Raising Garage

in-too-deep · Mar 23, 2015

Good afternoon, all! We have a 24'x28' garage that
we'd like to remodel. It was built in the 80's out
of rough cut pine boards. Studs and rafters 2' o.c.
Soon to have a steel roof over plywood sheathing.
Insulated but no interior sheathing. 1/2 in plywood
walls outside. Has 2- 8 ft wide overhead doors on
one end. 9 ft ceilings. We would really like to
raise it 3ft to get 12 ft ceilings. How would you do
it? I have access to a couple big friggin I-beams.
Would you build a new 3 ft wall to put under the
bottom plate? Or would you take bottom plate off and
scab new stubs on to and under the existing? Also,
would two- 5000 lb forklifts pick the whole thing up
using the I -beams?

ed will · Mar 23, 2015

Hi, I have raised a few like that. I would use
both fork lifts, one on each side under plate
lift one end at a time maybe 6 " at a time
until you can get your beam under. Then you can lift
On the beam put a 6ft 2x6 across forks to carry
load better. Don't try to go 3ft at once Knock
the plate off and scab new studs to old ones.
don't forget to brace from rafter to a stud in a few
plcea to keep it square. Ed will

paul · Mar 23, 2015

4 bin jacks - the A frames - would do it also. You might have easier access to forklifts than jacks where you are.

Need to make the seam strong where you add on, side load of the wind and such.

Let me know how it goes, I was thinking of doing the same to my little red shed, 8 foot doors, would like another 2-3 feet on that and pull wagons through.......

Paul

ed will · Mar 23, 2015

Hi, I have raised a few like that. I would use
both fork lifts, one on each side under plate
lift one end at a time maybe 6 " at a time
until you can get your beam under. Then you can lift
On the beam put a 6ft 2x6 across forks to carry
load better. Don't try to go 3ft at once Knock
the plate off and scab new studs to old ones.
don't forget to brace from rafter to a stud in a few
plcea to keep it square. Ed will

VADAVE · Mar 23, 2015

Here's an idea.
If you can lift the garage with two forklifts or jacks 3 feet you can lift it 4. Get it up put forms in and pour a three foot wall, put in some J-bolts and after the concrete has set up sit the garage back down.
For most of us getting the garage up is the problem.

in-too-deep · Mar 23, 2015

I think you're definitely right about the side loads. Sounds like you should come up and help to get practice. Possibly next year, or, as things go, 2019.

Spook · Mar 23, 2015

(quoted from post at 12:21:02 03/23/15) Good afternoon, all! We have a 24'x28' garage that
we'd like to remodel. It was built in the 80's out
of rough cut pine boards. Studs and rafters 2' o.c.
Soon to have a steel roof over plywood sheathing.
Insulated but no interior sheathing. 1/2 in plywood
walls outside. Has 2- 8 ft wide overhead doors on
one end. 9 ft ceilings. We would really like to
raise it 3ft to get 12 ft ceilings. How would you do
it? I have access to a couple big friggin I-beams.
Would you build a new 3 ft wall to put under the
bottom plate? Or would you take bottom plate off and
scab new stubs on to and under the existing? Also,
would two- 5000 lb forklifts pick the whole thing up
using the I -beams?

I am gonna go against the grain here. I don't think using the forklifts are a good idea. First, I don't know that they can make the lift. 2nd, this is kinda fussy, most lift guys aren't able to be real gentle or take it real slow.

I'd use jacks, hydraulic or screw, I don't think I beams are necessary, just some long planks. We raised my neighbor's up 4 ft with some 10 ton jacks.

Phil-mar Farms · Mar 23, 2015

You could do this with 4 Hi-Lo jacks[wagon jacks].Make a box out of 2x6s that a 4x4 will slide in. Approx. 9' and 4x4 8'10". Leave one 2x6 three feet short for jack. Fasten jack box to wall and jack up the top plate. Brace building from outside.

in-too-deep · Mar 23, 2015

I like that idea. The box keeps the jack from kicking out. Now, if only I had enough friends to borrow from...

