Building on a grade

[CBSuperDuty]

Hello all. Just starting to consider building my 'shop'. The best place for me to build is along my existing house driveway and has a slope. I would guess 10' - 15' from front to back (max). My delima is whether or not to dig into the ground and build into the bank with a well insullated North door or I have access to some 3'x4' concrete blocks (poured from left overs at the local concrete plant) for about $35.00 each and then I could use those for a retaining wall and level with dirt and have a couple of west doors.

Also unsure about weather to go with stick built or pole building. I think I will go with something like 30'x40' or 50' with 10' - 12' sides. Eventually I would like to insulate it and wire it. It will be used to store our pulling truck, snow plow, and build new toys.

Which way do you think would be cheaper or which would be better in the long haul.

Sorry for my poor drawing.

 

[kbs2244]

You need an engineer.
15 feet of drop is just too much without a good site survey.

 

[CBSuperDuty]

Don't know if it is that much. Just ball parking it and rather be on the highside.

Which would be cheaper the concrete wall on the side into the bank or the retaining wall or just even a steep bank with fill dirt.

 

[Junkman]

Have you considered a two story building.... a drive in basement in the rear, with reinforced concrete panels to create the floor for the top garage. This will give you double the storage space, and will cost a lot less than you thing when you consider the square foot cost. I wanted to do this when I built my home 25 years ago, but the local building inspector wouldn't have any part of it. If I had known at the time that the concrete company could have supplied proper engineering drawings, I could have take my appeal to the state building inspector and it would have been approved. I am actually considering doing this on another area of my lot for a two level storage garage. Only problem today is getting the approval of the wife. She can't see the need for it. Says that I will be dead by the time that it is finished. I guess that I can see the "handwriting on the wall"... I guess that I have to keep my gun locked up and out of her hands.

 

[z28toz06]

I agree with Junkman. I almost did it but was in a rush and didnt want to fight "the Man", so I went conventional.

I am on a grade also. You need to do kneewalls on the up hill side and full 8 foot walls on the down hill side. You must build on virgin, undisturbed soil, so be careful about trying to build up the down hill side.

 

[Junkman]

Dang......z28toz06.... that taint no garage, that looks more like a full blown house to me. Heck, I could put the cars in the downstairs and live in the upstairs. That is the best looking darn "dog house" that I have seen in a long while!!!

 

[Higgins Tom]

Is that a giant Sycamore tree?
It would be big in MI.
Tom

 

[Dustoff 35]

We built into the grade on my garage, excavated and poured concrete to accommodate an eight foot grade change from front to back. As tall as the garage is and the fact that it is upslope from the house keeps it from overpowering the house on the property. I am pretty happy with the way it looks, wife likes it too.

 

[comp]

nice