Car Storage Conundrum

[Prs97]

Hi Folks.

Long time lurker here and am looking for some thoughts & advice about car storage options.

TL;DR version- Have 2 cars but 1 garage & another living space that may work. Need feedback. See pic below.


Wordy version-

My issue is that I have 2 cars that I'd like to store at home rather than keep 1 at home and pay for storage on the other. Picture below is not my house but illustrates the situation I'm in.

I bought the house I grew up in which is a ranch style that originally had a single car garage. This would be the door on the left in the picture below. The back left corner of the garage has the boiler, hot water heater, chimney, & attic/crawlspace access. The right corner by the garage door has the electric panel. Above the garage door (running parallel to it), there is a soffit with wiring in it. To put the cherry on top, the ceiling is only 9' tall.

About 20 years ago, an addition was put on the house for a family member to live in and is currently my man cave. This would be the door/space on the right in the picture below.

The addition was built as living space (not as a garage then converted to living space) and is basically same square footage as the original garage (maybe even a little wider) and has a non-functioning garage door on the front to make it look like another garage from the street. At the back end of this living space, there is a bathroom, laundry sink, some cabinets, and a fridge full of beer, thankfully. Back half of the space has ceramic tile. Front half of the space is carpeted. According to drawings, a 4" concrete slab rated for 2500 PSI was poured. I've measured and a car will fit just fine in here.

Here are the options I can think of:

Option 1: Install a 4 post list in the original garage & store both cars there.
To do this, I need to get wiring moved, cathedral the ceiling, & install a lift.
I've spoken to pros about each part of the plan and it's doable but more expensive than I'd like to spend and will be a tight fit in there.

Option 2: Change the addition from living space to a garage
To do this, I need to open up the wall & make the garage door functional, rip up the carpeting, & install flooring to meet the height of the tile in the back half of the room (thinking of something like Race Deck tiles). This should be a cheaper option but I have concerns about the concrete slab cracking. Plus I have to get/build ramps so the car can go up the 5"-6" height of the foundation/footings. Hopefully a 3600-3800 pound car going in & out doesn't crack anything. That's the last thing I want to deal with.

Option 3: Sell one of the cars.
Really don't want to but if it comes to that, I get it.

Option 4: Shut up and keep paying for storage.
It's expensive and I hate just throwing money away on rent, especially since I don't get to drive as much as I'd like.

Thanks in advance!

Picture for reference. Original garage on left. Living space on right.

 

[bradpac]

My vote would be to make the door functional and have a two bay garage.

 

[Prs97]

My vote would be to make the door functional and have a two bay garage.

I'm leaning that way myself but am curious on feedback on the 2500 PSI slab. Too light to keep a car parked on?

Also going up & down over the foundation/footing cause any worry?

Thanks!

 

[Cobra5150]

A car is nowhere near 2500 psi. You'll be fine.

 

[rok_hunter]

Helped a friend assemble this four-post lift in his garage for....well....you can tell. I think he said it was under/around $2k.

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[Prs97]

I've heard of getting good deals on lifts on the used market. My cheap a$$ has concerns on the costs adding up with the architect, ceiling work, and moving the electric around.

If there is minimal/negligible risk with parking car #2 on the slab in the additional living space, I'm figuring that's an easier, cheaper option.

 

[fourbyford]

I'd have to agree with Cobra... a car won't come anywhere near 2,500 psi. Assume the car weighs 3,000#... the weight is distributed (probably not equally) to the four wheels. So, to make the math easy, let's assume each wheel is carrying 750# (3,000 ÷ 4) but... each tire has a footprint... a conservative estimate would be 20 or more sq inches... depending on the characteristics of the tire. I wouldn't think you'd need to worry about the floor.

As far as the tires climbing up the foundation wall... can you build a wooden... or concrete ramp???

I'm thinking this is doable!

...D

 

[SALIV8]

How about adding a carport off the Right side of the garage?

 

[firebirdparts]

I don’t know what you pay, but $100 a month for 10 years is $12,000. You need to decide if you want to pay what it costs to hang onto that room. Maybe you do. I would tear the carpet out, but I am not planning to move.

 

[Prs97]

Thanks for the feedback. I knew I came to the right place.

To climb the 5-6" of the foundation/footing on the addition room, my plan is to build some ramps out of 2x10 or wider to be sturdy enough and have enough slope so it doesn't scrape.

The remaining property between the house and the property line is too narrow for a car port. Good idea but I think that one is out.

Personally, I'd love to keep the living space as is. I have my big TV and fridge full of beer, and all of my other toys but I really, really hate paying that storage bill. The car is currently in a storage place that is like the Ritz Carlton for hot rods. If I could find good, safe storage anywhere near $100/mo I'd be dancing a jig but nothing anywhere near that cost around here.

Thanks!

 

[p_mori7]

you wouldn't need to cathederal the whole cieling. Just the part above the lift where the top part of the car would slip up into.

Tadah...I have now justified your 4 post lift. the money you save on the cieling will pay for the lift.

 

[MattRMagnum]

Why not pour a slab next to the mancave bay, and put up a carport there? If you build it two bays wide, and walled on three sides, it's basically a garage but way less cost/permitting/etc.

 

[matt_i]

You even have a garage door! Guessing it might need a torsion spring and some tracks but...

Don't sweat the concrete. More exotic psi are widely available now but that mix has been working for ages before that.

The ramps might be a bigger issue. Not sure if this car is seasonal or (?) but you're going to have to have a slot for the garage door unless the ramp gets moved in and out every time you drive the car and open/close the door...that sounds slightly worse than a manually operated garage door where you have to jump in and out constantly..