JMS/.MN · Mar 23, 2015

Wondering if the forklifts have enough capacity? Figure out a materials list, do the math to figure out what the garage weighs. I wouldn"t use the handyman jacks, retaining boxes or not- they"re shaky support. I raised a corn crib with them once. Definitely need to remove the sill and scab to the uprights to maintain sidewall strength. Check with a building mover if you can borrow some cribbing to support the building while doing the walls. Concrete walls are a good idea.

FWIW, I"ve moved a single car garage with a 3020 with loader on the front, bale fork and crossmember on the rear....around the yard a couple times, and half mile down the road to my son"s place.

showcrop · Mar 24, 2015

I agree with lifting up and adding at the bottom. In addition I would suggest for strength, cut the plywood off the bottom of the existing walls and lap the plywood for the new bottom part up over the joint.

Blackhole49 · Mar 24, 2015

I'll leave the lifting to the experts. If it were mine, I would make up the height with cinder blocks and mortar.

paul · Mar 25, 2015

I understand your timeline -all- to well!

Paul

ObsoElitist · Mar 25, 2015

I have done this. My dad is a civil engineer and figured out the plan, and i did it with the help of two young men who were as strong as oxes and twice as smart. We raised the roof on his garage 5 feet to allow installing lifts to make it a 4 car garage. We used a sawzall to cut the nails securing the roof plates from the top of the studs, after we set up a scaffold on each corner inside, against the rafters. We raised it about 4 inches at a time, with two guys. We would turn the jack legs on one end of a scaffold, then the other, then to the next scaffold. Repeat as necessary and use a lot of large wood blocks to build up the height, one leg at a time as the jacks were only 2 or three feet long . We did this job with permits in the city of San Diego. Rather than scab on to the studs as would have worked, we had to sister a full-lenght stud to each existing. At the door side next to the house we added a simpson strong tie panel for rigidity and earthquake code compliance. Also, in the picture you can see one of the 8 diagonal ropes we used to prevent shifting and control sway.

Ill bet my dad's Slide rule is bigger than your dads!

Owen Aaland · Mar 25, 2015

I raised a 16 x 32 a little at a time going from one side to the other and using cribbing under the bottom plate. I added three rows of block to raise it 2 feet. I laid the block between the cribbing and then supported the building on the new blocks to fill in the gaps where the cribbing was, then lowered the building back down.

showcrop · Mar 25, 2015

(quoted from post at 00:11:59 03/25/15) I have done this. My dad is a civil engineer and figured out the plan, and i did it with the help of two young men who were as strong as oxes and twice as smart. We raised the roof on his garage 5 feet to allow installing lifts to make it a 4 car garage. We used a sawzall to cut the nails securing the roof plates from the top of the studs, after we set up a scaffold on each corner inside, against the rafters. We raised it about 4 inches at a time, with two guys. We would turn the jack legs on one end of a scaffold, then the other, then to the next scaffold. Repeat as necessary and use a lot of large wood blocks to build up the height, one leg at a time as the jacks were only 2 or three feet long . We did this job with permits in the city of San Diego. Rather than scab on to the studs as would have worked, we had to sister a full-lenght stud to each existing. At the door side next to the house we added a simpson strong tie panel for rigidity and earthquake code compliance. Also, in the picture you can see one of the 8 diagonal ropes we used to prevent shifting and control sway.

Ill bet my dad's Slide rule is bigger than your dads!

How about my own slide rule? LOL. I came across mine a few weeks ago. When I got it as a junior in high school I ordered it in the new pale yellow color. I got about three years out of it before calculators came out.

Raising Garage

in-too-deep

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ed will

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paul

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ed will

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VADAVE

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in-too-deep

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Spook

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Phil-mar Farms

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in-too-deep

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JMS/.MN

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showcrop

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Blackhole49

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paul

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ObsoElitist

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Owen Aaland

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showcrop

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