John's Garage Journal: 26" x 32" Brick Garage w/ Car Lift

[JDishong]

Post tension cables & Roof shingles

The foundation post-tension cables were pulled yesterday and the roof shingles are up!

Post-tension cables were stressed and, cut, and then covered. These cables are stressed to more than 30,000 lbs of force where they are "stretched" to put the concrete slab under tension. Concrete in compression is stronger.

Here are the post-tension cables shown during concrete pour (below)

You can see the cable ends here in this photo just after pour. They typically wait 7 - 10 days to stress the cables (below)

...and now the here is the finished photo after the cable has been stressed, cut, and covered (you can see a slight difference in the mortar color where the cables are hidden (below)

 

[JDishong]

Garage floor Anchors

Even though the garage isn't completed yet, I decided to inspect the floor anchors.

These 4 floor anchors were set during concrete floor. These anchors are positioned symetrically around the in-ground scissor lift (below)

Next I removed the covers exposing the pre-packed anchor chain (below)

I then removed the plastic filler/wrapper and installed the new covers (below)

Here is a photo after the chain is retracted into the floor and the cover installed (below)

And now all four are shown below:

I think those may come in handy!

 

[JDishong]

In-ground scissor lift

Time to work on the lift recesses in the concrete:

Prior to the roof being installed, we had a few days of rain. This made a mess of the lift recesses (below)

I drilled many holes the drain covers to allow the lift compartments to drain (below)

After they drained, I cut the drain pipes down to size. Still need to clean these up a bit (below)

Here is how the lift compartments look now! I need to do final detail to clean them up (below)

The PVC tube on the left wall is the conduit for the control cables from the controller to the lifts. The controller box will go up against the wall inside a cabinet.

 

[Pinhook]

Re: Post tension cables & Roof shingles

Post-tension cables were stressed and, cut, and then covered. These cables are stressed to more than 30,000 lbs of force where they are "stretched" to put the concrete slab under tension. Concrete under tension is stronger.

Cables are in tension, which puts the concrete in compression.
Concrete is substantially stronger in compression.
Virtually no usable strength or reliability in tension.

 

[jimmie jam]

Great build and thread!

 

[JDishong]

Re: Post tension cables & Roof shingles

Cables are in tension, which puts the concrete in compression.
Concrete is substantially stronger in compression.
Virtually no usable strength or reliability in tension.

Compression ... tension ... I think I was typing too fast. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Dr Dave]

That is some garage, hoist, pulling pots and bathroom, no need for a house.

Is there a reason the hoist is in the middle?

Dave

 

[JDishong]

That is some garage, hoist, pulling pots and bathroom, no need for a house.

Is there a reason the hoist is in the middle?

Dave

Thanks Dave. Why the middle? Just to be able to spread out a bit when working on the car, plus the the pulling pots are around the perimeter.
Keeping in mind that the lifts are in-ground, I am not giving up any space. I can still park 2 cars side-by-side easily when the lift is not in use. I'd say I'm not a heavy user (lift).

 

[Bruce4310TX]

Post tension is great in bridge construction and commercial buildings where they use High grade concrete, but home construction is a big fail Texas has the highest foundation failure rate due to post tension slab in the home building industry. Not a replacement for rebar Foundation repair in Texas is a money maker $$$

 

[JDishong]

Post tension is great in bridge construction and commercial buildings where they use High grade concrete, but home construction is a big fail Texas has the highest foundation failure rate due to post tension slab in the home building industry. Not a replacement for rebar Foundation repair in Texas is a money maker $$$

..and your credentials are ?????

I am NOT a construction expert nor do I claim to know about concrete. I have been told the concrete now is a much higher-grade over the past 10 - 15 years. This is from talking with a concrete expert.

I would imagine that foundation failures are proportional to the area?

As you know, the soils are quite different from Fort Worth to Irving to Dallas.

I think the high failure rate is a function of the clay soil .. not that post-tension slabs cause the failures... is that what you are claiming??

My home uses both post-tension and piers.

 

[pumalex]

what are the anchors for, frame pulling?

 

[JDishong]

what are the anchors for, frame pulling?

I did some paint & body work in my past-life so I thought for a hundred dollars, why not ?

They will probably not get used much but ya never know...

 

[andyaus]

Nice one, this looks like a great size shop looking forward to following you progress, andy..

 

[rmckee]

Looks like a great space. Mind sharing your sons height? I had a hard time visualizing how tall that ceiling is in the loft.

Can't wait to see it finished!

 

[JDishong]

Looks like a great space. Mind sharing your sons height? I had a hard time visualizing how tall that ceiling is in the loft.

Can't wait to see it finished!

My son is nearly 6' tall. The midpoint of the 0402 window in the back is about 6 foot. The peak in the loft is more than 13 ft tall.

 

[e-tek]

Is there a reason the hoist is in the middle?

what are the anchors for, frame pulling?

READ the thread boys!!!



Cool build. While nice to have room around a job on the lift, wouldn't it preclude you from using the lift with more than one car in the shop?

 

[JDishong]

READ the thread boys!!!



