# Raising up my garage



## jimmyfloyd (Sep 29, 2008)

Ok, I am having a couple issue with my garage and water, along with issues with door height and my two trucks. The garage sits very low, and when we get a good rain, water goes under (and over) the sill plate and into the garage. This is not good, and i have to plan my placement of things carefully and not leave anything on the ground. 

Here are the details of the garage:

3 car
32x20'
2x4 walls 16" OC (I think)
2x4 trusses (Random spacing, but most are 36"-48" spaced.)
Slab foundation with some large cracks and missing parts.
Front was extended 3' at some point, so there is another header in there (well, 3 headers, one over each door, with some connecting material inbetween)


Goals:

Reduce the amount of water getting into the garage
Replace the sill plate as parts look like they might be rotting
gain more door height so I can install the 4" lift on my blazer


What I was thinking about was using some bottle jacks to raise the garage up enough to put in a row of concrete block on the slab, secure and seal it so no water gets in. Then put on a new 2x6" pressure treated sill plate, and then re-attach the garage to that. The issue is, I am not exactly sure how to go about raising it, or if I would have to raise the whole garage at once?

Right now, replacing the whole thing, or even replacing the whole slab is kinda out of the question, for both Money and space concerns (neighbor's garage is 4' behind and his driveway buts up to the garage.)

Thoughts? Suggestions?


Here are some pictures of the garage:

You can see the posts inside where the original front was, and the header is now:









the Side of the garage and overall shape:









The space between the back and the neighbor's:


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

howzabout a slot drain in front of the garage leading to the side ? ? ? VOILA - no wtr ! :thumbup:

jacking up the garage's best done by a house mover,,, he'll be able to crib up the supports & have a manifold for the jacks,,, the REAL skill's in the manifold operator,,, just as easy as jacking a bridge.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

That's a big garage, has to be jacked up all at once
Not a job for the inexperienced IMO

Make sure how much you need to jack it up to get to the next door height size
And check the cost of the 3 new garage doors 1st

The posts inside will all need to be replaced/support raised to new height
All support points must be raised at the same time


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> *The issue is, I am not exactly sure how to go about raising it,* or if I would have to raise the whole garage at once?


Ayuh,.... That's the Problem,...
It's easily doable with bottle jacks, blocking,+ beams...
Teaching it over the internet is Impossible...

Btw,... I'd go 2 courses of block,+ pour a new slab on top of the existing,...


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

Good gutter across the front over the garage doors, draining away...
Cut in a drain channel all across in front of the doors, draining away...
Super-duper garage door floor seal (like http://www.amazon.com/Tsunami-Seal%C2%AE-Garage-Threshold-Black/dp/B000XQATJ8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1253241835&sr=1-3). I installed one of these and fixed a problem where a lot of water would get blown under my door at times.
I would try these things I think before going to all the effort, time, and money to raise the garage - unless the trucks are an overriding factor. I have a lifted Jeep - so I appreciate the problem...


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## jimmyfloyd (Sep 29, 2008)

Well, when I say I have no experience, I have a rough idea of what I would need to do, just not sure if it would be more cost effective to hire it out than DIY.

As for the water issue, the problem comes from the back side of the garage mostly, not the front. And as for grading, my lot is pretty much level, so grading the water away isn't really an option. I do have a gutter for the back of the garage, just haven't had time to install it. I am hoping that will alleviate some of the issue. 

Also, I had thought about raising the floor, but that comes with it's own issues, the biggest being that the boards on the floor in the center bay cover up a grease pit about 5 feet deep. 

The water issue and the truck height are probably 50/50 as for the reason for doing this. I have looked into getting 8 or so 6 ton bottle jacks inorder to try and lift it up evenly, but am unsure of proper placement and such. Obviously there will be a lot of variables, so that i why I am asking questions first before attempting anything. 

Thanks for the help so far, and I appretiate all advice (even if it isn't what I want to hear)


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