I would like to build a 3 story detached Garage/shop. My property is sloping about 7% so my house has a daylight basement. I would like to build a detached three story garage that matches. The top floor would be a loft for storage then you would have the "main" parking level matching my existing garage and a "basement level" I can access from the rear. I have been researching and talking with engineers about what I should use to hold the "main" second story floor up. This would be a 30' wide 50' deep floor plan with no stairs. The engineers I have talked with want to use steel beams under glue lambs. I know I have seen pictures of systems that were preformed concrete. Is anyone familiar with these systems? The lower level would be storage for lawn equipment and my ski boat, so cost is an issue. From the research I have done I could put in a retaining wall instead of the basement and save about 30k. I would like to look into some other forms of construction before I decide what way to go. If anyone has experience with this kind of structure I would like to hear from you on the positives and negatives. I believe the 3 story garage would look the best next to my home I am just not sure it is worth the extra cost and hassle of construction. On the other hand you can never have enough "Space"
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2 Level Garage flooring System?
- Thread starter driptruck
- Start date
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
First thing- where are you located? Different building methods are used in different parts of the country (or world.)
For the method of using steel beams supporting glulams, are they then going to pour a concrete floor on top of that? The methods I've seen are to 1) use Spancrete prestressed concrete planks for the floor, with a finish layer of concrete poured over the top, or 2) to put down a bar joist system with metal decking on top, and then install reinforced concrete over that (this is similar to construction you may see in large office buildings.
http://www.spancrete.com/building_solutions/residential/
For the method of using steel beams supporting glulams, are they then going to pour a concrete floor on top of that? The methods I've seen are to 1) use Spancrete prestressed concrete planks for the floor, with a finish layer of concrete poured over the top, or 2) to put down a bar joist system with metal decking on top, and then install reinforced concrete over that (this is similar to construction you may see in large office buildings.
http://www.spancrete.com/building_solutions/residential/
McGoo
Member
One of my customers, years ago, had a garage with a treated wood floor and a basement underneath. Don't know any of the particulars, but he said it was designed by an engineer and passed local code. Seemed scary to me.
McGoo
McGoo
Architorture
Well-known member
if you plan on having a concrete floor on the main garage level i think the most economical way to do it is going to be steel beams in composite with deep metal decking holding your concrete floor. it sounds like you don't need wide open clear spans in the lower level so the tighter you can make your column grid the more economically you will be able to build with this system.
hollow core concrete plank systems are nice because they maintain the shallowest possible floor system but there is also a whole economy you have to consider in your spans and support systems. there are tons of motels and hotels built using block walls supporting plank systems on the cheap...but they are also optimized for economy and speed of construction. since they are building the same floor plan 5 or 6 times over it is easy to achieve an economy of scale...its a little harder with a one-off like your garage project would be.
hollow core concrete plank systems are nice because they maintain the shallowest possible floor system but there is also a whole economy you have to consider in your spans and support systems. there are tons of motels and hotels built using block walls supporting plank systems on the cheap...but they are also optimized for economy and speed of construction. since they are building the same floor plan 5 or 6 times over it is easy to achieve an economy of scale...its a little harder with a one-off like your garage project would be.
I am in Washington State. Yes I plan to have a concrete floor on the "Main level". I am not concerned with posts on the lower level, I would like to store my boat in there though.
Thank you Stuart Spancrete prestressed concrete is the kind of system I was looking for. I am going to contact them and see what they say. Are there any other companies making a product like this?
Thank you Stuart Spancrete prestressed concrete is the kind of system I was looking for. I am going to contact them and see what they say. Are there any other companies making a product like this?
readhead
Well-known member
I fab and install steel floor systems on a regular basis. Most systems are beams and metal deck with concrete poured over them. We have also done beams with precast planks. The freight on the precast planks can be quite a bit depending on how far they have to be transported plus the crane to place them. Plus you will have to pour a slab over the planks. I have seen installs that do not have a topping slab and it isn't very pretty.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
Thank you Stuart Spancrete prestressed concrete is the kind of system I was looking for. I am going to contact them and see what they say. Are there any other companies making a product like this?
Like readhead mentioned, precast planks are big and heavy so they're not very practical for hauling long distances. Spancrete has a number of plants, mostly in the Midwest with a few in the West (http://www.spancrete-sma.com/contact_producer.php ), but I imagine there are a number of companies selling similar products in other parts of the country.
wssix99
Well-known member
I would like to look into some other forms of construction before I decide what way to go. If anyone has experience with this kind of structure I would like to hear from you on the positives and negatives. I believe the 3 story garage would look the best next to my home I am just not sure it is worth the extra cost and hassle of construction. On the other hand you can never have enough "Space"
Woa. It sounds like its going to be expensive no matter what you do. Backfilling up against a retaining foundation wall and doing a 2 story building is expensive but should be less than the structure required for a 3 story building of that size. The cost of this stuff varies widely, depending on your geography. You'll also have seismic considerations that many of us don't have to worry about too much.
Are you going to build it yourself? If not, I'd go for quotes before you do the final structural design and be open to contractors giving you options for different structural systems. It's very hard to tell what will be the most cost effective on the back of a napkin.
If you are considering a precast floor, you might look to get a quote for the entire wall/floor system being precast. Having just built a 4 story ICF house, if I were to do it all over again - I'd look very closely at doing precast panels. In many facets of life, the speed of erection is key and precast has a great advantage here. You can also get pre-stressed panels, which may give you more clear space on the bottom floor for your money.
Either way, a 3 story structure will require a lot of maintenance. Ice melt seeping down to the ground floor from the middle floor will always be a battle. It can be controlled, but that will be a recurring cost. (Similar to maintaining a parking garage, with crack grinding, sealing, and floor coating.)