Cool build. While nice to have room around a job on the lift, wouldn't it preclude you from using the lift with more than one car in the shop?

Thanks e-Tek. Good point. I've set some ground rules when it comes to working on cars ...
1) only one car is allowed to break (or be serviced) at any one time.
2) I need to recognize that I have limitations of what I can or will work on.
3) The tool I will need to fix the car is not in my garage, therefore I will work at a slow pace and not be pressured by a schedule.
4) I used to do mechanic work, paint & body work when I as much younger ... now I plan to do only things I enjoy such as work with my son on his mustang, and my future project car/truck which is TBD.

.. you get the point. My job keeps me busy and I want a place to unwind, not get stressed out. At least this is in theory ...


I also have a 3-car garage attached to the house too so not too worried about room.

 

[boguenator]

Do you know what the total highth of this building is? Thanks

 

[JDishong]

Do you know what the total highth of this building is? Thanks

27 ft +/-

 

[Bruce4310TX]

..and your credentials are ?????

I am NOT a construction expert nor do I claim to know about concrete. I have been told the concrete now is a much higher-grade over the past 10 - 15 years. This is from talking with a concrete expert.

I would imagine that foundation failures are proportional to the area?

As you know, the soils are quite different from Fort Worth to Irving to Dallas.

I think the high failure rate is a function of the clay soil .. not that post-tension slabs cause the failures... is that what you are claiming??

My home uses both post-tension and piers.

have worked concrete business for 20 yrs also home construction, your correct the soils vary throughout the area, but one thing is constant the poor quality of building construction in the area. go drive thru your starter home developments and high end areas they clear the land pile up the dirt level it with there skid steer and its ready for concrete......oops rarely do they use a compactor to properly prepare the sub grade, now dig some footings in your loosely compacted soil poor your mud and start building in a day or 2 oh yeh set those cables. And down the road when the footing finally compacts from the weight of the slab it cracks and shifts because the post tension cable cant hold it together. Oh and piers are great as long as they are steel and go down to load bearing strata, concrete piers can not be pushed down below the level of soil that remains un disturbed. Cables dont cause the failure they just cant prevent it, all concrete cracks rebar is better since it holds it together and can carry the load when it trys to shift builders use cables cause its faster and not labor intensive like rod, so they make more $$. And the quality of the mud is usually 2500 to 3000 psi for homes and 5-6000 psi and even much higher in commercial, # is more crete per mix hence stronger thats why the cables work in commercial construction.

 

[JDishong]

have worked concrete business for 20 yrs also home construction, your correct the soils vary throughout the area, but one thing is constant the poor quality of building construction in the area. go drive thru your starter home developments and high end areas they clear the land pile up the dirt level it with there skid steer and its ready for concrete......oops rarely do they use a compactor to properly prepare the sub grade, now dig some footings in your loosely compacted soil poor your mud and start building in a day or 2 oh yeh set those cables. And down the road when the footing finally compacts from the weight of the slab it cracks and shifts because the post tension cable cant hold it together. Oh and piers are great as long as they are steel and go down to load bearing strata, concrete piers can not be pushed down below the level of soil that remains un disturbed. Cables dont cause the failure they just cant prevent it, all concrete cracks rebar is better since it holds it together and can carry the load when it trys to shift builders use cables cause its faster and not labor intensive like rod, so they make more $$. And the quality of the mud is usually 2500 to 3000 psi for homes and 5-6000 psi and even much higher in commercial, # is more crete per mix hence stronger thats why the cables work in commercial construction.

I also have see this in both commercial and residential as well... and Texas is highest in the rankings mainly because the construction industry is very strong and the sheer volume of construction (consider the size of Texas compared to any other state).

I get your point, but if you tell me this doesn't go on anywhere else in the country I'd say you're kidding yourself...and again the soil type doesn't help here in North Texas.

I will say this .. my garage foundation was Engineered ... not just scraped and poured. Look at some of the photos at the amount of rebar in the trenches, note the depth of the trenches (extending into undistrurbed soil), and the width of the trenches. The concrete is at least 5k ... Will my foundation every crack ??? You bet ... will it ever "fail" .. not likely.

In the end, you get what you pay for (some track builders). The contractor I chose is a custom home builder in the area and has been building homes for 30+ years.

Your original comment is more of an indictment on builders than it is on post-tension design. Post-tension done right, is a proven method.

 

[cody251]

have worked concrete business for 20 yrs also home construction, your correct the soils vary throughout the area, but one thing is constant the poor quality of building construction in the area. go drive thru your starter home developments and high end areas they clear the land pile up the dirt level it with there skid steer and its ready for concrete......oops BLAH BLAH BLAH....

Its already built! Plus this is Garage Journal not a contractor forum or concrete engineer's blog, you can go tell him how he got scammed or how dumb he is over PM or something. Keep it on topic!

AS for the OP, what lift are you running? Very nice setup and I love the idea of placing the work space in the middle. ONE PROJECT AT A TIME!

 

[JDishong]

As for the OP, what lift are you running? Very nice setup and I love the idea of placing the work space in the middle. ONE PROJECT AT A TIME!