 

[Innovate1]

I don't understand the ramp issue. Would help if the picture was the actual site or we had a side profile showing the height of things - inside floor, outside apron, etc.

 

[Cardboard Man]

My vote is to convert the man cave to garage space. The floor won't be an issue. If you are creative, you can probably still have some man cave functionality along with space for the car - I'm thinking of like how Robert Urich parked his T-bird in his living room on Vegas.
Pics of the actual space would be helpful.

 

[MikeinNorthWales]

I don't understand the ramp issue. Would help if the picture was the actual site or we had a side profile showing the height of things - inside floor, outside apron, etc.

This is where I am, as well, but I think I'm beginning to understand. I picture the space built as standard construction for a living space with the stem wall around the entire perimeter. Walls were built on the stem wall. The garage door is part of the exterior finish, not ever meant to be operational.

If this is the case, making the door operational requires wall work, installing a header, etc as the wall as I described is load bearing. Is this an accurate assumption?

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[CombatNinja]

I'm with MikeinNorthWales, I am not exactly clear on how this structure is built. So much of this makes no sense. What would possess somebody to take great pains to disguise a room addition as a garage? Was somebody trying to skirt a code? Maybe they could not get an addition approved due to septic sizing or some such and figured they would just get around it.
The 4" slab should be of no concern at 2500psi for regular car parking. You're not going to be able to install a lift on it but you already knew that. It boggles my mind sometimes seeing the bizarre things people do to their homes. And then it is re-boggled when somebody actually buys this ****. You said you grew up in this house so maybe you can understand the 'process' a little better but that is just some weird stuff right there.

 

[gtsgarage]

This is where I am, as well, but I think I'm beginning to understand. I picture the space built as standard construction for a living space with the stem wall around the entire perimeter. Walls were built on the stem wall. The garage door is part of the exterior finish, not ever meant to be operational.

If this is the case, making the door operational requires wall work, installing a header, etc as the wall as I described is load bearing. Is this an accurate assumption?

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I agree there could be a lot of work getting that door working. Can you see the door from the interior or is there a false wall on the interior? May need a header for the actual door.

Pursue the lift.

 

[nadogail]

To the Original Postor, if this is your first post welcome to the forum.

Without a location and pictures of the problem, I can only offer hypothetical options.

Pictures and a location will help me frame a more coherent response. Unfortunately your budget, which you need not disclose will influence you options. Let your budget influence your decisions.

Good Luck in finding a solution you can live with.

 

[Prs97]

Spot on!

This is where I am, as well, but I think I'm beginning to understand. I picture the space built as standard construction for a living space with the stem wall around the entire perimeter. Walls were built on the stem wall. The garage door is part of the exterior finish, not ever meant to be operational.

If this is the case, making the door operational requires wall work, installing a header, etc as the wall as I described is load bearing. Is this an accurate assumption?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Prs97]

Hi All,

Thanks again for the feedback.I added some pics for clarity.


@p_mori7 - Good point on cathedral-ing just the portion of the ceiling that is required to make room for the cars. I'm hoping that can be done and will alleviate some of the wiring concerns. There are a number of wires that traverse the garage ceiling currently and I'm working on getting an electrician in to survey that whole deal.

@MattRMagnum - I don't think I have enough room for a slab between the side of the house & the fence line for a car port.

@Innovate1- For the ramps, I think I need something long enough & wide enough to get the car up about 6" to clear the foundation/footing/"stem" of the addition. The floor is not at driveway elevation like the current garage.

@CombatNinja- Regarding "What would possess somebody to take great pains to disguise a room addition as a garage?", it was my mother's idea. She wanted the exterior of the house to look like it had a 2 car garage from the street and keep any nosy neighbors from thinking there was an illegal apartment attached to the house. That was the thinking. As to why she does the other things she does, I shall require a lot of whiskey, an Ouija board, and a call to Miss Cleo and I bet I still end up perplexed.

@gtsgarage- There is a false wall behind that non-functioning garage door. From the outside, it's vinyl siding & the garage door. From the inside, I'm 99% sure it's framed on 16" centers with 2x4s, insulated, and sheetrocked. It looks like a normal interior wall.

 

[rsparks64]

Buy a place like this.

 

[Prs97]

I wish!!!

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Buy a place like this.

I'm going to build and this looks like a great idea!

OP, I would persue making the false garage door into a real door. Jacking up the ceiling and ripping the wall apart to make and opening with a header wouldn't be terribly difficult for a competent contractor. 2500psi concrete poured a while ago is likely to be much stronger now. Getting the vehicle into the converted man space might require a small ramp, wood would be fine temporarily, it's small enough to be done with quikcrete vs. a full blown concrete contractor.

 

[walta]

As a real estate transaction it would be a financial disaster to convert high value permitted living space into low value garage space.


Walta

 

[Prs97]

The plan would be to convert it back to living space before selling the house.

As a real estate transaction it would be a financial disaster to convert high value permitted living space into low value garage space.


Walta

 

[buzzworth]

How tall is the ceiling of the mancave? Could that be opened up and put the lift in there.

 

[Prs97]

9 feet in the man cave too.

Wifey is leaning towards the garage lift option which works for me. Now on to scoping out the deal with the electric in that soffit and running across the garage ceiling.

 

[ChevyEFI]

If it's need of a roof during your residency there, re-do the garage rafters and roof so you have the abilify to do a lift on one side, and a storage attic on the other. The storage attic can be livable sq. footage, and you'll increase your living space sq. footage for the sale later.