I am planning to build a 2 car garage with a workshop below. The site is sloping and would require a lot of fill to place it on a slab. The basement would have views of the water and house my woodworking shop and wine cellar. As I live in Maine, snow melt in the garage could be a problem. Does anyone have a solution for a garage surface that can provide a waterproof surface and stand up to our harsh winter. I looked at the Spancrete web page but believe that would be overkill and expensive. I need to get this done soon as my wife is threatening to divorce me if I track any more sawdust from the basement into the house.
I know some genuis out there has a solution to this problem. Help!!!!!
Dennis
Replies
Sounds like a grand idea. Let me see... so if you get this baby built, you will live in the workshop with you wine cellar and you'll never have to track into the house anymore? Wife would be happy... no saw dust in the house.
My neighbour has a 3 car garage on top of a self contained apartment. The apartment faces the downhill side and the garage is entered from the uphill side. I didn't notice any extra effort in water proofing the floor. I guess it would have to be a floor thick enough to bear the load and with a properly sloped floor and/or drain(s), the slush problem should be able to be taken care of.
Tom
Edited 4/14/2003 10:49:15 PM ET by TOMCHARK
I have such a garage/with basement. And there are other around this area. All of then are poured in place with temporary forms. Not spancrete. But those things seem to be regional.
As Tom said all of the "water proofing" is by slopped drainage.
But I am Kansas City an weather is not that cold (most of the time) and mine slope to the door. You might need to slope to the center and have a floor drain.
However, one thing to think about is insulating the ceiling of the basement. Even with the garage over it there will be a fair amount of heat loss.
There are some ICF's that designed for this application and are the forms, but insulating the ceiling. I would look at those.
While I am on a lake I can't see it from the workshop. The house is in front of it. I like to confuse people by telling them that go UP from the living room to the basement.