Roger that and thanks,

This is a full-rise scissor lift by Ever-Eternal Industry Corp of China. A few GJ members have documented the installation very thoroughly... purchased back in Aug 2012 for ~ $2500 (includes shipping, custom, etc.)

Do a search here on GJ for "In-floor scissor lift" to get the latest info on this vendor. I understand that they now have a US distributor and have increased the cost to nearly $3500.

Good luck!

 

[TRWTOW]

very nice

 

[JDishong]

Finally, flatwork done!

Today they poured the driveway extension to the garage.

Next week complete window install, electrical rough and maybe brick&stone.

Here is a wider pan of attached and detached garage (below).

Before concrete pour(below)

..and after the pour (below)

wider angle shot (below)

 

[andyaus]

looking good mate

 

[JDishong]

Thank you TRWTOW and Andy.

 

[MacTexas]

I am curious about your lighting plan. My electrical should be finished next week and I will be able to take a picture of how much light I have.

 

[JDishong]

Hey Mac!

Here is my electric plan (1st floor). Consists of 100A service with 120 & 240.

Two banks of T-5 fixtures; I split them up on two switches to provide a "conservation mode".

240 VAC on every wall and 120 VAC at 6 ft intervals.

Plan to use LiftMaster 3800 for the garage door and use a high-lift kit.

 

[MacTexas]

Good looking plan. You will have plenty of 220v outlets available should you decide to air condition in the future.

 

[JDishong]

Rough Electric in!

Yesterday they run electricity:
3 - 240 circuits (Car lift, Welder, Future Compressor)
12 - T5 light fixtures (4X bulbs ea.), Two separate switches
10 - 6" down-lights around perimiter walls
4 - High-mount recirculating fans (see above each window)
2 - Exterior coach light
1 - Exterior door light
1 - Exterior landscape plug (future water feature)
2 - Weatherproof outlets (Exterior)

Lots of 120VAC plugs (Here are the pics)--

Wall Switches (below)

Exterior Coach Light & Flood lights under roof edge (below):

100 A Sub-Panel shown below:

T5 Ceiling Fixtures below:

Rear Wall: 240 wiring + Septic wiring _ 120 below:

Rear Wall view below:

Loft with VAC outlets and fan mounts below:

... and to think that I was considering doing this. Glad to have paid the subs, they did a great job and 1 1/2 days work.

 

[MacTexas]

I wired my last garage, drilled all the studs with a 1/2" drill and a spade bit. It seemed like it took forever just to drill all the holes. I had an electrician do my current build. He had a huge drill and a foot long bit. He had all the studs drilled in 30 minutes. Very happy I had a pro do the wiring.

You have much more wiring than I had a a day an a half is quick for all they had to wire.

 

[quick60]

Never heard of post-tensioning a slab on grade for a garage. Is that required by code due the expected load? Looks like a nice place you got there.

 

[Bsj04]

What are the specs on the header over the garage door?

 

[JDishong]

What are the specs on the header over the garage door?

18"(H) x 3.5"(W) X Length. Garage door is 18' wide.

 

[JDishong]

Never heard of post-tensioning a slab on grade for a garage. Is that required by code due the expected load? Looks like a nice place you got there.

Local code requires foundations to be "Engineered design". Majority of load is perimeter weight of 100% Brick & Stone plus high-clay content soils ( North Texas ).

Ultimately I chose to go with post-tension for a little more piece of mind ( or was that piece of wallet ? ). Most agree this is probably overkill.

 

[Bsj04]

18"(H) x 3.5"(W) X Length. Garage door is 18' wide.

Thanks, hopefully that's overdoing it like the rest of your build.

I'm planning on a 18'x8' door in a 9' wall and have room for a 14" tall beam. It will also be brick faced 24' wide and 8/12 pitch. I'll have quite a bit less brick weight so I hop the 3.5"x14" will work.

Looking good man!

 

[JDishong]

Thanks, hopefully that's overdoing it like the rest of your build.

I'm planning on a 18'x8' door in a 9' wall and have room for a 14" tall beam. It will also be brick faced 24' wide and 8/12 pitch. I'll have quite a bit less brick weight so I hop the 3.5"x14" will work.

Looking good man!

Thanks .. check this out http://www.woodbywy.com/library/#beams-headers-and-columns

Look in the table for DOC_ID "tj-9000", then goto page 7 or 8 for header tables. Depending on your specifics you can look it up to see. Good luck!

 

[JDishong]

Lifts in the ground!

Well, today was a big day as I transported the EE-6503 lifts from the main garage to the detached garage (below):

Using an engine hoist, tow-rope and home-made mower hitch w/ John Deere we safely transported the lifts (below):

The JD mower was put aside once we transported the lifts. You can see the home-made hitch bar still attached to the engine hoist frame ( tow-bar ). The hardest part was getting the engine hoist over the garage thresholds.

Positioning lifts into place and ready to lower them down in the pits!

Lowered into position. Will have electric soon and then I can lower them completely (below):

A very good day!

 

[MacTexas]

Looks like you had some good help with the lift. I see he has his steel toed flip flops on.

I like the cabinets in your old garage which brings up the question. What are you going to cover the walls with on your new garage?