom and all they did with the floor is glue carpet on top of the cement floor. There are two problems with this room: :wall:
1st the floor is not level. It slopes a total of 4” from the back of the room to the front.
2nd the ceiling is very low. It is 84” in the back of the room and 80” at front.
I was hoping that I could rip out the floor and lower it by at least a half a foot and make it level. The house was built in 1941 so I am not sure how the footings for the garage is or how deep they go. Is it possible (and wise to lower the floor) or should I just level it out and just live with the short ceiling. :confused:
Any help would be great Thanks!
1st the floor is not level. It slopes a total of 4” from the back of the room to the front.
2nd the ceiling is very low. It is 84” in the back of the room and 80” at front.
I was hoping that I could rip out the floor and lower it by at least a half a foot and make it level. The house was built in 1941 so I am not sure how the footings for the garage is or how deep they go. Is it possible (and wise to lower the floor) or should I just level it out and just live with the short ceiling. :confused:
Any help would be great Thanks!
chandler
01-02-06, 06:19 PM
What type ceiling is there? Is it suspended or sheetrock? I just can't imagine a garage with only 80" of clearance, floor to ceiling. there must be something else to give some height. If you have a suspended ceiling, see if it can be raised. As far as the floor goes, lowering it would be a bear, and a structural engineer should be consulted before you jack hammer it. Levelling may be your only option.
joeinthedark
01-02-06, 06:48 PM
It is sheetrock. And there is no way to rise the ceiling because there is a bedroom above it.
Concretemasonry
01-02-06, 07:16 PM
A 4" pitch in a garage floor sounds very possible. Does it really slope toward the back of the garage instead of out toward the front?
Is there a floor drain?
The feasibility of removing the floor depends on the foundation/slab system.
Do you have concrete or concrete block stem walls projecting to or above the floor level (slab floating inside the foundation) or do you have a continuous slab with the structure above bearing on the slab? You may have to look around the outside for clues. IF you see concrete block, you may have a floating slab. If you have the first (floating slab), removing the slab is very possible and relatively easy.
If you have the second system, then you should call an engineer to see what the options are.
Leveling will be costly and eat up more of your valuable headroom since there are limits how thin a leveling material can be.
Dick
Is there a floor drain?
The feasibility of removing the floor depends on the foundation/slab system.
Do you have concrete or concrete block stem walls projecting to or above the floor level (slab floating inside the foundation) or do you have a continuous slab with the structure above bearing on the slab? You may have to look around the outside for clues. IF you see concrete block, you may have a floating slab. If you have the first (floating slab), removing the slab is very possible and relatively easy.
If you have the second system, then you should call an engineer to see what the options are.
Leveling will be costly and eat up more of your valuable headroom since there are limits how thin a leveling material can be.
Dick
joeinthedark
01-02-06, 07:30 PM
Sorry I wrote the dimensions backwards it slopes to the front. The foundation is not block. But I do think it is floating slab because it does have cement wall above the floor. If I could lower the floor how low is acceptable?
Concretemasonry
01-02-06, 07:39 PM
You could lower it a reasonable amount. The limitations would be:
1. Steps or access to the rest of the house
2. The elevation of any footings or depth of the concrete walls
3. The possibility of getting water inside due to the landscaping, drainage and water content of the soil.
It will be a messy job and you will probably have to knock out a wall to get the dirt out and the concrete out and in.
Check in the location and routing of all utilities, plumbing, sewer, etc.
I also guarantee you will find something you don't expect to find!
1. Steps or access to the rest of the house
2. The elevation of any footings or depth of the concrete walls
3. The possibility of getting water inside due to the landscaping, drainage and water content of the soil.
It will be a messy job and you will probably have to knock out a wall to get the dirt out and the concrete out and in.
Check in the location and routing of all utilities, plumbing, sewer, etc.
I also guarantee you will find something you don't expect to find!